Extra Muros (Outside the Walls)

Bonjour à tous ! First off, I’m sorry the blog hasn’t been updated since Paris. It’s not my fault actually, due to my lack of internet access. But Alas, here I am! France is beautiful—the people, the weather, the sights, etc. I still can’t believe I’m here (and to be honest, this far away from home). Everyday the sun is shining; if you even mention the word “rain” to a Frenchman, he’s bound to laugh at you. It’s practically summer, but in the evening it gets a little chilly.
AVIGNON
Avignon is so far (after Paris) my favorite location in the world. You’ve seen those American movies (like The Italian Job) where the setting is in a European town and there are those hidden, little cobblestone alleyways—that’s Avignon. There are a lot of people (more than I imagined) that fill the streets. The Palais des Papes (The Palace of the Popes) is enormous, and it deserves the title “palace”. It’s absolutely stunning—I plan to bring my niece here one day (along with her mother and father), after all, a princess has to see where she lives, right? After seeing the Palace, I can’t imagine how big Neuschwanstein will be. Throughout the city, there are large areas dedicated to pedestrians called “les Places”. There’s Place de l’Horloge (not my favorite, but there is an opera I’m dying to go to located here. Outside the opera, there’s a large statue of Molière, a French playwright of the 17th century who wrote the famous Le bourgeois gentilhomme), there’s also Place Pie (excellent area, many cafés and bars, I had my first Belgian beer here and also a taste of the local specialty, Pastis), and many others throughout the city. I’ve had some European Pizza (the waiter was kind of a pain), let me start off by saying, nothing like Kings Inn (pas du tout). As many of you already know, Avignon is surrounded by immense walls (called les remparts, pronounces ROM-PAR). The walls are huge (after all, they were designed to protect the Pope from foreign invaders). Oh, and yes, I’ve danced on the Pont d’Avignon. Anyway, here’s a small round of pictures :) A plus!