A Ride on a High Speed Train

Today we checked out of our Paris apartment and took the TGV (high speed train) to Avignon.  But first we stopped for lunch at a restaurant near Parc de Bercy.  This particular restaurant specializes in food from the Aubrac region.  We had today's special, which was brochette of beef, salad, and gratin ratatouille.  Unfortunately, neither of us was particularly impressed with this meal.  However, the waitress was very nice and helped Bill learn how to pronounce "Laguiole" the
town in Aubrac famous for manufacturing knives.












I did some knitting on the train.  In retrospect it may not have been a good idea to knit lace after a wine-fueled lunch.  I stopped after one row because it was clear things would not go well if I continued.











Avignon still has its medieval walls and was home to the pope during the 14th century.  It's famous for it's walls, bridge, and papal architecture.  We arrived in the town shortly after 6:00 p.m. and spent nearly an hour talking with our new landlord.  By the time he finally left it was beginning to  get dark.  I did get a picture of the gate our bus came through when we entered the city.

The apartment is huge compared to the 2 Paris apartments we've stayed in the last few weeks.








After the landlord left, we went out to buy a few groceries and find a boulangerie for bread.  We saw a very pretty town square not too far from the pope's palace.  Here's a photo of the city hall on that square.

Because we're in the south of France the weather is warmer here than in Paris - no jackets!  It's also much cleaner and less crowded.  We'll be here a week and are looking forward to enjoying lots of seafood and vegetables dishes.  We're also looking forward to a break from climbing up and down stairs in the Métro system.