Tag: Avignon

Posted on by

Popes Palace Avignon, France

Popes Palace, Avignon, France

Frist, a little history…

Much of the 14th century Italy was ravaged by wars. By 1309 Rome was basically a violent and unwelcoming city. So violent that Pope Clement V could not remain in the city of Rome.

The Popes then moved the center of the Catholic church to Avignon, France from 1309 to 1377. Seven different popes were in control of the church during that time. By 1377 Rome’s atmosphere had improved that the Pope was able to return.

During their time in Avignon, Pope Benoit XII and Pope Clement VI built the largest gothic style palace and church in the world. This took only 18 years to build most of the enormous series of buildings.

No expense was spared on building this as the Catholic church was eager to spend the money on the project. With 15,000 square meters of floor area, decorated lavishly, this was the most impressive building in the western world at the time it was completed.

In 1378 the French cardinals objected to a new Italian pope and they established an alternate pope in Avignon, Pope Clement VII. He reigned until 1394 and was succeeded by Pope Benedict XIII. These two were known as the Anti-Popes, dividing the Catholic church until 1403.

By the 15th century, the Popes Palace fell into disrepair for several centuries. After the French Revolution, the palace was used as a military prison. Since 1906 the palace has undergone major restoration.

To visit…

Spend at least an hour, more if you can, to wander through the 15,000 square meters of amazing space. Look up at the Department of Archives. It’s 52 meters up.

Enter the Popes Palace through the Porte des Champeaux, the main entrance in the middle of the front. The two turrets on either side are new since the originals have long since collapsed. There are two courtyards. The Great Courtyard, La Cour d’Honneur, and the Small Courtyard. You will see the New Palace with its Great Chapel and the Great Audience Hall.

A total of 25 rooms are open to visitors. Soaring architecture, frescoes, wall coverings, mosaic tiles, paintings, a pope’s personal chambers, and more are sites you don’t want to miss. The Papal Throne in the Popes Room is a careful copy, but still impressive. There are tombs of some Popes, a grand staircase, and so much more. Check out the watchtowers, marvel at how they built 10-foot-thick walls, and take extra time to make your way down some impossibly steep stairs to one of the gardens. Going back up is almost more challenging as you climb a narrow tower to the level above.

Some rooms even have computer screens depicting what that room would have looked like back in that time period.

Prebook a guided tour to avoid the crowds and the lines if you go during a busy time of year.

Classified as a UNESCO site in 1995 the Palace of the Popes is one of the 10 most visited sites in France.

If You Go: The Palace of the Popes is located at Pl. de Palais, Avignon, France

Posted on by

Food and Wine…Here We Come

 

Avignon Food and Wine Tour

Mention Avignon and many people know this is where the pope lived during the early 14th century. Hence the imposing Palais des Papes which dominates the skyline of Avignon.

I’ll save that for another article.

On our last visit, we signed up for an Avignon Food and Wine Tour. Why? We love discovering and finding local foods on our own. But, thinking this might be something to try…we signed up.

We were promised a unique experience with a local guide, taking us to local shops. That was right on.

Aurelie, our guide, is a local. She shops around the city daily. So, that’s where she took us. The oldest artisan baker in town, an award-winning master chocolate maker, wine sellers, coffee roasters, olive growers, the local, central market…all her favorites. Many are now our favorites, too. Her passion for food, wine, and Avignon were evident. She knew the locals and they knew her.

As we wandered through streets and down alleys, we learned and we ate. What better way to learn about and understand local foods and how they relate to the history of Avignon? This is definitely a unique way to sample a city.

First up, slightly warm, impossibly light, buttery, flaky croissants. In a park. Surrounded by roses in shades of pinks and yellows, ancient stone columns, chirping birds flitting about the branches. And, pigeons begging for a crumb. Any crumb. Sorry…none left.

Except for the pigeons, it was the perfect way to start the day. If only we had some coffee or espresso. Guess what? That was the next stop as we wove our way through the back streets of Avignon.

At Café du Bresil, in Avignon since 1976, rich, fragrant, coffee beckoned to us from several feet down the street. This is a tiny place. Coffee is their passion. Buying the right beans, roasting to achieve the desired taste, and grinding to fit your machine…all important to them. Tastes and aromas. They make you want to taste, smell, touch, and look. What do you get? The perfect combination. We hated to leave.

Until, that is, Aurelie told us the next stop was an artisan chocolate shop. Aline Gehant, the owner and chocolatier of Artisan Chocolatier en Provence, creates chocolates with a variety of flavors and tastes. Our mission that morning, if we chose to accept it, was to decide what each sample piece was infused with. Of course, we all chose to accept that mission.

First taste…definitely lavender. Not heavy perfumey lavender. Just a hint. But, noticeable. Next, an herb. Was it oregano? Or, was it thyme? Turns out it was thyme. Again, just a hint. Last…a hint of pistachio. Since she makes her chocolates by infusing the herbs and flavors, you taste that subtle flavor all the way through the piece of chocolate. Simply amazing. But, we had to leave. A bakery was calling to us.

More walking. Actually, strolling to our next stop. The oldest bakery in Avignon showcased delightful pastries in the window. Decisions. Decisions. How do we know which one to pick? Thankfully, Aurelie had already chosen for us. Sitting beneath huge, shady trees, these disappeared amid sighs of pleasure. No crumbs left here, either. But, it was time to move to our next stop. Wine.

Since Chateauneuf du Pape is the area’s most prestigious wine, guess what we sampled? The wine shop also poured several other samples for us while explaining where his wines come from. Tasty stop.

