After a nice breakfast and conversation with owner Chris at our B&B we depart Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a visit to Avignon and the Roman aqueduct at Pont-du-Gard.
Avignon is an interesting place – the ‘Palais des Papes’ was built in 1252 and is a historical palace which is one of the most important Gothic buildings in Europe and was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. The city and palace became the residence of the Popes in the early 1300’s when a French Cardinal was named Pope and there were serious fears of Italian threats on his life. For over 100 years the center of the Catholic church remained in Avignon.
The city is also home to the medieval ‘Pont Saint-Benezet’ bridge built in the mid-1100’s. After collapsing with each Rhone River flood, the city abandoned the bridge in the mid-17th century. It’s considered a landmark of the city today and is a world heritage site.
Next, it’s on to ‘Pont du Gard’, a spectacular bridge spanning the Gardon River which was part of a Roman aqueduct masterpiece of over 55 kilometers designed to bring water to the town of Nimes. It’s an engineering marvel and still magnificent over 2000 years after construction.
Busy traffic on the way back to Aix. Our trusty Garmin routed us through busy Avignon construction – geez! What a mess. There’s always a positive however – the route took us along miles & miles of the medieval walls which surround the old city. Very cool and an unexpected pleasure.
An interesting day in Provence!
D.
We met the second owner of our B&B this morning. Chris, a flight attendant for his primary job, is minding the house. The breakfast spread is unreal for two people. Yogurt, jams, breads, juice, so many fresh fruits, cheese, etc. all excellent. Chris makes for a good host and we spend a lively hour conversing with him while having a leisurely breakfast.
After collecting our things, we head out to Avignon. In the 14th century, there was great concern with the Pope remaining in Rome, and they moved the Papal headquarters to Avignon for a century. There were nine Popes that ruled the Catholic church from the “new Vatican” in Avignon.
To build the palace, the church actually bought what was the village of Avignon, destroyed it and built its Papal center on the remains. Also, of note in the town is the bridge, the Pont Saint-Benezet built across the river Rhone. It was the only bridge over the Rhone for centuries, abandoned after the last flood (many centuries ago) to its current self.
Pont du Gard, what can you say? A Roman architectural and engineering marvel, I can’t believe that something built 2000 years ago is still standing, ahh – those Romans really knew how to build stuff. Of interest, the town of Nimes, (the beneficiary of the aqueduct) is the original producer of a material now know as denim (de Nimes – of Nimes) and was an early import to the United States to a company known as Levi-Strauss. So blue jeans are really French!
We arrive late back to town, stop by our friends at Le Novo, split some tapas and head home.
Good Times.
M.
