"Not everyone was dancing............" a Avignon Travel Page by leics

.....but everyone certainly seemed to be 'sur le pont' or visiting Avignon. My fault, for going in August, when many French people are on their hols (and most of the visitors did seem to be French).

But Nimes, interesting though it is from a Roman pont of view, did not really offer me enough for the time I had available so a train trip to Avignon made sense. I didn't spend long there, because I had no intention of queuing up for an hour+ to get into the Palais des Papes and was too hot & weary to explore outside the city walls. So it's somewhere which is due for a return, out-of-season visit at some point in the future.

But I explored the backstreets, found a few Roman bits & pieces (Avignon was an important town in Roman times, but very little in the way of standing masonry remains), found a few more interesting architectural features and then whippped round the rather good Lapidarium (museum of stone monuments) before getting the train back to Nimes and an afternoon's relaxation.

O, and I visited the bridge, of course. How could I not? To be fair, it wasn't too crowded, and its presentation is not too touristy, so it was a worthwhile thing for me to do (but I didn't dance, and neither did I see anyone else dancing).

For those who do not understand the reference, there is a famous children's song:

Sur le Pont d'Avignon on y danse, on y danse
Sur le Pont d'Avignon on y danse, tout le monde.

(On the Pont d'Avignon there one dances, there one dances
On the Pont d'Avignon, there one dances, everyone.)

So. Impressions of Avignon:

thriving town, lots of people (not visitors) and businesses and shops;

wonderful town walls, still fully enclosing the old town....if I'd had time and energy I'd happily have walked them;

more tourist-oriented than Nimes, but not 'in your face' about it;

worth exploring the side-streets because there are still some atmospheric interesting older buildings, squares and narrow alleyways tucked away;

and a rather weirdly wonderful 'living wall' on Les Halles (the indoor market). I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I first saw it. Only the wind blowing the foliage convinced me it was real plants. Cleverly done: most impressive.

Another visit one day, then, at a time of year when the queues for the Palais do not remind me of those in Rome for the Colosseum and I can give Avignon the attenton it deserves.