We started the day by visiting the Cathedral we mentioned yesterday: Notre-Dame-des-Doms. This tall cathedral with gilded Madonna on top was begun in the 12th Century but rebuilt many times. Two popes are entombed here in the Chappelle St-Roch.
Afterwards we visited the pleasant park nearby with great views of the countryside.
We decided that the impressive fort (Fort Saint-André) we could see in the distance would be worth investigating. Avignon is technically two towns squished up against the river Rhône. Across from the walled centre of Avignon proper is a narrow island of parks, farms and caravan parks. On the other side of the island is the town of Villeneurve-lès-Avignon.
We walked over to Villneurve, and the tower that once guarded the town on this side of Pont St-Bénézet - Tour de Philippe le Bel - which was unfortunately was closed.
We had a pleasant stroll through the narrow winding streets of town, a reached the fort - although we did walk the long way around the hill.
Compared to visiting the monuments of Paris, there were few visitors at the fort. No queues: We paid our admission, were given a map and shown the door into the guardhouse which was closed behind us.
Altough the rooms were pretty much bare, we were pretty much free to wander around the towers (built in 1291) as we pleased: Through the bakery, the porticulis room, the muitions storage, toilets, and the prison chamber that prisoners had left grafitti in. The old, worn, narrow spiral starcases were a little hair-raising to use.
Walking towards the fort.
The guardhouse.
We also explored the rampart walls and a small chapel within the fort.
Also within the fort is an Benedictine abbey and the remains of a town. It was pleasant to wander around the gardens of the abbey (ranked as on of the top 100 in France) which had great views of Avignon.
View back to Avignon from the gardens of the abbey.
Some of the ruins within the fort.
The French government recently effectively abolished a public holiday (Pentecost Monday). This was understandably not popular, and back-peddled a bit, but the status of the holiday isn't clear.
Apparently, for the local bus system it was a public holiday, and so we missed our bus and had to walk all the way back to town.
Walking back to Avignon, we stopped in this leafy town square in Villeneurve for chocolate milkshakes.
For dinner we tried a quiet little Proveçale restaurant and dined outdoors in a warm, leafy courtyard.
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