One of the most striking sights in Avignon is the truncated Bridge of Saint Bénézet, which juts out into the Rhône for four elegant spans then abruptly ends mid-river like a forgotten artwork.  It may no longer have practical use today, but the bridge is one of the most beloved structures in France, and surrounded by charming legend.

Its story begins in the Middle Ages, when a shepherd boy named Bénézet declared that he had been told by angels to build a span across the mighty river.  Locals scoffed, but Bénézet proved that God was on his side by lifting a giant rock above his head and tossing it onto the riverbank to lay the first foundation stone.  Eight years later, in 1185, the 2700-feet-long bridge was completed, with 22 arches running from the Papal enclave of Avignon to the village of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

Bénézet became a local hero and after his death he was declared a saint and buried in a small chapel that can still be visited on the riverbank.  For centuries, the structure enjoyed enormous strategic importance as the only crossing between Lyon and the Mediterranean, and it was immortalized in a popular French nursery rhyme, Sur le Pont d’Avignon.  But the bridge created by religion was eventually ruined by it.  In the 1600s, Avignon was still officially controlled by the Pope, but the faraway Vatican no longer had the funds to cover repairs when the bridge was weakened by floods.

The French royalty, which had long resented the Papal presence within France, refused to help out.  The bridge had been teetering dangerously for years when around 1660 it finally collapsed, leaving the poetic stump we see today.

The Popes of Avignon certainly knew how to throw a party. When Clement VI celebrated his ascension to the Pontiff’s office in 1342, the surrounding farms were decimated for the feast: Records show that for this single-day extravaganza, the kitchens prepared 118 roast oxen, 1023 sheep, 914 lambs, 7428 chickens, 1195 geese, 3043 fowl, 39,980 eggs, 6000 pounds of almonds, 50,000 tarts and 90,000 loaves of bread.  Several hundred of the most important guests gathered in the Banquet Hall for the most elaborate meal.  Naturally, the medieval dining arrangements were far different from today’s.  Food did not arrive in courses: The dishes were laid out on trestle tables before the guests arrived for an impressive visual effect, and diners had to choose from whatever they could reach from their assigned seat.  Medieval cooks loved to make the food itself brightly colorful and even patterned, using contrasting dyes made from herbs, flowers, saffron and gold leaf, and finishing with pomegranate seeds to resemble rubies.  The meal was a carnivore’s paradise, with beast after beast arriving from the kitchen.  The meat-carving was a prestigious, noble skill, and was often performed by the Pope himself, using an ivory-handled knife; the Pope’s own portion would then be passed under a narwhal’s horn, which was thought to detect poison.  There were no individual plates at that time: Each guest lay his meat on a thick slice of bread called a trench, which soaked up the juices and would be devoured in turn.  The only eating utensil was a knife, so well-mannered diners used only their thumb and two first fingers to eat, with the pinky kept clean to dip into the salt.  And there were no napkins: Guests would wipe their hands on the table clots.  The Papal feast ended with desserts highly prized in the Middle Ages – wafers, marzipan treats, jams and candied fruit, all prepared within the palace itself.

As the world’s largest Gothic castle, the Papal Palace dominates Avignon more completely than the Eiffel Tower does Paris.  But awe-inspiring as the edifice is, we must use a little imagination today to picture the interior in its medieval heyday, when it was home for nearly a century to nine Pontiffs.  Like almost all Gothic structures in Europe, the palace’s interior has been slowly stripped of decoration and furniture, so today the bare stone walls give us the impression that the residents existed in austere, monastic self-denial.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

The medieval Popes, who had abandoned Rome because of its political instability, enjoyed a level of sensual luxury that many of the faithful considered scandalous, thus earning their stay in Avignon the nickname “the Babylonian Exile.”  We should perhaps think of the Papal Palace as the Las Vegas of the Middle Ages, with state-of-the art décor designed purely to delight and impress its occupants.  Every floor gleamed with brilliant marble tiles.  Elaborate tapestries covered the walls, and statues lined the corridors.  In the Grand Tinel, or Banquet Hall, (Room 11), the ceiling was once hung with purple velvet studded with solid gold stars in order to evoke the night sky.

Luckily for us, two rooms in the palace still contain remnants of their original decoration.  In the Pope’s Bedroom (Room 15), every inch of wall space and ceiling is covered with a tempura mural of a forest, the delicate leaves hiding colorful wildlife; the painted birds were echoed in reality, as the Popes loved to keep caged nightingales to serenade them to sleep. The adjoining Stag Room (Room 16) was once Clement VI’s study, and its walls are covered with hunting scenes; for good measure, a unicorn and dragon frolic in the woods.

These miraculous survivals were only discovered in 1906; they had been painted over by French soldiers when the palace was used as a military barracks in the 19th century, an act of vandalism that accidentally preserved them.  The subsequent layers were simply scraped away.

From one French city to the next, our travels now take us to Avignon, France! It’s time to revel in the romance of this gorgeous French city, while taking in the historic significance of the region.

During our Southern France tour, we’ll visit the historic centre of Avignon, taking in such impressive sights as the Palace of Popes. For those in need of retail therapy, you can fill up on a special brand of authentic French souvenirs at an outdoor market at St Benezet Bridge. We can picnic along the Rhone River and drink a glass of the finest French wine. Or, we could take in the impromptu shows and costumed gaiety at the annual International Theater Festival!

Pack your bags, and let’s embark on an unforgettable French vacation.

Whether you’re looking to see the history of Catholic religion first hand, lavish in the splendor of the white walled city, or cruise the majestic Rhone, you’re sure to remember every last detail of your trip to Avignon!

