South of France part II - Avignon Montpellier Beziers etc.


17. 08. 14  -  24. 08. 14


Continued from Part I (which can be found here).

Day 5



Anais was so generous, kind and thoughtful - she took us to this special place called La Fontaine - which is essentially a river which springs out of a deep hole in the rock at the top of a mountain. Scientists have still not managed to reach the bottom / the source of the water.
I loved the mystery of it.
We managed to take a slightly different route than many of the tourists and spent a beautiful day in the sun, having a picnic (again, AMAZING food - and an apricot tarte to die for).


















Then we had a good wander in the old village, a coca cola beside the river, a walk past the tourist stalls to the top of the fountain and then returned to the centre with crepes and ice cream (lavender flavour!).










On the way to (ANOTHER) amazing dinner, we passed the 'pont d'Avignon' - which famously was never finished, and I remember when I was very young learning the song 'Sur la pont d'Avignon'. Every-time we passed the bridge, the song would come into my head.

Dinner this time was particularly exciting for me: it was to be my FIRST EVER taste of 'moules' (or mussels in English). A beautiful bar area (which our host had made himself, mostly from things that were free), and the rose wine flowing well and good music.

The moules were amazing. They were a little spicy, as they had been mixed with chorizo and vegetables, and I am so glad that I had the pleasure of tasting such good home-made food.

On the way home I caught a glimpse of Chateau Neuf de Papes (the name of one of my dad's favourite wines) lit up in the darkness.


Day 6


We visited Vaison la Romain, an old Roman village.
A lunch at a strange cafe (I had pizza) and then we walked up the hill, delving into the maze of Roman walls. It was peppered with art galleries aimed at the wealthy tourists.

(oh look it's me)









Just as we headed back to the car, the skies opened and the rain descended.

Next, Avignon.
It was one of the most beautiful and magical evenings of my life.
The food was fantastic, the people - even better. Really profound and interesting conversation, as the sun began to set, and the lights of the town ignited.









An ice-cream treat before watching the Lumiere - the light show inside the 'Palais des Papes d'Avignon' - what used to be the Pope's palace.




Day 7

A journey to Montpellier via Orange and Nimes.






Then to Beziers for a hotel to sleep in before our early morning flight from Beziers airport.

We watched a Quebecois TV show, with a song mimic called Veronique. I think she was very talented and funny, but possibly liked the attention too much, and I think she started to annoy the rest of the guests on the TV show. Also I didn't want to watch it for too long in case I started to get a Quebec French accent.

The next morning we flew home to a slightly chilly, but sunny Edinburgh.




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