Pope Palace Avignon France Avignon is located at the heart of the Vaucluse region of France, most famous for its bridge sung by school children worldwide in the celebrated “Sur le pont d’Avignon”. There is a real medieval 14th century feel to Avignon – from the storied Palais des Papes where seven exiled popes settled […]
Mmmm…imagine sunshine, the scent of lavender and rosemary, parasol pines, olive groves, sunflowers, and the Mediterranean…you are experiencing the South of France. But Provence and the Cote d’Azur offer much more than that. Think of hill towns, charming markets, art galleries, sailing, scuba diving, star-gazing (movie star that is), swimming and soaking up the sun, […]
The Ardèche Gorge, the largest natural canyon in Europe, angles through southern France, northwest of Avignon. Its craggy limestone cliffs rise as high as 1,000 feet. The Ardèche River begins in the massif central, cuts through the gorge and crosses the plateau to flow into the Rhone.
The spectacular city of Avignon is an essential stop in Provence. Thirty-nine towers and seven gates punctuate ramparts surrounding the city. From the top of the ramparts you can understand why the site was chosen for a fort: Avignon stands high above the immense plains of the Rhône River and is the strategic point of […]
I first remember hearing the song “Sur le pont d’Avignon,” during my grade school French class. After I announced that I would be majoring in French in college, my dad, a professional musician who’s only contact with French has been through music, would jokingly begin most phone conversations by singing “Sur le pont d’Avignon” (or […]
Way back when, the strange dragon-monster called the Tarasque is said to have terrified the citizens of Tarascon, France (understandably, since it enjoyed snacking on humans). Legend has it that the monster with the spiky back was tamed by St. Martha. Today it’s a sort of mascot of Tarascon, celebrated in many ways. The largest is a […]