Once again we leave around 10:15 and drive the 40 miles or so to Avignon, easily finding the underground car park we’re seeking which is near the famous bridge, immortalised in the song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon”...
Up the steps and into the light and an amazing sight greets us – The Popes’ Palace – a huge complex of castles, towers, churches and courtyards...
We readily pay 11.50 Euros each for joint entry to this and the Pont d’Avignon...
Inside the palace we are issued with audio guides and I infuriate Anne by insisting on listening to the stories of all nine popes who ruled from here from 1305 till 1403 – and you can read about them here: http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/pdphistoire3.html
We are in the palace for well over an hour, doing the full tour with the telephone type contraptions glued to our ears..
We are followed around into every great hall and small room by a party of Italian Schoolchildren who look utterly bored by the whole thing, totally in contrast with their utterly enthusiastic teacher...
Kids nowadays eh?
Ater the place, we head to the nearby Town Hall Square and have a very reasonably priced lunch of Milanese cutlet for Anne and a faut filet for me (sirloin steak says Anne)...
We then walk down to the bridge, the Pont St Bénezet, where we are once again issued with audio guides – and very informative they are too – you can read about the bridge here : http://www.palais-des-papes.com/anglais/ponthistoire.html
After the bridge, we walk down the main shopping street, Rue de la Republique looking for the modern art gallery, which we easily find...
Click on this to enlarge and you can see me reflected in the door...or don't bother, it's up to you...
The gallery shows artworks loaned to the city for 20 years by local collector Yvon Lambert and it’s all Modern Art..
Anne suggests it’s the biggest load of shite she’s ever seen, while I enjoy the majority of the pieces...
There are no artsy fartsy explanations of any of the pieces – each piece stands entirely on its inherent merits (or not as the case may be)...
Judge for yourselves by going here : http://www.collectionlambert.com/pages/exposition.htm
And clicking on the word “Diaporama” at the bottom of the page...
You can see many of the pieces on show in the current exhibition which runs until June...
What you don’t see there is a short film by a Danish Artist. Called “No Man Is An Island” it’s just some men sitting silently and contemplatively in a bar, not uttering a sound. Until a young man stands up and suddenly starts singing the song “Crying”...
Gradually, the whole bar joins in with some really beautiful harmonies...
Quite affecting I found...
We leave and go back to the main square for another coffee. The light has changed and so we take a few more photos before going back down the stairs to the car park and drive home to a fine bottle of chateaneuf du pape...
The day is rounded off with a delightful meal at a local restaurant where an unbelievable menu of the day is enjoyed by us both – salad/steak/profiteroles and a nice bottle of red wine all for less than 50 euros...
Top stuff...
Highlight of the Day : Avignon
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