2205 Avignon

Me with mon pied sur le pont d'Avignon.

Caught the train at 9.30-ish to Avignon. I was too ikey to pay the $4.50 Euro to put my foot sur le pont so I put it on the side of the bridge instead - does that count? We decided not to go into the Palace of the Popes or any attractions - instead we had an easy day by our usual standards although we still walked and walked and walked...... We treated ourselves to a nice leisurely lunch in Place de St Pierre.
One church in this town was built in the 10th century and the bridge was built in the 11th century(?) - google that s'il vous plait if interested. It was destroyed many times by floods so in the 17th century they decided not to repair it thus it is a pier rather than a bridge. The Rhone is a fast flowing river but where the bridge was built the river curved, so on the outside of the curve, the river flow is the strongest et voila, le pont is kaput.
The Palace of the Popes was in use for several hundred years and was the home to 9 Popes, I think. It is built as part of the city wall for defensive purposes. Will have to find out why the Popes were booted out of Rome. Sorry, my info on this is buried deep in a bag. All around the Palace are cobbled streets. Steve has a plan for our driveway after seeing the pavements in Spain and now here.

Palace of Popes and le pont

There don't appear to be as many security guards here as there are in Spain but perhaps they don't make themselves so prominent. It is HOT and our feet have zebra stripes from our shoes. I'm getting some good listening practice in French but I can't stop speaking Spanish. When people try to engage me in conversation, most often, the words I need are welded to the tip of my tongue or hidden in deep recesses in the brain. I feel fairly confident with comprehension if the topic is known and the speaker slows down (plus lentement).
Haven't seen any fields of poppies - disadvantage of travelling sans car, it's difficult to get out into the country.