A wander around Avignon
Avignon, capital of the Vaucluse is a World Heritage site. Why do UNESCO rate it so highly? The short answer is it's medieval architecture and importance. Let's start at the Popes' Palace.
Seven successive popes set up shop here in the 14th Century as it was conveniently close to the most powerful state in western Europe, France. Incidentally, Avignon, like nearby Carpentras didn’t become part of France until the French Revolution.
If the Papal Palace seems more like a fortress than a nice country pad, it was with good reason
and we can find out more by visiting this broken bridge.
This is the Pont d’Avignon, or officially the Pont Saint-Bénézet, named after an illiterate shepherd who managed to persuade the bishop to build a bridge here after getting a vision from God. It was a task so tricky, even the Romans hadn’t attempted it.
Unfortunately Bénézet died before his bridge was completed, but at least he didn’t live to see it’s first demolition thanks to Louis VIII of France who gave up on crusading in the Middle East and concentrated on some local pillaging.
Louis VIII
Saint-Bénézet
But it wasn’t just crusaders that created a headache for the bridge’s maintainers. Over time the mighty river Rhône has been constantly moving and undermining the bridge’s foundations. Judging by old pictures of the bridge, it seems to have spent more time down, than up
In the end, a mini ice-age in the 1600s finally did for it and what was left could fade into obscurity.
Or that’s what should have happened...
We can see the bridge, which is visited by 300,000 people a year, from a different angle if we catch a free ride across the Rhone to Barthelasse island where the locals like to stretch their legs.
So why did the bridge become famous? Because of this guy...
He’s Adolphe Adam and he was a phenomenally successful comic opera composer in his day but he had hit on hard times after losing everything in the 1848 Paris uprising and was in need of a hit or two to get him out of the red.
While looking for inspiration, he stumbled across an old ditty that the kids around here sang.
But there’s controversy over whether he got what they were singing right. Is it 'sur le pont' (on the bridge) or 'sous le pont' (under the bridge)?
And the answer is … probably neither, as kids round here back in the day spoke a dialect of Occitan rather than French.
Let's now go to the Cathedral gardens where we can get a great view of the river and surrounding countryside.
and also meet this guy
Jean Althen, born Hovhannès Althounian in modern day Iran, had a pretty tricky start to life. What with war and the death of his parents, he ended up being sold into slavery. Whilst in captivity he learned the art of dyeing cloth and when he managed to escape to France, he brought madder seeds with him, an act punishable by death.
Avignon's textile trade flourished, with the action happening here on Rue des Teinturiers (dyers' street).
Dying cloth madder-red became so popular, even soldiers' trousers turned red.
Meanwhile Jean ended up dying penniless.
But there is something else worth seeing on this street.
This is the home of the Penitents Gris, which was set up by Louis VIII - you know, the crusading guy, to make up for the things he and his buddies did while on tour.
Time for a wander around the rest of the town
where we can find some typical French things like this red double decker bus.
Hang on a minute…
It turns out Avignon is a good place to learn English and has a festival every year with music, cinema, theatre and books. So if you know anyone who wants to improve their english, like what i do, then some time here might do the trick.
If you want to pick up a souvenir or two, you may like this place (Ô MANA) that specialises in eco-responsible products.
