Adventures in Avignon with Little Red Riding Hood

Oct. 1, ‘07


We decided to change hotels to put ourselves closer to the action of the city and selected Hotel Medieval. As it turned out our main adventure of the day was to find our hotel but in doing so we actually experienced the ultimate driving tour of the walled city. This, I might say is not the recommended means of touring most large to medium size cities in Europe. The better means would be a private tour by an experienced insane driver, a tour bus, train or by boat. Naturally, these Two Tartes had to do it our way and as a result we spent 3 1/2 hours wandering the streets and meeting ourselves coming and going. At one particular time we found ourselves going the wrong way on a dead end alley. One car coming out, one car trying to go in and us in the middle . Both rather irate Frenchmen are out of their cars and yelling at us and at each other…quite a scene for the tourists in the sidewalk café having a quiet Sunday brunch.

After finally getting ourselves out of this predicament, we decide to take a break and visit Les Halles Centrales, a traditional covered market. Again, we continue to be amazed at the variety and freshness of all the foods for sale: pastries (from the simplest croissant to the most elegant mousse), fruits de mer (seafoods of every conceiveable type and so fresh there is none of that offensive odor we experience in our supermarkets), boeuf (beef, hand cut to your choice), pork, lamb, dinde (veal), lapin (rabbit), canard (duck) and then those of unknown origin. I never knew there were so many different varieties of olives, cheeses to satisfy any taste, breads, spices, fruits, vegetables. This being Sunday, the market was packed, not only tourists but locals doing their shopping for the week. I am absolutely convinced that the French are healthier because their diet consists of these fresh foods, grown locally and not full of the preservatives we use to add color, shelf life,etc. It is certainly not because they smoke fewer cigarettes or drink less alcohol. I have observed the cigarette brands are the same as American brands though some people do continue to roll their own smokes and wine is the drink of choice as opposed to mixed drinks and what we call hard liquor. Of course, if we could get wine this good and this inexpensive that might be the case for us. But then again, every government body finds a way to tax our goods beyond the cost of reason.

During our extended motor tour of the city, we found a market which would remain open until 7:00 p.m. Surely, we could find our way back by then. Out of utter frustration, Pat insisted we stop for lunch and get ourselves back together. Quite frankly, I was ready to hit the highway for the peaceful place we call home these days but good food will soothe the soul and revive the body. Come to find out, where we had lunch was a very short distance from the Hotel Medieval. Judy decided to walk the route to be certain where we were going and where we could park the car. A delightful Englishman was on duty at the hotel and he showed me to a handicap parking place about a block from the hotel. We checked in to the hotel, a delightful ground floor room which opened on to a courtyard where we could sit and enjoy a brief glass of wine before beginning a real tour of the city.

Our first destination was the Palais des Papes (Palace of Popes). This was the holiday home for the Popes beginning in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is maze of galleries, chambers, chapels and passages ( to who knows where), now empty and deserted. Just outside the walls of the city is the Pont St.-Benezet spanning the Rhone River across to Villeneuve – les- Avignon. This is what Pat thought was the Pont du Gard where she had painted a number of years ago. The bridge was 900m (2953 feet) long and composed of 22 arches. Legend has it that in 1177, a young shepherd boy, Benezet, was commanded by heavenly voices to build a bridge across the river at a spot indicated by an angel. Volunteers in the building project became known as the Bridge Brotherhood and financial donations poured in to fund the construction. The bridge was completed in 8 years, remarkable. It was rebuilt from 1234-1237 and again restored in the 15th century and then broken for the final time in the mid 17th century by the flooded Rhone.. So it stands today. The day was again overcast but thankfully not raining so the sunset pictures I had hoped to take were not possible.

Back inside the walled city, we wandered around taking in the sights. I came across a wonderful linen market. The work is so beautiful. After visiting the market we were about to return to our hotel when Pat had a sinking spell. It was quite frightening but after sitting, have a Coke and cooling off (she removed the legs of her pants, and to see this proper Southern lady stripping down was quite the sight), we exited the walled city and were able to take a cab back to the hotel.

The remainder of the evening we sat in our courtyard and enjoyed the lovely Fall evening. Judy went out briefly to pick up a bite of supper to bring home (jambon and brie panni , fruit, pastry and caramel ice cream).When I returned, Pat was visiting with a guest from California staying across the courtyard from us. Cindy is a flight attendant with United Airlines who had just completed a two week volunteer vacation working on the restoration of a small rural village. The living conditions were very rustic but there was a retired master chef who prepared three delicious meals a day. Sounds like an interesting possibility for a future adventure.

To sum up the adventure of Little Red Riding Hood in Avignon, on departure, she had her local map and so she did not fall in to the trap of being lost. She did not take the path through the woods and she did not meet the big bad wolf, or a handsome Frenchman. Instead, she chose the picturesque route through the stunning countryside, over the mountains and back toward the Cat House,and our friend Winn. Such was the trip of the Chaueffur and the Navigator in France.



Judy