Touring in and around Avignon

June 3, 2019 to June 4, 2019

Mon June 3

We decided to spend the day in Avignon taking in all of the historic sites. First on the list was a visit to the Popes Palace. I have been here before but this time I had the audio guide on an iPad. The best part of the iPad tour was the ability to recreate the images of the days gone by. It was great use of 21st century technology to show us 13th century life. After the Pope's Palace we went to the famous Pont d’Avignon ( Avignon bridge) over the Rhône river. There was an afternoon of leisure in our amazing accommodation before a wonderful dinner at Le Lapin Blanc (the white rabbit).

A mural of the 9 popes that resided in Avignon.

A bust of Fredric Mistral a poetic and Nobel laureate from Provence.

Hilary and Gail walking down one of the many ataircases.

Châteauneuf du Pape wine in the Palace, this gives holy water a whole new meaning.

Gail listening to and watching the information on the iPad. This technology made the whole thing come alive.

The gang with the Palace in the background.

Another of the bridge and the River Rhône.

Me on the bridge with the Palace and town in the background.

Hilary dancing and singing Sur le Pont d’Avignon.

We enjoyed a lovely Sancerre in these cute glasses.

One appetizer of zucchini flowers and pesto salad.

The other appetizer salad of asparagus, pesto, Parmesan and prosciutto.

Tues June 4

Today we left Avignon to tour some of the small villages in the Luberon valley. There is so much to see that we just scratched the surface but we certainly got a taste of what Provence has to offer. You could easily stay in Avignon and pick 2 places a day to visit and take several weeks to do it. We started in L’Isle sur la Sorgue a town that is known for its weekend antique markets. We then went onto Gordes because today was market day and we wanted to get some fresh food for dinner. This village perched high on a hill top is among Les Baux Villages en France (the beautiful villages in France). We also stopped for lunch. Lastly we went to Fontaine de Vaucluse the village where the source of the Sorgue River is found. The source is a very deep artesian well in the limestone hills of the Luberon. There is so much more to see but we ran out of time.

Tomorrow we head to Vaison la Romaine via Orange where we will be for the next 10 days for our cycling adventure.

Part of the Sorgue river circulating through the village of L’Isle sur la Sorgue.

The main river complete with water wheel.

Gail did some retail therapy at the market in Gordes.

Part of the market in Gordes and the war monument in the traffic circle.

This is Gordes from the road that approaches the village.

A panorama of Gordes and some of the Luberon Valley.

Provence is known for housing called Bories. These are stone houses, barns and storage places that date back centuries. There are over 400 in Provence alone. We visited an entire village that had been restored. This photo shows a house, a sheep barn and storage place all in one.

Another view at the Borie village with a home behind the3 of us. These limestone slabs are just laid one on top of each other, no mortar is used. They were amazingly cool on a hot day.

Image not found :( — A lovely café along the Sorgue as we approached the source of the river.

That hole in the rock and the water below is the source of the Sorgue River. It is over 300m deep.

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