"Several Popes and More" a Avignon Travel Page by rexvaughan

As soon as you leave the train station and see this magnificent old wall and gate, you know you are entering an old city of some importance and influence and Avignon does not disappoint. I had a vague knowledge of the "Babylonian Captivity" of the papacy here but did not realize that the place has been inhabited for 6000 years! Evidently some folks called the Chaseens in the Neolithic Era settled on the Rocher des Domes about 4000 BC. I have not been able to find out anything about them, but they certainly picked a spot with a magnificen view!

Of course we are in Provence so it is not surprising to find lots of blooming things and lovely scenes like this one. It is in the middle of the gardens just above the Plais des Papes overlooking the Rhone.

The city is a vibrant and lively place today, doublessly due at least in part to the attraction of tourists. However, there is a reason places like this attract such crowds - it is lovely and historic. The picture here shows a very narrow street running just along side the Palais des Papes and for me captures some of the ancient ambience that one can feel even around the crowds, trams and merry-go-rounds. Streets like this are the reason it is always good to put away the tour books and just wander. It proves once again the validity of my "Yogi Berra Rule": You can see a lot by observing!