Getting to the start.: A day on the train, a night in Avignon.
Spring has come early to France this year. I have been waiting to get away for quite a while now, and with most of the winter projects finished, I finally have a few free days. Sue has her new kitchen, and the garden can wait until I get back. Choosing a place to go is always difficult because although getting to the south is relatively easy it will take all of one day and part of the next to do it. I started out with plenty of time to catch the 10:30 train for Lyon, but wouldn't you know, I left my senior discount card at home and had to go back for it. The dash into Dijon went smoothly, though, and I made the train with time to spare. Nothing to do for two hours but watch the scenery roll by. In Lyon, I had just enough time to grab a sandwich and buy my ticket for the train to Avignon. Another two hours and I was in the city of the Popes. I quickly found a hotel and was checked in by 4 in the afternoon. Tomorrow, the tour will begin in earnest.
Yes, there is an Irish pub in Avignon, just as there seems to be in every European city. I prefer this to French beer, at least the mass-produced kind.
