On the bridge of Avignon – Dancing

When one hears the word ‘Avignon’ the folk song Sur le pont d’Avignon would spring immediately to most people’s minds – sometimes it’ll be the only thing – but Avignon is so much more than this song.

Avignon is just 18 minutes by train from my alternate home in Arles in the south of France. I go to Avignon regularly for three reasons.

The first is because it has the nearest Nespresso shop to Arles, another is for the covered market and the last is because Avignon TGV railway station is the nearest place to Arles from which to catch the TGV (Train Grand Vitesse – very fast train).

Avignon has two railway stations, the second was built with the express purpose of accommodating the TGV that the original station was unable to do. The station in Arles cannot accommodate these fast trains either.

The markets

The covered markets in Avignon are open most days of the week and have superb, specialised produce. It’s here I go to get fresh (uncooked) foie gras, for instance, or to pick up some gravlax or some amazing fruit jellies. The array of offal there is staggering – you’ll find any creature’s liver you could possible desire and other things I don’t recognise too. What’s more, in a country where amazing arrays of cheeses are commonplace, the markets in Avignon stand out. Over purchasing is a hazard for me when shopping there. I have to keep repeating the mantra:
“Only buy what you can eat.” after all, I can return when I run out, can’t I?

Which is not such a bad idea because after I have made all my purchases there is an oyster stall where you can buy freshly shucked oysters (many varieties – all large and larger) and a glass of wine for lunch – mayonnaise and lemon provided. It’s one of the highlights of the visits and the more times I go back, the more oyster lunches I can have. Sounds like a plan, hey?

Sur le pont…

But back to that bridge that they dance on – it does exist and is not a figment of the songwriter’s imaginings. Its name is Le Pont St. Bénézet, after the man (later to become a saint) that laid the first boulder for its foundation (according to the instructions of God, it’s said). St. Bénézet is the patron saint of bridge builders.

These days, though, it’s only a half a bridge. It finally collapsed (for the last time) in the 16^th century and was deemed too expensive to rebuild and so now it stops in the middle of the Rhone. A bridge to nowhere.

It was built in its original form in 1185 and it brought in much revenue in tolls for the City of Avignon as it was the only bridge across the mighty Rhone from Lyon to the Mediterranean (after Arles lost its Roman bridge).

The standout feature for me, is that there is a lovely chapel that stands on the bridge that survived the collapse (in its original position, I believe.) The chapel is dedicated to St. Nicholas the patron saint of the Rhone boatmen.

The bridge was considered to be an important site on the pilgrimage from Spain to Italy, especially for the Papacy in Avignon – yes, you heard correctly.

The Popes of Avignon

In 1305, Pope Clement V, moved the residence of the Pope to an old Episcopal Bishop’s Palace in Avignon to escape the corruption and the political unrest present, at that time, in Rome.

From there he started the expansion of the palace that was continued by many Popes after him.

And these Avignon Popes were some heck of builders because by the time they’d finished, the Popes Palace covered 15,000 square metres and it is the largest Gothic Palace in Europe – and one of the largest in the world. And believe me it’s HUGE! If you are going to explore, leave yourself quite a few hours and wear comfortable shoes.

By 1376 though, the then Pope Gregoire, moved the Papacy back to Rome, as was always intended.  But clearly, not everyone was happy with that decision, so on his death (just two years later) both Avignon and Rome elected a new Pope – Two Popes –  which caused a rift in the Catholic church that continued until 1403 when the legitimacy of Rome was re-established.

*For my PNG readers: it has overtones of the Somare, O’Neill debacle of 2011, doesn’t it?

So for 27 years, they were at loggerheads which is why the bridge as a pilgrimage point was so important to the Avignon Pope and Catholics.

At the end of the day

When you’ve finished exploring the vast expanses of the Popes Palace and surrounding chapel and are both tired and thirsty, there are many quaint squares filled with cafés, restaurants and bars where you can quench your thirst or satisfy your hunger.

If you’re a music lover, Avignon also has its own functioning Opera House built in 1846 and it’s outside here that you’ll find a children’s roundabout and an ice skating rink in the winter months (surrounded by cafés and bars).

To access the railway station Avignon Centre (ie not Avignon TGV which is 5 minutes from the centre), the road takes you through two of the 35 high towers that form part of the 14^th century fortifications – the walls of the city. The wall is 4.3 kilometres long and as well as the 35 High towers it boasts 50 smaller ones too. Avignon is nothing if not picturesque.

There’s a great pastry shop at the railway station too if you need some fortification for the 18 minute journey home. Oh no, did I forget to get those Nespresso pods?