29th October, Avignon

Avignon is more than "Sur le Pont D'Avignon", the song we all have running through our heads when the city's name is mentioned. This well preserved walled city of approximately 100,000 people (12,000 of who live within the walls) was the home of  the popes from 1309 to 1403 - 7 popes in all and they built the encircling wall, the bridge, the Palais des Papes (an enormous palace for themselves and now a museum) and amazing churches.
We have a policy that we avoid cities and crowds and queues in our adventures but at this time of the year the crowds are very much absent - summer is the time for Provence. The tourists are evident but in small numbers and walking and window shopping and looking in awe at the buildings are comfortable activities in autumn.
As we do in these larger cities we take the tourist bus or, in Avignon's case,"le petit train d'Avignon". This gives us our bearings and provides an overview, with commentary, of  the place and where we may be drawn to on our walk and areas we may wish to avoid. We did not mark any that we would avoid, and as the area within the walls is flat the whole area was ours to explore.

The first thing that you see when you leave the stairs out of the Palais des Papes underground car park is the Palais des Papes. What a start to the adventure.

The Palais des Papes and no one in sight

Notre Dame des Dom Cathedral alongside Palais des Papes

Gold Statue on top of  Notre Dame des Dom

Le petit train d"Avignon

Little statues are on the building facades throughout the city

The drawbridge from the Palais to the "bridge"

The "bridge" - Pont Saint-Benezet

The Opera House

The alter of Saint Pierre - a minor Bassilica

Entrance to Saint Pierre's Bassilica

Entrance door to the Bassilica