We arrived in Avignon after a very long search for a parking spot. We first walked through Les Halles, a large, indoor market in Place Pie, where every kind of food imaginable can be found, beautifully presented in a neat and clean environment. We then visited the city’s old Synagogue at Place de Jerusalem and rue Jacob. The Jewish Quarter was originally northwest of the Place du Palais. In 1221, the Jewish community was transferred to an enclosed quarter in the parish of Saint-Pierre, around the Place Jerusalem.
The Synagogue was built in 1221. It burned down in 1845, but was immediately reconstructed by the care and efforts of the municipality. The interior is built in the round, with a round pulpit in the center. Seats surround the pulpit and there is a circular balcony as well. We make a donation to the shul (thanks Dov) and were led to a room behind the chapel where a section of the 1221 synagogue remains.
There we saw the original Passover matzo oven and learned that there are about 3000 Jews living in Avignon, most of them from North Africa.
Then we walked to the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) and did the audio tour. Avignon became the home of the popes in 1309, who were fleeing the violent chaos of Rome. Construction was started in 1335 and took about 17 years to complete under Benedict XII and his successor, Clement VI. Today it's the biggest existing Gothic palace in the world with its cloisters, ceremonial rooms, audience halls, chapels and private apartments all decorated with beautifully restored frescoes.
Then we walked over to the Pont d'Avignon. This bridge was built in the twelfth century, linking Avignon with Villeneuve-Lez-Avignon across the Rhone. According to legend, a young shepherd Benezet heard divine voices telling him to build the bridge. This is also known as the Bridge Saint-Benezet. The bridge repeatedly damaged by raging flood waters was rebuilt in the thirteenth century but finally abandoned in the seventeenth century. Today only four of the twenty-two original arches and a small Romanesque chapel dedicated to Saint Benezet the patron saint of the bridge remains.
We then left Avignon for Le Baux de Provence. We walked through its hilly streets, dropped into a few shops and peeked into the remains of the castle built some time during the 10th century and destroyed in 1632.
Aluminum extracted from bauxite has been used since the end of the 19th century. Bauxite was discovered during the 19th century in several parts of the world, but it was from samples from Les Baux de Provence that aluminum chloride was successfully made in 1858. This success earned the village of Les Baux de Provence the privilege of having bauxite named after it.On our way to St. Remy we stopped at Mas de le Dame for some wine tasting and arrived at St. Remy, the birthplace of Nostradamus. Here the quaint streets are lined with beautiful old houses, fountains, squares, restaurants and boutiques. Saint-Remy inspired famous visitors like Vincent van Gogh who painted some of his most beautiful works here. We went to a gallery, the Centre d’art presence Van Gogh and enjoyed some aperitifs at an outdoor café while the sun set.
Apertifs while studying the map for the best route home
We watched men playing boules, also known as pétanque. We’ve seen this game in every city so far. Similar to bocce, the French version is played with metallic balls on a dirt surface. The object of the game is to throw your balls so that they land closer to the small object ball (usually a small bright orange ball) than those of your opponent. You cal also drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's by hitting it.
We had dinner at Le Maison Jaune (the Yellow House), a 1 star Michelin restaurant. We had a great dinner and then made the hour-log drive back to Orange.
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