30 May-Avignon

   We had a beautiful day in John's words, of course I totally agree!  However, when we woke we had the strange realization that we lost a day!  Some how we thought we still had today to walk around and shop in Avignon and we were picking up the car tomorrow.  We quickly rearranged our schedule and had help from Sylvie to call the car rental agency to ask if they would hold our car until later because we wanted to wait until after 12 to pick it up.  Off we went to check a couple more places for fabric and kitchen accessories.  I found a few more gift and decided I definitely liked the fabrics and items they had at Le Lavandin "de tissues en Provence".  So after several more stops we arrived there and I began picking out all I need to completely redecorate my kitchen/dining/family room area.  Of course this mean we need the new tile put on the floor and new sofas; a complete remodel in this area that John just started with the enlargement of the entry into the kitchen area by the refrigerator.  Anyway, I am excited to have all the fabric, plus table clothes, napkins, and 2 sized of bread baskets or they are really items that can be used as other dry containers also.  You can see what I mean by this photo.  I had a wonderful time shopping and John was right there with me with the conversions from metric to inches so I will be sure of what I have.  The man in the shop was so sweet after our large purchase he gave me a free apron I had chosen and told me to pick one of the thick kitchen towels as a gift.  What a nice young man.  I told him we had visited his shop 9 years ago and I have been thinking about coming back for fabric and other things ever since!

  Alas we are done there and head back in the direction of the hotel.  Just a brief stop for some delicately scented soaps.  John is hungry so we stopped at a very touristy place on the square.  I noticed we are right next to a woman who sold Debra a painting 9 years ago!  I bought another of Pont Du Gard today.  We had a nice lunch, I am a bit embarrassed to say we had a hamburger and fries with a salad, but we did.  It was delicious.  Anyway, Deb I am 99.9% certain this is the same woman, don't you think so???         

   Back to the hotel to drop off our purchases and then off to the bus stop to the TGV station in Avignon.  When I was here before there was only one Train Station, the Centerville station or Avignon Centre Station.  Now there is a separate station for the high speed, TGV trains just out of town.  We rode the bus for E$1.20 each and arrived there and after two enquires found the rental agency.  We will not be having the tiny Ford Ka after all but an upgrade to this Citroen.  We don't mind because it has AC, it is still a manual transmission and that is what we booked.  

   Off to Pont du Gard!  When we arrived we decided to do the walk to the bridge first, this was probably a mistake.  However, we had a lovely walk across, under, and around the bridge.  What a relaxing and lovely place to visit.  We watched swimmers and kayakers enjoying the Gardon River flowing below the bridge.  To know this is entirely held together with absolutely NO mortar and has stood for over 2K years is amazing.  We think we are intelligent, and we are in many ways, but this is still and amazing feat.  By the time we returned to the museum area we were too late for the film and also in entering the museum.  John was not too disappointed and has stated when we come back to spend a week or two we will do it then.  John is the little speck on the right side of the photo.  The information we want to know we can probably find out on the Internet; such as when they built the walk along side of the Pont du Gard and how they managed to use the keystone in these arches and build this without mortar.  It is really amazing.  The oldest and largest Roman bridge/aqueduct in the world.  Incidentally, the one arch over the river is larger as you might notice, and it is the largest arch ever built in this style by the Romans.  This is an amazing place to visit and I hope each one of you can come here and enjoy it as we have one day.