Avignon (29/11/2019)

The first full day in the Provence we spent in Avignon. We parked the car on the island on the Rhône and took the free shuttle to the city. We went to the Tourist Information and picked up passes for the whole of Provence which enable us to enter free or with significant discount to many museums, and places on our path. Our next stop the Palais des Papes. The medieval Gothic building gave home in the 14th century to the seven popes, out of which two were antipopes.

These people look somewhat disturbed:

These folks look happy:

Then we walked up the terrace which overlooks the river and the Pont Saint-Bénézet:

Then we saw the Petit Palais, it's recommended for lovers of the renaissance genre (not me).
Then came the Angladon Museum of the fashion designer Jacques Doucet. This one was cool, way more appealing than renaissance art.

Meow :

From there we finally walked the Pont Saint-Bénézet, which has a very interesting history, a puzzle of legends and actual findings full of contradictions and stories that in the most unexpected moments take most unbelievable turns.
A bridge was being constructed for about 8 years in the late 12th century. Then just fourty years later came Lois VIII of France and the bridge was destroyed, not clear by whom. But in 1234 the brave people of the city rebuilt the bridge which had 22 arches. After this tremendous investment, people somehow lost interest in it and the 900 meters long bridge stood there unmaintained until the 17th century when a flood came and destroyed probably some parts of it.
According to the legend a shepherd boy heard the voice of not other than Jesus Christ who told him to build the bridge. So he went to the city and told people to help him. Then, because he was ridiculed, to prove his point he lifted a huge black stone by his own hand. This was sufficiently convincing, so he got the support. They started building the bridge, but in the middle the shepherd died, and was buried into one of the pillars (where else), where a small chapel is located today. To top the confusion on the old maps the islands on the Rhône appear at different locations than today. Scientists say that's the Rhône has shifted a bit during the centuries. Long story short no-one is actually sure today if the bridge was ever completed.
Walking the bridge could have been scary back in the days, there are no safety railings like today and it's only five meter wide.

A calm dinner at L'Essentiel was just perfect at the end of the day: