Friday 27 September 2019

Avignon! Dancing to a Rhythm of Life in the Slow Lane.

Im sitting here in Avignon and just realised I missed everything. 
I missed Angry Greta Dumberg at the UN; I missed Richard D (for Dipshit) Natali's speech; I missed the latest Drum Rant; I missed SCOMO's ticket to Mars; I missed the NYT's latest EPIC FAIL; I missed CNN's ratings drop below Cartoon Network re-runs of Yogi Bear; I missed the Democrats Self Destruct at another Town Hall; I missed Brexit and Nigel being a Nigel; I missed Clueless Jacinda impersonating a World Leader at the UN; I missed The Donald continue to Win Bigly and I missed the World's Lamestream Media go another week burying the Yellow Vest Protest here in France.
Apart from the last one, Totally Worth it.

The weather here is brilliant, hot days cool nights and we're in Provence; 
Life is good

We took the bus to Saint Remi for the day and wandered around one of Vincent's haunts. A beautiful little village that still hold the charm of its former times. Cool narrow streets that wind past cream and ocher coloured walls where modern life hides behind time faded powder blue shutters. Small plazas shaded under ageless trees that filter a dappled light onto intimate Cafe tables where time passes to the the sounds of birdsong and water spilling into weathered fountains. Only the intrusion of distant traffic breaks the spell. A truly wonderful time-warp.

Avignon is a great base to visit the surrounding towns and villages of Provence. It is easy to do day trips by car, bus or train from here at incredibly inexpensive prices. We decided to leave the van at the camping ground and just go by bus or train for the week. 

Our next sojourn was to Nimes by train at the staggering cost of 7.50 each Return. 20 minutes on a fast train and you step back to Roman glory. You are greeted after a shaded walk along a wide tree-lined boulevard with the most complete Roman Arena in Europe. Two Millennia ago Gladiators fought here and less than a half century ago it was being used for Bullfights. Now that's what I call longevity. The rest of the old city is breathtaking with the ancient, medieval and modern in a pleasing melange of culture and commerce. A meal and drinks in vibrant Horloge Plaza is a must. 
A short walk along the Rue de l'Horloge brings you to one of the most outstanding pieces of Roman Architecture still standing, The Maison Carrée. This perfectly preserved temple was dedicated to Gaius and Lucius the grandsons of Augustus Caesar. It has been refurbished to the point where it almost looks brand new. From here we walked beyond the now vanished old city walls and along the Quai de la Fontaine to the Fountain Gardens. The original Augusteum and Roman Baths have long disappeared replaced by the fountains and gardenin the 18th Century. It's a nice respite from the hustle of the city nearby but not as impressive as some of the outstanding gardens along the Loire Valley. We finally made our way back to the Gare and headed back to Avignon.

By the time we leave on Sunday we will have been here over a week. The longest we have stayed anywhere on any trip to Europe. Tomorrow is Saturday and we are off by bus to Uzès a small village West of Avignon that has one of the best Saturday Markets in France. It has got to be good if it is better than the one in Arles that extends up to 2 kilometres every Saturday.

We love this place. Avignon has a magnetic charm that draws us back. We just love being here and wandering the ancient streets, discovering new nooks and surprises every time we return. But its time to move on. Spain is calling and Margie's Mountains are waiting. 

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