Sunday, August 2nd ~ Avignon, France (part 1)
Pont Saint-Bénézet
Sadly our amazing Uniworld river cruise has come to an end. After enjoying our final delicious breakfast on board, we took a pre-arranged taxi the short distance to a local hotel located just off the main square.
Hotel De I’horloge, Avignon
The Hotel De I’horloge was basic, but the location was excellent. We like the window open at night for fresh air, but if you are sensitive to street noises, this may not be the right hotel for you. Thankfully Tim and I are both OK with street chatter, and are willing to give up a little for a great and walkable location.
We divided our day up into two parts. This morning we wanted to see another of the main attractions of Avignon, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, (Avignon Bridge).
“The bridge’s construction was inspired by Saint Bénézet, a local shepherd boy who (according to tradition) was commanded by angels to build a bridge across the river.
Although he was ridiculed at first, he dramatically “proved” his divine inspiration by miraculously lifting a huge block of stone. He won support for his project from wealthy sponsors who formed themselves into a Bridge Brotherhood to fund its construction. After his death, he was interred on the bridge itself, in a small chapel standing on one of the bridge’s surviving piers on the Avignon side.
Chapel where Saint Benezet is buried
“The bridge originally spanned the Rhône River between Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on the left bank. It was built between 1171 and 1185, with an original length of some 900 m (2950 ft), but it suffered frequent collapses during floods and had to be reconstructed several times. Over the centuries, it became increasingly perilous as arches collapsed and were replaced by rickety wooden sections.
The bridge was finally put out of use by a catastrophic flood in 1668, which swept away much of the structure. It was subsequently abandoned and no more attempts were made to repair it. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished, and only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today.” ~ bonjourlafrance.com
This afternoon we have a 5 hour private tour scheduled to visit the lavender fields, but I will save that for my next post.
Gratitude Moment: I am grateful that we were able to celebrate my husband’s birthday in a beautiful part of the world.
