Pont de Avignon

Dear Family and Friends,

The other biggest tourist attraction is the Pont de Avignon (the broken bridge).

This bridge was constructed between 1177 and 1185. The bridge fell into a state of disrepair during the 17th century.  A catastrophic flood in 1669 swept away much of the structure.  Today there are only four arches of the 22 original arches remaining.

The history of the bridge is interesting, but I believe the reason the bridge is such a big tourist attraction is because of the nursery song, "Sur le Pont d'Avignon."  It is about dancing on the bridge.
If you did not learn the song as a child, I am sure you will at least recognize the melody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvcpyqg6rwo

Now the pictures of the bridge.  The first three pictures I took from above and along side it.

Chuck and I walked out on the bridge.  First we passed through this gate house.

Chuck walking on the bridge.

The view from the end of the bridge.  You can see the Palace of the Popes in the background.

When we got to the end of the bridge we were able to do what we came to do.  Here is Chuck dancing.

Gotta say you did it.  Another thing ticked off the bucket list.

Love,
Nancy

Palace of the Popes

Dear Family and Friends,

One of the most visited tourist attractions in Avignon is the Palace of the Popes.

A fact that I did not know before is that for a period of time during the 14th century the papal center was moved from Rome to Avignon, France.

In 1309, Pope Clement V, unwilling to face the violent chaos in Rome after his election, moved the papal center to Avignon.  It remained there for 68 years, under 7 different popes, until Pope Gregory XI moved it back to Rome.  This period became known as the Avignon Papacy.

Because of the turbulent times and the concern for safety, the palace constructed was more like a fortress.


This is the view of the palace from the front.

We toured the palace with our trusty audio guides.  This is one of the court yards.

The nave of the chapel.

This is the back of the palace where the gardens were located.

The gardens are not so much today, but back in the day, there were exotic animals and birds from around the world there for the Popes' enjoyment.

 Meet Pope Chuck.

Love,
Nancy

Avignon, France

Dear Family and Friends,

After spending a few days in Nice, Chuck and I took the train to Avignon, France.

Chuck did a fantastic job of securing us an apartment for our stay.  It was located right in the middle of the old historical section of the city.

Here are a few photos I made during our walks around the historic part of town.

A close up view of the ornate clock tower.

 We visited the market.

Beautiful gates leading into the grounds of the museum.

Chuck waiting for coffee one morning.

The view of the pedestrian only street taken from our apartment window.

A lovely city.  I will share about the two biggest tourist attractions in other posts.

Love,
Nancy

FOTO FRIDAY - 10/04/13

Dear Family and Friends,

Today's Foto Friday is a photo I took of Chuck somewhere in Austria.  We drove from Munich, Germany to Salzburg, Austria.  From there we went through the Austrian Alps to northern Italy.  It was on that trip that we took a train from Salzburg to Prague, Czech Republic.

I love this picture because it is totally Chuck.  Such a relaxed soul.

Life is good!

Love,
Nancy

Moto Museum

Dear Family and Friends,

While we were touring around in Entrevaux....the medieval village, the sign below stopped Chuck in his tracks.  We had scooters when we lived in the U.S., and Chuck has a scooter here in Ecuador. Chuck is still taken by them.  If you love motos this is the post for you, if not, sorry.

 Here is Chuck reading the poster outside.

We went inside and were told that the admission price was whatever we wanted to donate.  Chuck made a donation and we  enjoyed the biggest collection of antique motorcycles and scooters we have ever seen.  We were told that they were all were drivable.

This first picture is of a Harley Davidson from 1917.  Built in the U.S. (1903 - today)

The bike below is a early moped.  A Whizzer from 1947 (made in the U.S. from 1939 - 2009)

This is the first floor of the exhibit.  Upstairs they had just as many.  Motos below and scooters above.

A Nimbus - 1955.  The Nimbus was produced in Denmark (1919 - 1960).

This 1952 Royal Enfield was produced in Britain (1911-1954), produced in India (1956 - today)

1950 Scoto Scooter-bike (looks like more bike than scooter.)  Manufactured in Levallois, France (1950-52)

This 1951 Terrot scooter made in France.  They were produced from 1951 until 1961.

Love,
Nancy