Now, more walking to our final destination. Lunch at Les Halles d’Avignon. Forty growers and tradesmen from around the area feature and sell their products, which represent the taste, quality, and freshness of the soil. What a sight.

Glistening, ruby red peppers sit next to shiny, amethyst-colored eggplants. Strawberries, so plump you think they might burst, beckon to be sampled. Fruits and vegetables of every color imaginable line stalls up and down the aisles.

Perfect, marbled filets waiting to be cut to your order, fresh liver resting in a pan, giant slabs of bacon, chickens, geese, quail…and more. Duck fat…jars of duck fat. Seafood showcased on ice. Whole fish, mouths open, along the edge. It was all so fresh, you didn’t detect any fishy smell.

Olives…so many olives. Cheeses you may not have heard of but can’t wait to try. Tapenades, pates, garlic spreads, pickles. Baguettes, long, thin, crusty on the outside and melt in your mouth in the middle.

What do you want? Again, we didn’t have to decide. Aurelie had everything arranged for our gourmet lunch. Including wine and dessert.

What a perfect ending to our food and wine tour.

Now, we were off to explore more of Avignon on our own.

Would we do this again? Of course. It was a different way to explore a city. It was long enough and covered enough different areas. That made it ideal. We were introduced to areas and vendors we might never have discovered on our own.

Plus, we had the perfect guide. She kept us moving, yet didn’t hurry us.

This was a great introduction to Avignon.

If You Go: More can be found about this tour at https://www.avignongourmetours.com/#home-2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on by

Eat Your Way Through the Markets in Provence

You could literally go to some type of street market every day in Provence. Really.

Whether you’re looking specifically for antiques, linens, clothes, soaps, collectibles, knives, cough drops made with balsamic, flowers, fabrics, shoes, spoons and spatulas made from olive wood, lavender everything…the list goes on and on.

Antiques had their own places at most markets. Door knobs, boules, picture frames, wooden boxes, iron toys, tools, rusted, faded signs, and more.

Then, there’s food. Olives of every color and size, fresh-baked breads, local meats, cured hard and soft salamis, chocolate and nougat candies, countless creamy and pungent cheeses, frozen and fresh fish, seasonal fruits, spices from all corners of the globe, red, black, white, and green poivre, jars of duck fat, local specialty cookies from that region, bunches of herbs, garlic bigger than my hand, colorful vegetables…this list is even larger.

You could spend all day.

So…we went. To several.

We opted for a morning here and there. Which means we spent several different times at different markets in different towns and villages. Streets lined with vendors, side streets filled with flowers, and people everywhere.

We saw some of the same vendors at multiple places. And, we discovered new ones. We now have favorites.

This is what we discovered…

Everyone was polite. No one pushed to get in line before anyone else. Everybody said ‘Bonjour’, ‘Merci’, and ‘Au Revoir.’

Locals shop for food and whatever else they need. Chefs shop for whatever is in season. You’ll find whatever they buy on the menu today. Could be ripe, mouth-dripping strawberries, which were in season in May. Maybe those would end up in desserts. Could be fat, creamy-white asparagus, also in season in May. Soup made from them looks like cream and tastes like silk with a hint of white pepper. Maybe you’ll find quail eggs, the latest flavor of sausage, or pureed beet root.

Nougat made an appearance at every market as well. Flavored with anything from pistachios to apricots to dried fruits. Sweet treat.

There are always plenty of cheeses to pick from. How about an aged Comte? Sharp, pungent, and an absolute favorite. Or, the just-made goat cheese…this came as a dessert with an apricot puree. To die for. I didn’t think it was appropriate to lick the plate when I was finished. I wanted to.

Bread vendors sell out early. Get your baguette first thing if you want one. Everybody else does. That way you can carry it like the French do. Wrapped in plain paper, under your arm or in your market bag.

We saw the same organ grinder at two different markets. No monkey. The organ grinder at a third market had a large cat with him. He was on a leash and accepted treats. Go figure.

Wine vendors give out samples. Of course, every vendor gives out samples. What better way to try before you buy?

Another favorite were the spoons, spatulas, and serving platters made from olive wood. Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe them. Use them and they will quickly become your favorite.

Colorful linens for tables, dishcloths, napkins, and hand towels lit up the aisles. Brilliant blues, bright yellows, deep reds, and blinding whites… What color do you want?

Scarves and cashmere pashminas in more shades of blue than I’ve ever seen. Was the scarf guy telling me the truth when he said that color was made for me?

Baskets vied with their own colors, shapes, and sizes for attention. I could just see my cat adopting one of them. But, I’d have to get it on the plane and it wouldn’t fit in my carry-on.

Assume there is one vendor for each type of food or item…and you would be wrong. This is another thing which amazed us. The number of vendors selling the same or similar items was amazing. Each had their own twist, specialty, or way of selling.

At one market, we saw at least four olive vendors and five sausage makers. Another time, there were over seven vendors with table linens. Everybody seemed to be doing a brisk business. I guess if you weren’t…you probably didn’t return.

Did I mention the duck fat? Small jars, large jars, duck fat and beans, foie gras, foie gras with duck fat…there was definitely a love affair with duck fat. AKA…graisse de canard.

Paella cooked in yard-wide pans looked and smelled like saffron coated fish. Yum. Croissants so flaky we wore the crumbs all day. Of course, our espressos were the perfect accompaniment. Whatever you’re hungry for, breakfast, lunch, or café au lait, find your favorite food. It’s probably at the street market.

At the end of the morning, we left with provisions for that night’s dinner, snacks to eat throughout the day, linens to bring home, and memories of what we tasted and saw. Those croissant crumbs? They stayed with us.

We’re already making plans to go back. Provence and street markets…a match made for us.