One Final Post on Avignon, France

We originally planned to stay in Avignon for two months, but partway through our time there, we realized that we didn’t want to leave. We booked another week at our Airbnb apartment so we could enjoy this quintessential, provencal city a little longer. In my humble opinion, Avignon is the perfect French city, not too big, not too small, so much to see and do, with a rich history and multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites thrown into the mix.

We feel like we got to know the city quite well during our stay, and enjoyed every aspect of it including shopping at local markets for ingredients to make our favorite dishes. Les Halles, Avignon’s covered market, quickly became our preferred market and we shopped there frequently.

Les Halles is open Tuesdays – Sundays, and has pretty much any food item one could possibly need. There has been a market at this location since the mid 1800s. The current building houses over 40 vendors and was built in 1974.

We also enjoyed wandering through the city, day after day, snapping photos and stopping in at cafes which allowed Terry some sketching time.

We even enjoyed walking the city after dark, when it was quiet and still. The city is beautiful at night.

One evening, we were approached by a group of five college students from Senegal. Why they stopped us we don’t know, but we stood in the presence of the Palais des Papes and chatted for a good fifteen minutes. We laughed, shared stories, learned of their dreams and ambitions, before they excused themselves to return to their studies. We strolled back to our apartment with smiles after such a lovely encounter.

Another evening we went to a concert at L’Explo, a brew pub featuring local beers. We chatted with many people, danced, laughed and even received bisous (kisses on the cheeks) when we said goodbye. And people say the French are unfriendly?

As theTravelsketcher has written about already, (click here) there is a bar we visited often, just a few steps from the apartment. We stopped by on our last day, and told the server we would be leaving the next day. Our initial impression of her was that she was quite reserved, even a little unfriendly, but when hearing that we were leaving, she gave us both hugs. The three of us chatted for quite a long time before we said au revoir; she even wanted a selfie!

As I mentioned in last week’s post (click here), we left Avignon on October 8th and traveled to Dijon, Kaiserslautern, Paris and then London, spending a few days or more in each location. In London we had our first blog-buddy meet-up with Travelling Han. Hannah is absolutely delightful; we enjoyed meeting her and chatting over a delicious lunch at Lamb Tavern in Leadenhall Market.

We’re back in the states now, and will be flying to Seattle later today. Leaving France was bittersweet, and we each shed some tears as our train approached the Chunnel and we said au revoir to France. We shall return one day; I can’t imagine leaving this planet without visiting again. In the meantime, I have much more to share about France over the next few months.

So ask the traveled inhabitant of any nation, ‘In what country on earth would you rather live?’ Certainly in my own, where are all my friends, my relations, and the earliest and sweetest affections and recollections of my life. Which would be your second choice? France. Thomas Jefferson

As always, I would love to hear from you, so please leave a message if you’re so inclined.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia