Sur le Pont d’Avignon

Mom and I woke up bright and early the next morning, said our goodbyes to Nice, and hopped on the train to the last leg of our Southern tour --- Avignon.

The original plan was to stay in Avignon for the remainder of our journey, however, I got the crazy idea to take one of the regional trains over to Arles (the land of Vincent Van Gogh) once we arrived in Avignon, stay there until mid afternoon, and then head back to see the sites around Avignon.  Mom was down for whatever, and we were cruisin' along just fine on the train.  It was going to be a hectic day, but definitely doable and worth it.  My time in France has made me realize that I have a mild obsession with Marie Antoinette, baguettes, rosé wine, Grace Kelly, and apparently, Bouillabaisse.  Well, one thing I knew before I came here was how much I loved Van Gogh, and I was dying to see one of the many places that inspired him.

Our plans were thwarted when we stopped at a station and the attendant came on and said (in French) that there had been a "passenger accident" on the track a few kilometers up from where we were.  He kindly let us know that we wouldn't be moving for at least three hours.  We were stuck in the middle of Southern France...somewhere in between Marseilles and who knows where else.  My Van Gogh dreams were shattered!  Three hours?!  It was going to be a tight schedule already, and this was just a catastrophe!  My salty mood lasted for about 30 seconds when I realized that there was no point in being upset, and I would just have to get down to Arles another time.

Fortunately, Mom and I had splurged for first class, again, so at least we were waiting in style.

This looks a little bit more like the first class I was imagining

The French, being very French, were all worked up about everything and stormed off the train, but all Mom and I could do was sit and wait.  That is, until my stomach started grumbling and it was time to find some food; so, I ventured out with money and a camera and explored the little town of Aubagne.  I found a little boulangerie and bought a salad with who knows what on it.  As I was heading back to the train station, I got a little side tracked taking pictures. 

The train station

Isn't this mosaic gorgeous?!

I didn't think I was gone for very long, but when I hopped back on the train, Mom was in a panic because they had announced the train was leaving (definitely not a three hour wait...more like 1.5 at most...).  I don't want to even think about the idea of walking back to the train and noticing it wasn't there anymore, so we will proceed with the story.  Aside from our little setback, we made it to Avignon without any more problems.

Welcome to Avignon!

The medieval wall that surrounds the entire city

We checked into our adorable little hotel.  One day I want to own a bed and breakfast, and I would love for it to be just like this because it had so much character!

The breakfast area

Our room.  I LOVE the bright Provencal colors!

After we got settled, it was time to go out and see the city --- but, food always comes first, obviously. We found a cute little restaurant that was recommended in the guide book, and it was fantastic!  (Remember when I said we ate like kings?  I wasn't kidding.)

The particular area of town where the restaurant was located produced textiles back in the day, so they had a several waterwheels along a small canal that had do something with textile making....I can't remember all of the details.  Anyway, it was pretty cool because we were able to sit outside right next to the giant waterwheel.

It makes me hungry just looking at it!

With our delightfully full stomachs, we made our way to the center of town to see all that Avignon had to offer.

First up, we have the main attraction...The Palace of the Popes.  Avignon was the papal seat a really long time ago (they left the Vatican because of corruption or something...ha!), and this three acre compound is where they lived. It was HUGE!  We didn't go in because it was such a beautiful day and we didn't want to spend it inside.

Please take a moment to zoom in on the above picture.  See that upside down elephant to the right?  Yeah, we don't know why it was there either, but it was pretty interesting. 

Next, we headed up to a park that sits at the very top of Avignon and experienced our first Provencal mistral.  The mistral is the name of the ridiculous winds that sweep through Provence and down to the French Riviera.  I think I read somewhere that they come off the Alps and the way in which the Rhone Valley (which is where Avignon is located) is situated causes them to be incredibly fierce.  I remembered something about them from Julia Child's book, but let me tell you.  You can read about them all you want, but it is totally different when you actually experience them.  I thought we were going to be blown off the top of the hill and into the Rhone River!

See our hair??

Saint Bénezet Bridge --- The other famous site in Avignon

The Saint Bénezet Bridge (pictured above) is a medieval bridge that has is pretty famous and inspired the nursery rhyme "On the bridge of Avignon" ("Sur le pont d'Avignon").  I had never heard of it, but Mom remembered it once she heard the tune.  The reason why it only goes out halfway is because it kept washing away due to the raging Rhone River, so they townspeople eventually gave up and stopped rebuilding it.

We went walked out to the very edge, although it was pretty terrifying because the winds were so unbelievably strong.

On the bridge

After the bridge, we went back to the hotel to warm up because the winds were both fierce and freezing.

Per the hotel's recommendation, we tried out a nearby restaurant for dinner.  Folks, this place was DELICIOUS!  We definitely ended our week long feast on a high note. 

