These photos, taken in the fall of 2005 with my cellphone camera, were of my arrival and first trip to France.
After bidding my Barcelona host thank you and farewell at the Barcelona Sants transport hub with kisses on each others' cheeks and some hugs, I took an overnight bus from Barcelona, and arrived in Avignon before sunrise.
exploring old Avignon on arrival
All the shops were closed. Not much cars and people on the streets. Everyone was still in bed. The night and the streets were quiet. I didn't know really where I was going and there was no one around really to ask. It seemed like I had everywhere to go and everything to see. But that I just had to have patience and wait an hour or two for daybreak before I can fully enjoy this freedom with more degree of equanimity.
I just know I saw this walled area which the bus drove past just before I got off, with an entrance. At that point, I even just woke up from sleep. At the time I went to France, I was debating between getting off in Avignon, or beyond in Marseille, or Aix en Provence or in Nice, all of which (except Nice I believe) were the next other destinations/stops of the bus I was on. So waking up from sleep just when the bus was arriving in its Avignon stop must have been an indication really that it was where I should get off. So shaking off slumber and with bleary eyes, I decided it's probably best to get off there right then, and not ride further along while not decided yet really on which place to go. And so I got up with my backpacks, and got off the bus in the dark of night, along with about 3 other passengers.
I just know I saw this walled area which the bus drove past just before I got off, with an entrance. At that point, I even just woke up from sleep. At the time I went to France, I was debating between getting off in Avignon, or beyond in Marseille, or Aix en Provence or in Nice, all of which (except Nice I believe) were the next other destinations/stops of the bus I was on. So waking up from sleep just when the bus was arriving in its Avignon stop must have been an indication really that it was where I should get off. So shaking off slumber and with bleary eyes, I decided it's probably best to get off there right then, and not ride further along while not decided yet really on which place to go. And so I got up with my backpacks, and got off the bus in the dark of night, along with about 3 other passengers.
walked past an old church
some church ruins, possibly from World War I or II bombings
This was the first time I arrived anywhere in Europe in a small town, in the dark, before 5 am in the morning with absolutely no one walking around. As I got off, with some trepidation, being female and travelling alone, I decided to walk across the street towards the walled area with the wide portal leading to an avenue. Good thing I had a Lonely Planet Europe guide with me and learned I was on to the right direction, because the portal is the one end of cours Jean Jaure, a main avenue in the old walled part of the city of Avignon.
cours Jean Jaure,
by the Avignon Tourism Office building
Some cafes and restaurants I walked past still had their chairs resting on top of the tables both in and outside on the sidewalk of the establishments. And at one of the restaurants I walked past, a local guy cleaning/clearing the sidewalk restaurant greeted me quite warmly with a smiling "Bonjour mademoiselle!" as the sun was breaking out in the sky. That was quite a lovely and memorable welcome to France. =)
So in this particular photo above, it shows the main sidewalk littered with the leaves of fall. I just loved the scene, the season, the moment, and the place; and captured this snapshot as I was walking it. Bonjour France indeed! =)
See more pics from my Avignon trip album here.
See more pics from my Avignon trip album here.
