Under the French Riviera Sun: Avignon & Nice, France Part 1 of 2

8/23/2011

The lure of a warmer weather after months and months of random snow and ice-frozen wind was just too hard to pass. Having spent a day in Switzerland, we planned to head straight to the south of France - Nice! But, you know, life has this funny way of crumpling a six-month travel plan before finally taking a shot and dumping it on a waste basket. Can I get an Amen?

So the first challenge coming to Nice actually began right when we step foot in Geneva. We tried to book a direct train to Nice but na-da. The only option left was a stop over in Avignon and hopefully get a train to Nice from there. Well, sure. What's another city anyway? Arriving at Avignon and hoping for a straight shot to Nice, we tried to book our train tickets but in vain!!! We had to stop by Marseille St. Charles station for a couple of hours before reaching Nice oh Ville by midnight. Sucks but we just have to make do. Thankfully, Rick Steves, our handy companion gave another good to-do/to-see lists of Avignon to the T.

(Left: Taking notes from Rick Steves on our way to Avignon inside the TGV train. 1st class? I think so.)

Avignon is really just a small town, much reminiscent of an Italian village with its really old, brick-walled buildings minus the colorful palettes of red, pink, green and orange. But it sure wasn't small when the train station declared the luggage lockers out of service, even the coin-op ones and a hunchback we will go! Bags in tow, we found Palais de Papas, home of the Popes during the papacy's rivalry with the Roman Emperor; Parc de Rochers des Doms atop the palais with a stunning view of the Rhone river and Sur Le Pont d'Avignon, the halfway bridge, cut midway caused by flooding.

Heading back, Avignon just couldn't resist letting us bid our adieu's without a take-home a gift - a nice rain shower served wet, sloppy and a bit muddy yet, paradoxically perfect to end our short and long Avignon journey.

Avignon, France in Pictures

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I dawdle through the woods, skip down the beaten path, run into the wild, rush along the gutter, soar above the waves, and somewhere along the way, I always find a moment to smile and stop.

Hello, I'm Jie.

Stand still and smell the lilies with me.

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