Mom's dish:  Sea Bream with Couscous and Arugula

My dish:  Grilled Shrimp with Rice

This tasted EXACTLY like Banana Pudding...YUM!!!

Classic Tiramisu

The dinner was absolutely fabulous, and it was a great way to end our wonderful trip! 

We took the train back to Paris the next morning, and look who was waiting for us when we got home...

Words can't even begin to express how amazing our trip was.  Mom and I had a great time exploring new places and having the chance to spend time together away from the craziness of everyday life.  I look forward to our next adventure! 

- a tout à l’heure!

For The Love Of Bouillabaisse

From the moment my feet touched Provencal ground, my need for real Bouillabaisse became an obsession.  We made Bouillabaisse (like a fish stew, but so much better!) in Intermediate when we were learning about the Provence region, so one would assume that it would be everywhere in that area, right?  Wrong!  We only found it on a few select menus...one of which happened to be in the quaint little village, Villefranche Sur Mer.

The search for Bouillabaisse was only one reason for stopping there on our way back to Nice.  The other was this...

The view from the train station.  Isn't it beautiful?

It was too gorgeous to pass up!

This was may favorite sailboat.  If only I knew how to sail...

This guy may have a problem with his boat when he returns

Our plan was to find the restaurant, La Mère Germaine, grab a late lunch/early dinner, and then head back to Nice.  It was around 14:45 when we arrived, and we didn't realize until we got to the restaurant that it would be closing in between lunch and dinner.  The gentleman we were speaking with (who we later found out was the owner) told us they would reopen at 19:00.  We politely thanked him and walked away because it would definitely be ridiculous to wait around 3.5 hours in a tiny, somewhat desolate village just for fish soup, right?

Well, maybe that would have been the case had it just been fish soup...but people!  This wasn't just fish soup, this was Bouillabaisse, and I wasn't lying when I said that I had become mildly obsessed with it.  Mom, being the great woman that she is, let me decide (which is scary for anyone who knows me because I could be the world's most indecisive person), and she said that she was okay with either scenario: a. stay and wait for dinner at 19:00 or b. make our way back to Nice and try and find something to eat there.

We needed a few libations to give us some guidance, so we set up shop at a nearby cafe and discussed our options over a cold beer (or two). 

Cheers!

And it was as we were sitting at our table, and I was staring off into the exact scene below, that I realized...when am I ever again going to have the opportunity to be in this beautiful setting and eat real French Bouillabaisse in France??  Who knows?! 

So, the decision was made!  Mom ran down to the restaurant and put us down for 19:00.  It took about 30 minutes to solve the great conundrum: to stay or not to say.  Now the question was: what we were going to do for the next three hours?!

Well...

1.  We wandered around the petite village and took pictures...lots of them

2. We bought a baguette because I was starving (shocker!!).  The baguette, however, was a total letdown and that boulangerie was a mockery of French bread making.  It was bland and as hard as a rock...I scooped out what I could from the inside (which wasn't much), and gave the rest to the pigeons.  Even they wouldn't eat it.

3.  We picked out real estate.  This is the house I will buy when I make my millions.  Not too shabby, huh?

We got excited as the sun was setting because that meant it was getting closer to the dinner hour.  What did we do to celebrate?  Take more pictures!

19:00 was rapidly approaching, and it was finally time to head to the restaurant.  Hooray!  We weren't the first people there, so we didn't feel too lame waiting around all day.

La Mère Germaine (the grandmother of the current owner) fed the hungry GIs during WWII

  

The got me all prepared for my Bouillabaisse with a cute cloth bib (which we may or may not have permanently borrowed when we left...):

Crab cake with arugula salad...it was DELICIOUS!

Mom's dinner:  Spicy Curry Shrimp with Rice.  I still dream about this dish. 

The moment I had been waiting for had arrived!  (drum roll please....) 

Without further adieu, please meet my Bouillabaisse:

Isn't it lovely??

Every bite was oh so delicious, and the waiter kept coming around with refills of the soup whenever it was low.  It was totally worth the 3.5 hour wait!!!  My only complaint was that when we made it in class, we had the fish, plus potatoes and a mixture of vegetables (leeks, onions, and fennel), so you had a lot of "stuff" in the soup other than the liquid.  This Bouillabaisse, however, was just fish and potatoes, so while the flavor was excellent, I wanted more stuff. 

So, that is the story of the Bouillabaisse.  At the end of the trip, I asked Mom what her favorite part was, and she said it was the 3.5 hours we spent waiting for dinner.  It was incredibly relaxing and  freeing to have nothing to do and no where to go.  Although I caught a lot of grief for it at the time, we both agreed that was the best decision we made.

Comin' up?  We leave the French Riviera and head to the heart of Provence.

- a tout à l’heure!