Day Seven: Avignon

On day seven of our trip, we took a break from all the driving and big-scale sight-seeing and just walked around the city of Avignon and relaxed. We had seen so many "fortified cities" that week, but this was the first one that actually looked like a medieval castle. The outer walls remind me of the sandcastles we build on the beach, or, like a Waffle King sign...

We saw the Palais des Papes, or the Palace of the Popes. It was begun in 1316 by one pope and construction continued through other popes until 1370. We also saw the Notre Dame des Doms, (large cathedral with a gilded statue of Mary on top), built in the 12th century, and the Pont d'Avignon.

After a day of relaxing and a nice dinner, Daniel and I hurried back into the walls of the city to se the theatre festival. Two nights earlier in Avignon, as we walked through the city to find a place to eat dinner, we kept noticing all these flyers and posters, covering every inch of fences, posts and public walls. We learned from our nice waiter that the famous Avignon theatre festival was starting that very night. It is an annual summer event (started in 1947) that runs through July, and about 100,000 people attend! So, Saturday night we parked outside the city walls and rushed into the city to try to see at least one play. The streets were packed with people, street vendors, amateur performers, magicians, clowns, lights, excitement, people going to shows or just enjoying the shows on the streets... It was truly an environment of excitement, dance, music, comedy, and fun. We enjoyed the last show of the night and then walked around the city, enjoying the ambiance. There was actually a night time outdoor market just outside of the city walls, by the ferris wheel, that we visited as well.