Avignon

We traveled 360 miles south in about two and a half hours today—and the last fifteen minutes, as the train came into Avignon, was considerably slower than the rest. The TVG (high speed trains) normally travel up to about 200 mph; they've set records up around 350mph. The only time I had any sense of how fast we were going was when we passed another train in the opposite direction. We had window seats in the upper deck. It was a beautiful ride. It's fall; the leaves are turning colors and we saw at least one fairytale castle.

Avignon is located on the south bank of the Rhone River in the region of Provence. It's warm. We stepped off the train into a balmy afternoon. We're about 50 miles north of the Mediterranean here and it feels like it.

Avignon is a walled city with ramparts and seven gates. Between 1309 and 1377 it was the seat of the Catholic Church (instead of the Vatican) and the city belonged to the Papacy until The French Revolution. Avignon is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It's origins date back to 3,000 BC. It sits along an ancient trade route and was a Phoenician trading post before it was Greek and before it became a flourishing Roman town. Just casually strolling, we saw evidence of Roman ruins. And the Celts were here too, from the 4th century BC.

Avignon is medieval in character inside its walls. It's charming and walkable with lots of narrow streets and alleyways. It reminds me just a bit of an Italian hill town. I thinks it's the age of the architecture, more than its style—but the many little squares and Gothic and Romanesque churches add to that sense.

There's a cathedral and a Papal Palace, which they say is the largest Gothic palace in the world.  There's a beautiful garden park, a charming city hall, and a wonderful old theatre from the 19th century that sports a statue of Moliere out in front. There's also a two-story antique carousel that looks like it must be from the 19th century, and, of course, there are museums and lots and lots of shops and cafés.

There is a troubadour associated with Avignon, one Bertran Folcon. He composed and performed poetry in the high middle ages. Like other troubadours, he sang about chivalry and courtly love. Dante called it poetic fiction. The troubadours disappeared during the Black Plague, which hit this area hard around the middle of the 14th century.

Tomorrow we are meeting a modern day troubadour, my friend Janine. She's another writer and she's showing us around the neighborhood she loves. She lives in the village of Le Thor, which is on the banks of the River Sorgue. She was out hiking today with her son and daughter and bunch of local school children. She calls herself a concierge and makes her living setting up vacations for the very rich. The countryside around here is called Monts de Vaucluse. It's famous for its crags, its castles, and its lavender and truffles. I've never had a truffle, but then, I've never been in the South of France before, either.