A vacation to Paris is not complete unless it includes guided sightseeing of all the famous landmarks and a bird’s-eye view of the city from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.  When the sun goes down, Paris magically transforms into the “City of Light.” The Eiffel Tower illuminates the sky while revelers exalt in palate-pleasing French cuisine, impeccable wine, and a dazzling nightlife.

From the rolling wine country of Provence to the pristine beach paradises of the Côte d’Azur, France is sure to have you soaking in the joie de vivre. Sipping coffee at a Parisian café or taking in the masterpieces at the Louvre are European experiences that can’t be missed. Home to a sophisticated savoir-faire, exquisite cuisine and a wide variety of cheeses (stinky and otherwise), a vacation to France is an adventure for all the senses.

France Fast Facts

• Capital: Paris
• Population: 61 million
• Language: French
• Currency: Euro (€)
• Time Zone: EST plus 6 hours
• Electricity: 220V, 50Hz

Do you have an upcoming vacation to France planned?  During your travels you are sure to enjoy dining out at many local restaurants and cafes.  Consider this tipping tip when traveling in France:

The bill in a bar or French restaurant includes service, but it’s customary to leave some small change unless you’re dissatisfied. The amount varies from €1.50 to €4.50 for a meal. Cloakroom attendants will expect nothing if there is a sign saying pourboire interdit (tipping forbidden); otherwise give them €.75. Washroom attendants usually get about €.30; bellhops around €1.50 per item.

Few towns celebrate a single artist as thoroughly as Arles does Vincent van Gogh.  Copies of his paintings are set up at the very sites where van Gogh painted them, so we can admire the same picturesque street views that once inspired the Dutch-born visionary.  Cultural centers are named after van Gogh, a replica of his home the “Yellow House” has been recreated (the original in Place Lamartine was bombed in WW2) and the Café La Nuit on the Place du Forum has recreated the lemon-accented color scheme he used to evoke gaslight in Café Terrace at Night.

All this devotion belies the embarrassing fact that, although van Gogh painted around 200 canvases in Arles, not one of them is owned by the town.  Worse, van Gogh’s actual experience in Arles was famously miserable.  In 1888, at the age of 35, the troubled artist was lured here by the brilliant colors of Provence.  But money was a constant problem: He only sold a single painting in his life, and in Arles, his work was held in such low esteem that, when Vincent gave a local doctor a portrait in thanks for his services, the doctor used it to cover a hole in his chicken coop.  Van Gogh was also desperately lonely: He hoped the town would become an artist’s colony, but only Paul Gaugin came to stay with him.

The pair argued constantly and Gaugin fled when Vincent, racked by mental illness, famously lopped off of his earlobe with a razor and gave it wrapped in newspaper to a local prostitute for safe keeping.  The citizens of Arles had no patience for van Gogh’s drunken, crazed antics: they called him the “fou roux,” or red-headed madman, and insisted that the authorities lock up van Gogh in a mental asylum outside of town.  Prolific though he was, the painter’s mental and financial problems never eased.  Upon his release, Vincent moved to Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris and soon shot himself, never imagining how beloved his work would become.  His suicide note read: “The sadness will last forever.”

Thanks to the British author Peter Mayle, whose wildly popular memoirs about the expatriate life in Provence were turned into a 2006 film, A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe, this sun-dappled pocket of southern France has become the ultimate choice for Europeans to retire and renovate old farmhouses.  Few realize they are echoing a habit laid down 2000 years ago.

The ancient Romans conquered the whole of Europe, but they too had a soft spot for Provence, which was their first acquisition outside of Italy.  (The very name Provence comes from the Latin provincia).  No sooner had it been taken in 121 BC than its delightful ports and pretty rural villages began to attract wealthy Roman citizens looking for fresh air and sunshine.

Today, the landscape of Provence is rich with relics from that ancient golden age, especially in the city of Arles.  Around 50 BC, the town had the good judgment to support Julius Caesar in Rome’s civil wars, and was showered with rewards when he won.  As a result, Arles was transformed into the hub of the Western Empire, and a miniature version of Rome itself.  Modern visitors can still stroll from the Arena (a scaled-down Colosseum, where today bullfights have taken the place of gladiators) to the Place du Forum (the site of ancient market and meeting-place), inspect the Crypto-porticus (the granaries) and the Baths of Constantine (where citizens would while away whole days swimming, exercising and flirting).

To put all this in context, visit the new Museum of Ancient Arles.  Built next to the Roman Circus, where chariot races were once held, on the edge of the city, the museum contains a wonderful set of scale models and dioramas recreating Arles in its Roman heyday.

Afterwards, the ancient ruins of the town seem to come alive: You can virtually hear the Arena packed with 20,000 citizens howling for blood, the Forum filled with food vendors, and the riverfront promenade lined with wealthy tourists from Italy, lounging on marble benches and enjoying the sun – not so different from today, after all.

Welcome to Arles, France! Be prepared to be inundated with French cuisine and wine, rich history, and an impressive artisan culture.

We have an educational program for you for the next several weeks, which will introduce you to the sights and customs of Southern France. Ever wondered what to tip, or even if to tip, when dining out at French cafes? We will make sure tipping etiquette is crystal clear, in addition to discussing the basics of French travel. More importantly, we’ll tour the Roman Amphitheatre and visit the home of Vincent van Gogh. Though the famed artist only spent a year in Arles, he produced more than 300 paintings during his time there. We will also absorb the incredible culture of the region through the many pristine museums in Arles.

Pack your bags, it’s time to lose ourselves in the romance and delight of a vacation in France! We’ll languish with French cuisine, drink lavish French wines, and experience the country’s incredible culture.

Whether it’s the food, atmosphere, or history you crave, Arles has it all. Come, learn more with us as we discover this enchanting city!