Our last day in Avignon we checked out of our hotel and Freidrich stored our bags, because we had the whole day ahead of us before catching a 4PM train to the Valence Tgv station where Martin and Isabelle met us.
After coffee at Pipeline, we walked up to the Popes' Palace to tour it. Normally we would pass up these kinds of major sites, but everyone we talked with, whether French or not, they said we just couldn't pass up visiting Palais des Papas (1332-1342).
So anyway, we visited the Popes' Palace and you can take the same tour we did by visiting this site:
https://palais-des-papes.visite.zone/guided-tour/699d5733b3a3aa3d2cceddc5/stage/699d7e24339dd554166326c6/
Here are a few pictures I took while walking through this unbelievable structure that only a couple of popes could have pulled off.
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| Waiting in line for tickets at the front gate. |
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| These models of the palace give a sense of its size. |
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| The size of the rooms makes you feel small. Could this be the point? |
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| Marie's hand provides perspective about the size of the door hinges. |
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| The size of the room is enormous. If you want to know the names of the rooms, check out the link provided at the beginning of this post. |
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| View of the garden from the tower. |
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| Working our way down to the garden. |
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| View up the Palace from garden level. |
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| On our way to the train station looking back to the walls surrounding Avignon. |
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| Tgv on our way to Valence. |
This young lady played us out of Avignon.
Martin and Isabelle arrived at the Valence Tgv train station shortly after we did. We drove to Crest to charge the car and decided to stay for dinner. Crest is a town filled with characters and artists of all stripes like the whirling dervish performing for a group sitting on pillows in a studio. We spied them through a window while walking back to the car after dinner.
But the performance we experienced was the restauranteur who welcomed and served us. Of course, first we were offered what could only be called a performance about the exquisite meals offered, all of them made with LOCAL organic ingredients. When we asked a question about a dish, he would launch into a lengthy and funny explanation/performance about how it is prepared with LOCAL organic ingredients, and on and on. All of us just went along with and enjoyed him.
The good news is that he wasn't exaggerating about his food. So anyway, the car was fully charged, as were we, and off we drove to Vesc, a small village in the Drome region.
May 2nd—Waking up in Vesc
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| The view from our door. |
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| Isabelle working out plans for the day. |
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Grignan) is a 12th-century castle built on a rocky |
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| Purchasing tickets. |
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| And the first view of the chateau and courtyard after passing through the main gate. |
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| Everybody should have such a bedroom. |
wrote letters to her mother is made of chocolate.
And reading how she became the countess after
making her debut at Louis XIV's court is amusing,
because in 1669 at the old age of 23, her mother
despaired she would never marry.
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| The King's Room |
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| The vaulted ceiling was added in the 13th century. |
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| One of two ballroom fireplaces. |
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| This ballroom is spectacular. |
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| See anything you like here? |
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| As part of the 400th anniversary of the, countess' birth our tour of the chateau, steered us through a renaissance-themed gift shop. |
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| The chateau just looks better with us in front of it. |
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| Just more pictures... |
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| of Grignan's medieval streets. |
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| Roses flourish throughout the town. |
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Lots of folks dressed in 17th century attire. The chairs to the left are what the upper crust used as "taxis", but... |
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... notice the tires under this one. These "taxis" were part of a 17th century carriage race as part of this festival honoring Countess Gignan's 400th birthday. |
After our picnic lunch, we drove to Dieulefit in search of dessert for tonight's dinner at JohnBa and Laurence's (his wife) second family home.
Just three pictures of Dieulefit, one of
the beautiful villages listed in the
Drome region.
Historically, Dieulefit has a reputation of living up to its name, which literally means "God made it."
the beautiful villages listed in the
Drome region.
"The origin of Dieulefit's name is not clear; some sources suggest it refers to the village as divinely created while others interpret it as referencing a resting place for Crusaders or the authority of the local lord.
Dieulefit has a long tradition of providing refuge. In 1939 and during World War II, the village welcomed Spanish Republicans, Jews, and other persecuted people, earning the nickname "miracle of Dieulefit" for the safety and solidarity offered to refugees.[4] Nine of Dieulefit's inhabitants were named righteous among the nations." (Wikipedia)
In the early evening we gathered our desserts and other refreshments and headed to JohnBa and Laurence's (his wife) family home. They used to be Martin and Isabelle's neighbors and have been friends for 20 years now.
The pictures show this 400 year old 7 bedroom farm house under renovation, but that didn't keep us from enjoying a roaring fire, great company, and a meal prepared by their 21 year old son Arthur.
We had a fabulous evening of lively conversation with lots of laughs, and it certainly helped that everyone switched effortlessly from French to English.
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| As you can see, furniture from this and other rooms has been moved and covered as rooms are renovated. |
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The fireplace and large oak dining table was all we really needed. Sophie and Isabelle catching up. |
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Arthur has cooking skills; he's worked in Michelin star restaurants. The tuna noodle gratin was delicious and perfect for all eight of us. |
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| Hip is Martin & Isabelle's.., |
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| ...traveling mascot. |
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| We were greeted by this fellow demanding a password before passing. |
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| Our next chateau visit. |
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This provides the the history of the 12th century chateau. (Click on the picture to enlarge the text.) |
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The 21st century vehicle in front of the tower indicates residents have made the leap from the 12th century. |
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| Let's go this way. |
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| And this is where we discovered the house we'd purchase if only... right, we had a few million Euros. The view over the valley was worth at least one million! |
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Marie & Isabelle discuss the lovely artisan gifts they almost purchased from a shop they visited. |
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We enjoyed an art exhibition in this 13th century residence. We were lucky enough to meet the sculptor. Took a few pics of her work. |
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This wood sculpture that could be a flame was exhibited in front of the fireplace. |
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| Note the person inside the orb. |
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