OUTINGS IN AVIGNON

Grocery stores are no longer up the block or around the corner so we have invested in a little shopping cart which we now take to Halles Market or Carrefours to shop for grocery's.  We are so much the residents now.

I've shown you inside Halles before but here are few shots from the other day.

Such a civilized way to shop - a bar or two on the premises.  

Oysters on the half shell!  Oh!  I could eat dinner here!

You don't have to buy live bunnies but ....sad.  I much prefer to see live ones or skinned ones.  

Sunday was absolutely beautiful so we decided to go out and to wear "nice" clothes and stylish shoes.

Don't we look nice?

Unfortunately Sharon did not get a picture of my boots.  I brought a pair of tall boots with me all the way from the USA and I've worn them about twice.  I'm going to wear them more - they are comfortable and not too bad when walking on cobblestones.  Perhapas you will see me in them in Rome or Venice later this week.  Have to make the big decision - do I drag them with me or not?

These were taken during a walk in the park.  Right off the Main Street in Avignon.  We had seen one of the entrances when we went to the Office of Tourism but didn't explore so we didn't realize how big the park was and how pretty.  

"In the nineteenth century the school and the cloister of San Marcial became a nutural history museum and garden.  The garden contains the busts of 2 great botanists of the city, Requien and Fabre, who were insect specialists. The park is named after Agricol Perdiguier, a carpenter from the nineteenth century who developed the guild of the city, when you walked to work as an apprentice to learn a 

craft.  It's next to the Temple of San Marcial where ancient ruins mingle with nature.  Inside there's a small terrace and cafe serving drinks and sweets"

                                            

                                                   

                                                 

 This little park aslo offers free WIFI.  If it were summer I could see myself finding a nice place to sit and do some blogging.

From the park we wandered down and around streets we hadn't been before.  Our ultimate destination was Rue Des Tentorier"s.

Sharon studies the map and I follow.  We saw this interesting building with all its arches. The "Aumone generale".  The institution was created in 1592 for the purpose of receiving and aiding the poor.  It was also conscientiously motivated by a mission to check the misdeeds that poverty may provoke.The U shaped ensemble of buildings went up between 1669-1778. The men's quarters were on the east.  Their respective courts were separated by a north-south oriented chapel, and the women's area abutted the road with a shorter building - called the "Gallery" in which fallen women were housed.  Towards the middle of the nineteenth century the Aumone generale was rename and transformed into the "Travelers' Barracks".  In 1890 the Ecole des Beaux- Art moved in.  In the interim the chapel and several other buildings were destroyed.  When the art school moved out in 1998, the city sold the building which is now scheduled to be restored. 

We continued on our way.

Notice how deserted the city is.

Where are the people?  Well it was early - 11:00 am.

At last - our street.

In the Middle Ages, the names of street were never officially written anywhere.  They derived from some characteristic, a place it led to , a particular monument, public building, or important person who lived there , or more simply signified the presence of a well, a tree, a guild or even an inn.  This street is often called the Rue des Rouses 

( Street of the Mill Wheels) by quarter's regulars. In the summer this street is filled with people.  In July the Avignon's Off Festival is held here.  Every square inch of the area becomes an impromptu theater.  It is literally lined with bars, cafes and shops filled with people.  However, during thee winter it's just a quiet beautiful street to stroll down.  There wasn't too much open but fun to look at all the restaurants along the way.  Of course I had to peer in every window and poor Sharon was up ahead wondering where I was.  We did eat at one one of the first nights in town.

A little history:  The River Sorgue was diverted in the Middle Ages to form several canals, one of which, the Canal of Vaucluse, runs today along the rue des Teinturiers before joining the river Fhone by Avignon's walled city.

The initial purpose was for drainage.  But, when textile makers set up shop in Avignon, they soon realized the benefits of a ready water suppy and made a beeline for this area.  Indeed the rue des Teinturiers translates roughly as "Dyers' Street.

In the 15th century, wool and silk were manufactured here.  Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, colorful, typically provencal cotten textiles inpired by designs from India - and known as les indiennes - were produced intensively in Avignon after they had been banned elsewhere in France. 

At the height of the weaving boom, the mills wre powered by 23 water wheels along the canal whose water was also used to rinse the fabric.  A number of these were destroyed during the French Revolution and today only 4 wheels remain.  

 Above the doorway a painting of the Sacrament is flanked by two praying figures in hooded robes similar to those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.  Their purpose in this case is entirely benign: members of the brotherhood wore these robes as a sign of humility.

After the seige of Avignon in 1226, King Louis VIII came here to pray and founded the Brotherhood of the Grey Penitents, who built their chapel on this spot.  It is only open during religious services.

 Maison Du IV de Chiffre - one of Avignon's oldest and few remaining buildings built in the Gothis style.  I didn't know that at the time I snapped this picture I was just intrigued with the gargolyles.  As it turns out they are part of the watchtower and serve as drainage pipes.

                                                 

The Convent dres Cordeliers juctions with Rue des lices.  All that remains is the chapel and the bell tower.  Laura de Noves, the object of the unrequited love and the eternal muse of the poet Francesco Petrach, is said to be buried here.

It was time for coffee.  A lot of other people had the same idea so we joined them at the square across from Halles.

It was getting to be lunch time so we decided after our coffee to wander back and see if we could find a restaurant open.  We were on one of the main "drags" and peeked down a little steret and saw some  tables so we decided to explore.  One of the little restaurants looked so cute and we liked the menu so we stopped.  What a find.  We will probably frequent it quite often while here although the owner is heading to England to celebrate Christmas with her children.  She is French but lived in England for 20 plus years she said.  She still has children in England.  She is the proprieter, cook and waitress.  She was so much fun, the food was delicious, and the place was so cute.

Two little outside tables is what drew us to the place.

We stepped inside and  found in charming.

We were her first and only customers for awhile so it gave us a change to chat.

For the last few days I have been very busy making plans for my trip to Rome and Venice.  I'll meet Michele in Rome on Friday.  We have three tours planned there and than we will take the train to Venice and I have booked two tours there.  I know my daughter and we have to be doing 'activites" so that's what I've been working on.  This will my first time traveling without Sharon.  Keep me in your prayers as I adventure out on my own.  I catch a train to the Marseilles airport ( hopefully the train is running and not on strike).  I have to catch a shuttle from the train to the airport.  I then fly on Alialia Airlines.  Their reputation is not so good so I'm a little concerned.  Hopefully they will be running on time and I could care less about the cleanliness of their aircraft.  I'm hoping for good weather and a wonderful reunion with Michele!