Its
beginning to feel a lot like spring time!
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| Dining on the cheap--as the locals do from the supermarche! |
Now that it is getting warm
and the tourists are just starting to arrive, the city seems to be
giving itself a bit of a face lift. Buildings are getting new roofs and
shops are being renovated and painted. They like to re-use even very old buildings here.The cafes have all set up huge
umbrellas in preparation for the hot summer, and they have set up
barrier walls to mark out which seats belong to which restaurant.
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| Renovation and construction of buildings is now in full swing at Avignon. |
Restaurants, even fast food, is expensive in France! However, I've
discovered that a good way to get around this is to buy already prepared
food at the grocery store and take it somewhere to eat. The food is
quite good and much less expensive. Especially when I stick to French favorites like jambon, ham or le thon, tuna; or regional favorites like cassoulet, bean stew. It seems to be what the locals do
too. I see lots of them buying the same kinds of things around lunch
time along with bread, fruit, vegetables and cheeses.
I saw quite an antiques market setup in the square, la Place d'Horlogue today!
They had all kinds of things-- jewelry, silverware, porcelain, linens,
decorative objects, old farming equipment, war memorabilia; it was
quite
an eclectic collection. I saw a few things I liked, but nothing that
would fit well in a suitcase.
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| La Place d'Horlogue Tourism is starting to bloom as well here! |
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| The roof tops and tower of Avignon Palais. |
The street vendors at the place de Horlogue are mostly selling
jewelry and painting. I wasn't particularly impressed or unimpressed,
though there was one rather good water-colorist. There is also a tram
that you can ride around the city. It's apart from the city buses which operate year round. The tram starts out front of the Palais des
Papes and goes around most of the historic sites. Its about 7€ a person
I think, which was a bit much for me, but it does look like a good way
to see the city without getting lost- which is something to consider
given the maze of streets that is Avignon!
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| The road to the Barthalese area at Avignon |
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| At the Isle Barthalese, camping and lodg- ings for the budget minded in Avignon. |
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| The place to board the river ferry at Avignon. |
Finally, I visited the Isle Barthalese today, which is the largest
river island in Europe. It is accessible by bridge for cars, bicycles
and pedestrians, and by ferry for bikes and pedestrians.
The ferry is
free, but unfortunately, while it runs every day in the summer, it only
runs Wednesdays and weekends in the spring months.
The isle has a large camping area,
as well as sports facilities and an organic farm where you can buy fresh
fruits and vegetables.
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| A view of the adjacent Villeneuve les Avignon from the walkway. |
There is also a very pleasant walkway along the river. While the river is nice for walking, the rest of the isle is better
suited for car travel, unlike Avignon within the walls where walking or biking is the
best way to get around.
