Europe Day 9 of 59, Avignon

It rained all night. Not normal rain. Hard, heavy rain, with thunder and lightning. The kind of rain that hits the ground so loudly that you assume cats and small dogs are being carried out to the river while the city sleeps.

After listening to the storm all night, we woke up to a beautiful, sunny day. As the French would say, "eep eep ooray!"

The day she began with a continental breakfast at the hotel. This was my first continental breakfast on the continent this trip, and a picture seemed necessary.

After breakfast, we walked the grueling 4 minutes to the Pont Saint-Benezet; a medieval bridge that didn't cut the structural mustard. Only four of twenty-two arches remain. Sure, they could build a massive stone palace/fort for Popes too scared to deal with the angry mobs of Rome, but they kept trying to build a bridge and the river she kept on washing it away. Thankfully the oddity of this bridge to nowhere is an excellent trap for tourists.

This pic is actually from a bridge pylon, so that's two-thirds of what remains. But it looks far better than the pics of the entire thing, so this is what you get.

From the bridge you get this lovely view of the ramparts of Avignon, which according to Wikipedia, "are one of the finest examples of medieval fortification in existence." And now I know what is being referred to in the Star Spangle Banner when we sing, "ramparts."

Here is the money shot of the bridge to nowhere, from the top of the hill near the Pont Saint-Benezet. By the way, there's some story about Saint Benezet being a boy who said that they should build a bridge and the Lord gave him the power to lift a gigantic stone to get it started. Which goes to show that people continued making up some pretty exaggerated stories long after biblical times.

It is a struggle to tap the "Take Picture" button with the same hand that you are holding the iPhone, and there's no way I'm not including this pic after all that effort.

The Palais des Papes (left) and Notre Dame des Doms (finger) from the back.

I wish that the city hadn't ruined the composition of this shot with that street lamp. Was it there in the 14th century? No. Now take it away.

I quite liked the four angels mourning Christ on the cross. Very expressive sculpture. Again, big props to pre-Renaissance artistes.

Barbie in front of Europe's last remaining medieval merry-go-round. Wait, maybe I read the date on that horsey wrong.

"Hey honey, what country are we in again?" "France, dear. France." That conversation has never occurred in this hotel lobby. (Not our hotel.)

The ramparts protecting us from the armies who want to loot our riches and steal our women.

Barbie in front of our hotel. It was a very lovely hotel.

I took this the day before, but it goes well with the previous pic as this is the courtyard on the other side of the previous picture's doorway. I include it now as proof of hotel loveliness. (Mon dieu! Our first anachronistic picture!)

Moi lunching at La Piazza across from our hotel. It's not Italy but that's the name of the restaurant, so don't go all correcting me that public squares in France are not piazzas.

The old city's main street at night. The merry-go-round is right behind me.

The Palais des Papes and Notre Dame des Doms at night.

Just a theater. But at night it is pretty.

This French lizard changes colors to match whatever it steps across. The technical name scientists gave this species is "Color Changing Lizard."

A picture worthy storefront on the way home from dinner. "Hey honey, what country are we in again?"

Another pic worthy storefront poster. "Hey honey, what country are we in again?"

Today is my brother's birthday, so (1) Happy Birthday Matt and (2) I bought you a gift at the last shop pictured.