Chataeuneuf du Pape was the first castle we got
to go see! It was built by the Popes in 1320 as a getaway from the Palais.
Today there are only two walls standing as it was destroyed during the War of
Religions and again in World War II. It overlooks the cute village, vineyards
and the Rhone River. We ended up going at sunset and I am so glad, it was
absolutely gorgeous!
Tristan’s family owns a gorgeous home in Sorgue,
France. It is just a few minutes from Chataeuneuf du Pape and about 10 minutes
from Avignon.
Avignon is the most
amazing little city I’ve ever seen. It is surrounded by stone ramparts, some
that are built into already existing rock. The first day we drove past Avignon
from the outside, I knew I would love it. We spent all day here and probably
could have spent another few days with plenty to do. It was amazing. The roads
are narrow, made out of cobblestone. It is just the cutest place! Avignon is
where the Popes resided in the 14th Century.
We wandered around for a while and then we went to
the Palais des Papes. This castle is amazing! We spent hours and hours reading
everything and seeing everything there was to see. It was huge!
I know… Picture overload. In the scrapbook that I’m
making of the trip, Avignon filled 16 pages on its own… So I really am cutting
back believe it or not :)
The final place we went was the Pont d’Avignon.
It’s a bridge that crosses the Rhone River. It only goes about halfway across
the river though because the current is so strong that no matter how many times
they have tried to rebuild it, it just keeps crumbling down. There is a song
that Tristan’s Nina used to sing to him when he was little called Sur le Pont
d’Avignon (on the bridge of Avignon). It was fun to have him teach it to me.
Finally, that night we headed back into the city
for the winter market! The boys didn’t really want to… but we flipped a coin
and the girls won! We got our first (of MANY) crepes of the trip, Yum. We got
to ride the carousel and walk around the shops. We love winter markets.
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