Headed South for the Winter

Vacation planning here in Belgium has not been easy for me. So much to do!! BUT.. you have to plan months in advance to head to major attractions like skiing...or the beach to find warmth. Our plan..albet last minute was to head to Berlin, Germany. Then the weather there was very cold and snowy so I got on the Weather Channel app and looked for places with sun that was driving distance...and the South of France seemed to check that box. So the day after Christmas we headed South to Lyon, France as a stopping point to head to Avignon, France. Truthfully I had never heard of Avignon but I met a lady at the girls school who mentioned that city. And when I looked it up..it was sunny weather so why not?!?
We set off on our adventure with very little planned. We knew we wanted to head south, but we didn't know where we would end up..or where we would stop for the night. We made our first stop in Lyon, France and toured the city and found some Roman Ruins Dedicated to, and probably built by, Augustus in 15 B.C., the Grand Theater is the oldest such theater in Gaul, comprised of present day France, Belgium, western Switzerland, and parts of the Netherlands and Germany. (thank you wikipedia).

 

as we tried to walk around the city...it started to rain (weather channel app originally said no rain)...

 

so we loaded up the car and kept on driving...

 

where we arrived in Avignon. Where I learned it is a walled city with cute streets to shop and eat!.

 

Often referred to as the "City of Popes" because of the presence of popes and antipopes from 1309 to 1423 during the Catholic schism, it is currently the largest city and capital of the département of Vaucluse. This is one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts, its historic centre, the palace of the popes, Rocher des Doms, and the bridge of Avignon

Seven popes resided there:

• Clement V: 1305–1314
• John XXII: 1316–1334
• Benedict XII: 1334–1342
• Clement VI: 1342–1352
• Innocent VI: 1352–1362
• Urban V: 1362–1370
• Gregory XI: 1370–1378

This period from 1309–1377 – the Avignon Papacy – was also called the Babylonian Captivity of exile, in reference to the Israelites' enslavement in biblical times.
The walls that were built by the popes in the years immediately following the acquisition of Avignon as papal territory are well preserved. As they were not particularly strong fortifications, the Popes relied instead on the immensely strong fortifications of their palace, the "Palais des Papes". This immense Gothic building, with walls 17–18 feet thick, was built 1335–1364 on a natural spur of rock, rendering it all but impregnable to attack. After its capture following the French Revolution, it was used as a barracks and prison for many years but it is now a museum. ...again, thank you wikipedia...

Palais des Papes

and you can't do a post of Avignon without talking about the Pont du Avignon...a bridge that at one time crossed the river...but part of it was washed away. There is a french song about it that you may have heard of...I had not...

 

 

 

and from Avignon we headed south a little more to the coast in Toulon, France. And as luck would have it...we tried 2 different hotels...and both had closed THAT DAY for renovations...so we drove around...looked around...and drove back to Avignon...we really loved Avignon!

 

Below is a picture of the coast in Toulon.