April 25, 2019: Avignon Encore & Clark's birthday

Clark's birthday wish was a day off from touring and a chance to sleep in. Oh, and pizza for dinner. All of these were accommodated easily.

Janis and I were happy for the chance to stay home as well, but Dave always has itchy feet and Judy has limited time, so they went off to explore Avignon's old town. Today is cloudy with showers, so Janis and I don't feel we're missing anything.

So this is Avignon in mostly grey sky and wind, through Dave's eyes.

Today we know Avignon first for its bridge that we learn as a nursery song: "Sur le pont d'Avignon, l'on y danse tous en rond."

The bridge (Pont St. Benézet) in Avignon

Chapel of St. Benézet on the bridge

Then for its history in the 1300s as the seat of the papacy (see blog post).

But Avignon has a history going back to pre-historic times and was a Phoenician trading post in the 6th century BC, then the first Roman province on the western side of the Alps which flourished until the early centuries AD when it was over-run by various barbarian tribes, fought over and sold to various lords, and then destroyed by the Francs (Charles Martel) in the 700s. Not much evidence of these times remains.

A gallo-roman wall

The middle ages were not much kinder to Avignon as the city belonged to a string of lords and kingdoms, but the city continued to grow and develop as a center of learning and religion. The papacy created a flourishing town which continued to grow even once the Popes moved back to Rome.

This mural, created in 2000, shows the 9 popes who lived in Avignon

A closer view of one of the panels

It was a papal enclave until the 15th century when it came under French rule. This too was subject to many ups and downs as it passed from ruler to ruler. But somehow, the city continued to flourish with many "hôtels" (manor houses) of powerful families built over the ages.

Most hôtels are now civic buildings. This handsome one is a museum

The museum courtyard

The doors outside a fancy hôtel

Church influence also continued to ebb and flow with the building of convents and churches.

And, as if human marauding wasn't enough devastation, mother nature sometimes added to the city's woes. Floods continued to afflict this city perched on the edge of the mighty Rhone River until the building of 20th century flood controls.

One of the medieval industries was weaving and dying. This street near a canal used water power to turn mill equipment for these manufacturers.

The street along the canal where the dyers and cloth makers had their factories

This canal would have had a water mill to turn the factory equipment

Today, Avignon has a well-developed and well-deserved tourist industry.

It also has become renowned for its Theatre Festival begun in 1946 by Jean Vilar.

We think these posters represent plays put on by the Theatre Festival. This one seems to be the Hunchback of Notre Dame

Perhaps a dance program?

Perhaps Hamlet? We really have no idea

It is also a cultural center for the revival of Occitane poetry. Called Félibrige, this movement seeks to save and promote the "langue d'oc" (the language of the south of France (and a few other places), as well as its culture and identity. We've run into several mentions of Félibrige and road signs here are usually in French and Occitane.

In case you wondered, French messages are not always subtle as this pack of cigarettes shows.

the warning on a pack of cigarettes left behind on a table

And as we've learned before, it is always windy in Avignon. The nearer the Rhone, the greater the wind we've been told.

Judy recreating the picture we took of Janis a few days ago. The wind wasn't as strong, but it was blowing.

Once home, we grilled Judy and Dave on their adventure, noting places to visit the next time we see Avignon. And then on to the usual routine of aperos and dinner. We are so boring in the evenings. I'm sure it has nothing to do with age.