Exploring Avignon: a day off the bikes

November 6, 2009

Weather: completely sunny and cool, quite windy

We needn't have worried about breakfast—-it was excellent. Freshly squeezed orange juice, good croissants and baguettes, cheeses, yogurt, cut up fruit, pain au chocolate, coffee—everything good quality and nicely served in Aida's kitchen. She spoke very good English and it was interesting to chat with her during breakfast.

Around 10:00 we walked a few blocks to the indoor market at Les Halles and noted the huge selection of beautifully displayed foods, particularly cheeses and more types of olives than we'd seen anywhere. Next on our list was the immense Palais des Papes (the Palace of the Popes), one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Avignon became the papal residence in 1309, and various popes lived there off and on for the next three hundred years. We picked up the optional audioguides and spent a good two hours there wandering through the imposing stone rooms and learning about life in a papal enclave.

The cavernous dining hall inside the Palais des Papes with its unique wooden barrel-vaulted ceiling.

Looking down from the ramparts of the Palais des Papes to the square below.

After this we were ready for some sustenance and walked around the corner to the Compagnie des Comptoirs, a newish place recommended in Lonely Planet and located in a renovated old cloister. The outdoor courtyard bar was decorated with ashtray-studded tables and a reflecting pool in the shape of a cross. Lunch was nothing special, and the price reflected the restaurant's inclusion in guide books.

The sun was shining brightly, and after lunch we ventured outside the walls and onto the highway bridge, a good vantage point for taking photos of the city and the Palais des Papes. Then back to the B&B via the Dom Garden above the Palais. By this time we had climbed up and down innumerable stone steps and were ready for a rest back at the chambre d'hote.

A view of the Palais des Papes in the sunshine.

Just inside the surprisingly well-preserved old city walls.

The narrow streets inside the city centre were not designed for automobile traffic.

Castles were very popular once upon a time. This one is just across the Rhone from Avignon.

We decided to try another of Aida's suggestions for dinner—this time a very small restaurant, Au Tout Petit. We didn't have a reservation, but managed to get seated at 7:30 if we promised to leave by 8:45. We enjoyed two courses and coffee by exactly 8:45, and the food was very good. The restaurant completely filled up, and they turned away at least four couples—a total difference from the night before.

The lounge off the courtyard at the Chambre d'Hote.

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