Avignon

David and Kids at the Papal Palace in Avignon

Today we were in Avignon - home of the Roman Catholic Popes during the Great Schism in the 1300s and 1400s.  That is when Popes were elected both in France and in Rome and no one was sure who the "real" pope was.  We got to tour the Papal Palace (which more like a fortress) and go onto what was left of the Avignon Bridge, also built during that time period.  One interesting fact is that we learned that the Avignon Popes were the ones who encouraged the development of Ars Nova -- polyphony -- in music!  We also wandered around town quite a bit and saw some interesting churches and architecture.  Today we are hopefully headed to Nimes, but it seems that everyone is a bit sluggish today.  Daniel really wants to come back to the hotel (not really a hotel -- it is the YMCA) and play ping pong tonight.  We had to do laundry in the sink the last few nights and that wasn't a lot of fun.  But hopefully everything is washed now and we have clean clothes for another few days!

Papal Palace in Avignon

Rhone River in Avignon

Avignon Bridge (or what is left of it!)

Kids standing on the Avignon Bridge by the Saint Benezet Chapel

St. Peter's Church in Avignon

An Angel on the Ceiling Buttress in St. Peter's