Avignon day 2
I ended up spending my 2nd day in Avignon as well. I'm glad I did, because there were several things in the city I missed on Saturday. I took a different route into the city so I could see some of the old churches. After wandering a while I found myself at the foot of the "St. Ann Stairs" so I started climbing. They led me to the gardens of Avignon - an elaborate formal gardens at the top of the city. Not only are the gardens beautiful, but because you're at the top of the city, the view is amazing too. Took some good pictures up there. From the top of the gardens, you have easy access to Notre Dame du Doms, one of the churches I had not seen. This being Sunday, they were having mass. The churches in Europe never get old for me. They reek of incense, they are dark and dusty inside, and they are some of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. This one had a rennovated pipe organ which was in full swing.
After the church I headed down to the river Rhone. Much like the Chicago river, there are a ton of signs posted along the riverwalk that say "keep anything living out of the river water." That's not a direct translation, but that's the point they were trying to make. Lots of pleasure craft on the Rhone, including a few (very small by US standards) cruise ships. I'm sure that's a cool way to see France.
I went back near the Palais de Papes for lunch at a local joint. Excellent food. This was my first French meal on my own so I wasn't sure what to expect. I had my French menu translator at the ready. Fortune smiled upon me though - the menu had English translations on it. Roasted Eggplant topped with chef's special tomato sauce for a starter. This was a dish they had been serving for 30 years, and I can see why. The special tomato sauce was more like a finely ground salsa, and it was really good. I got a bottle of water and a small bottle (37.5cl) of wine (Red, St. Joseph de Mariners, very good). For the main course I had a cream based soup with mussles, monkfish and potatoes. It was enormous, very rich, and very good. Tired from walking around all day and stuffed from this meal, I headed to the town square for some people-watching, and then back to the hotel for a nap.
Most of the restaurants here don't open for dinner until 7 or later, so I killed some time at the hotel doing computer stuff and making phone calls. The nap was nice too. Lunch was 65 Euro so for dinner I went a little more off the beaten path, thinking I could find a place away from the town center that was more reasonable. I did at L'Entredroit, an intimate, trendy restaurant a couple blocks off main street. Modern light fixtures, fresh flowers on every table, smooth jazz quietly playing throughout the restaurant. 7:30 and I was the 2nd patron to enter. The first was a pair of Japanese tourists.
Dinner was even better than lunch. Sweet potato soup with bits of lemon and lime in it - sounds odd but it tasted really good. A bottle of rose wine. I normally avoid the stuff like the plague but it's everywhere down here so, when in Rome... I had the waitress recommend a bottle and she picked a good one. They don't sell wines by the glass in France, so I'm limited in my choices to those wines that come in a 37.5 or 50cl bottle. I suppose I could drink a 75cl (standard US size) with dinner, but I'm not sure that's wise. Main course here was a stuffed pasta shell filled with local fish (don't ask me what - the waitress conveyed that it was local seafood and that was good enough for me), herbs, and veggies. This was served with a carrot cream sauce, a couple roasted peppers, rice, and snow peas. Again, very rich. The food here is rich, but the portion size is so much more reasonable than what we get in the states. Dessert was mint chocolate mouse served between two chocolate discs. Really good stuff, and it was only 50 Euro this time. Back to the hotel to unwind and crash.
After the church I headed down to the river Rhone. Much like the Chicago river, there are a ton of signs posted along the riverwalk that say "keep anything living out of the river water." That's not a direct translation, but that's the point they were trying to make. Lots of pleasure craft on the Rhone, including a few (very small by US standards) cruise ships. I'm sure that's a cool way to see France.
I went back near the Palais de Papes for lunch at a local joint. Excellent food. This was my first French meal on my own so I wasn't sure what to expect. I had my French menu translator at the ready. Fortune smiled upon me though - the menu had English translations on it. Roasted Eggplant topped with chef's special tomato sauce for a starter. This was a dish they had been serving for 30 years, and I can see why. The special tomato sauce was more like a finely ground salsa, and it was really good. I got a bottle of water and a small bottle (37.5cl) of wine (Red, St. Joseph de Mariners, very good). For the main course I had a cream based soup with mussles, monkfish and potatoes. It was enormous, very rich, and very good. Tired from walking around all day and stuffed from this meal, I headed to the town square for some people-watching, and then back to the hotel for a nap.
Most of the restaurants here don't open for dinner until 7 or later, so I killed some time at the hotel doing computer stuff and making phone calls. The nap was nice too. Lunch was 65 Euro so for dinner I went a little more off the beaten path, thinking I could find a place away from the town center that was more reasonable. I did at L'Entredroit, an intimate, trendy restaurant a couple blocks off main street. Modern light fixtures, fresh flowers on every table, smooth jazz quietly playing throughout the restaurant. 7:30 and I was the 2nd patron to enter. The first was a pair of Japanese tourists.
Dinner was even better than lunch. Sweet potato soup with bits of lemon and lime in it - sounds odd but it tasted really good. A bottle of rose wine. I normally avoid the stuff like the plague but it's everywhere down here so, when in Rome... I had the waitress recommend a bottle and she picked a good one. They don't sell wines by the glass in France, so I'm limited in my choices to those wines that come in a 37.5 or 50cl bottle. I suppose I could drink a 75cl (standard US size) with dinner, but I'm not sure that's wise. Main course here was a stuffed pasta shell filled with local fish (don't ask me what - the waitress conveyed that it was local seafood and that was good enough for me), herbs, and veggies. This was served with a carrot cream sauce, a couple roasted peppers, rice, and snow peas. Again, very rich. The food here is rich, but the portion size is so much more reasonable than what we get in the states. Dessert was mint chocolate mouse served between two chocolate discs. Really good stuff, and it was only 50 Euro this time. Back to the hotel to unwind and crash.
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