We woke up early to go to the train station in Nice to get tickets for Avingon. On the way ate a Suisse which was delicious and essentially one of those twisty sugar coated donut but it didn't taste deep fried, much lighter and airier. At the station the lady kept telling us €19 a piece but we'd read that in France with our eurorail pass it should only be €3 reservation fee. One of many times I wish I knew French. She kept telling us in French even though we said we didn't know French and eventually paid the €38 total for us...later in Avingon we paid our regular €3/each, more on that later. Met a couple ladies from Vancouver, BC, and they had 4 full sized rolling suitcases and 2 large shoulder bags between the two of them! Yuck
The trains in France are so much nicer and quieter than Italy! It's incredible, at a couple points we thought they turned off the train to coast but it was only the AC...On the train ride there we did a lot of planning for the rest of our trip: Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Krakow (Auschwitz), Budapest, Munich, Frankfurt...only later to realize that when we plan to be touring Auschwitz is ON OUR ANNIVERSARY!!! Guess we'll wait to celebrate in Budapest after the fact.
Arrived in Avingon, trying to read a map when someone who works for the station actually asked us IN ENGLISH if we needed help AND was helpful, and correct. Then went to the ticket counter to book our train to Barcelona, only there are no openings for like 4 days! So Randy and I had to go and figure out what the heck to do! I speak SPANISH! Not Italian, definitely not French or German so...why am I bilingual? We decided no Barcelona. :( Something would have to give and we're excited about all of them! We would either waste days here in Avingon/Arles to make it there or travel from Paris back to Barcelona to either Berlin or Prague neither of which are remotely close! So tomorrow we have a ticket out of Avingon to Paris AND we only paid the €3 for reservations! The positive note is now it looks like we won't be touring Auschwitz on our anniversary :)
We have a guest house, it's like an apartment above a restaurant. The owner spoke minimal English but the people we've seen most that work here or something don't at all!
Visited the Palace of the Popes and the bridge "to know where" as Randy called it but the St. Benezet Bridge. The bridge was built in early AD and flood after flood happened on the Rhone River causing it to fall, so they rebuilt. One time there were people buried in the bridge when the flood came it washed dead bodied down river! In 1600's the government decided NOT to rebuild it again and so it stands today.
Did you know Avingon used to be Vatican City for a few centuries? The pope wanted a safer place than Rome so they bought Avingon. For a long time there were schisms between Avingon and Rome as to who really was the Vatican. I can't remember when but I believe it wasn't fully resolved until after the French Revolution.
Ate spaghetti for dinner which the spice/seasoning on the meat reminded me of my Mimi's spaghetti and got home sick. Our waitress of course didnt speak English and I think she was annoyed that we didnt speak French. I need Lydia!!!
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