"Excusez-moi, un plan, s'il vous plait". Don't forget to say "merci". Their maps are very very very good. In fact, we went on this Avignon-nimes trip without bringing any maps or having an itenary. Hohoho.
Another Travel tip: When taking the trains, remember to compostez votre billet (punch your card) at the yellow machine beside the escalators. Just see how the other people do it and do likewise. We spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to use the darn machine. -___- So sotong.
ANYWAY, our trainride there was on the TGV. We got first class seats (because they were cheaper than second class seats when we booked them).
We enjoyed lovely views of the Rhone Alps.
After about 1hour, we reached Avignon, which is south of Lyon.
Avignon gare. nice Architecture.
Outside of the gare.Weather was nice and warm and sunny. Lyon is like the most freaking cold place around now.
We got our Avignon maps from the office and hopped on to the shuttle bus to go to the main city.
The main city is quite unique as it is surrounded by a boundary which looks like that of the great wall of china.
Avignon is a very quiet and kinda dull city. Not very vibrant, as you can tell in this picture.
Eglise Saint Didier.
Nice flowers in the compound.
The buildings in Avignon are quite nice too. Some pictures I took while we walked to Palais des Papes.
Some random facade.
Even the Bank of France looks so nice.
Theatre
After a short walk, we reached the exterior of Palais des Papes!
The back of Palais Des Papes.
The grand entrance.
We saw this queer dude outside the Palais Des Papes playing happy pipe music from this little wooden jukebox. He had a set of scores made of wooden slabs and he would turn a spindle to make the score run and produce sound. No idea how it works.
We paid 7.50euros (after tarif reduit for students) to see Palais des papes and Pont d'Avignon. This 7.50euros included audioguides for both attractions, so I guess it was quite worth it.
Amazing views of inside Palais des Papes:
Big courtyard
Another big courtyard
Big room.
Another big room.
There was a little view tower at the top, which offered magnifique views of Avignon.
The Notre Dame of Avignon. The golden statue is Mary while there is a statue of Jesus on the cross at the bottom.
Avignon.
Group photo in front of the Golden Mary statue. The Palais des Papes tour was mainly about history, so the guide got really boring after awhile. But the rooms were quite impressive and huge.
After Palais, we walked around the compound randomly.
Ben asking a local boy perched dangerously on the railing of the stairs for directions.
We ended up at Rocher des Doms, a park which offered nice views. We had our "lunch" there, which consisted of cookies and bread "tapao-ed" from the resto-u during dinner/lunch.
Nice view number 23421321. The green patch in the foreground is a mini vinyard.
Pont d'Avignon (bridge of avignon).
Armed with the audioguides again, we made our way across the bridge. Or what was left of it. The rhone river currents were so strong that it swept away the other half of the bridge.
The story of how this bridge came along was quite funny. Apparently this dude was told by God to build a bridge across the rhone river. He then went up to the pope during mass and told that to the pope. The pope laughed, along with the congregation, and told the dude "if God really told you to build the bridge, pick up that rock to initiate construction".
The pope pointed to a rock that was left unmoved after the construction of the palais because it was too heavy. And by divine intervention, the dude carried the rock, much to the surprise of everyone, and dropped into the rhone. And blablablaa... the bridge was built. Funny right?
Rhone river.
The Palais behind the bridge.
(on the bridge of avignon, one dances there, one dances there.)
There were many songs written about this bridge, but this one is the most famous. It's a nursery rhyme. There's another one sung during weddings too.
After pont d'avignon, we went to the Saint-Andre Fort. Angie stayed behind because she was tired from the walking. (we walked a lot).
The outside.
View of the city from the top.
Me monkeying around. HEH Wanqing got her first FRENCh kiss here! It was hilarious. This old man started talking to ben during the walk. And when we reached this place, Ben and wanqing took a picture each with this old man. After Wanqing took a pic with him, instead of shaking hands, he gave her a kiss. She was so surprised and pissed off, HAHAHAHAH. Apparently his breath reeked of alcohol.
Actually alot of french there smell of alcohol, even in the noon.
Inside of the fort.
Old toilet.
After the fort, we had dinner at flunch and I did the craziest thing ever. I stole fries for breakfast because they were free flow. And because I didn't want to spend another 2.50euros on breakfast. Everything is so expensive man. This dinner (our only meal for the day, apart from the "lunch"), cost 6.20euros and was the cheapest we could find. After the 2 days of traveling, I only had 10 euros in my wallet. BOOOO.
After dinner, we took a train to nimes. No TGV this time, just train, which had lousy seats and no toilet. But it was a fast journey, 25 mins.
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