Express By Holiday Inn Avignon

... we were nearly blown to Marseille. Tomorrow we are going on a lunchtime cruise on the Rhone with more food and wine and before that visiting the famous bridge and hopefully we will have time to go over to see the nearby fort in the afternoon.

Then we start the final run north - first a night at Beaujolais, then 2 nights at Strasbourg and one last night at Munich before we leave Big ...

... was on our route to Spain, so we decided to make a minor detour from the motorway and go there for lunch. We didn’t leave Nimes till well after midday; - it was a beautiful day after the thunderstorm of the night before, so we were exploring the old town, and the Roman Arena.

It always takes a while to find a location in a new town, so by the time we arrived outside Le Petit Comptoir (yes outside – after circling ...

so today we arrived in Avignon (where I lived for 6 months when i was at university). I kept pointing out all the new arrivals and shops and Jason so kindly reminded me that they had 15 years to just 'pop up' so maybe they weren't that new after all.

had a very yummy dinner at a resto called New Ground (but typical french service). Tomorrow we need to fix the rear break light in the car (very nicely pointed out by a ...

... In the world-famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape we could have purchased many incredible bottles of wine to bring home and share with friends. Alas, since all liquids have been declared potentially dangerous to carry onboard planes, we were limited to trying them on site.

The town itself was very quiet. I expected more hustle and bustle, but perhaps everyone is busy squeezing the grapes just harvested from the fields. One advantage of grapes ...

Believe me you don't want the story but here are a few photos and videos of what was a wonderful adventure for the most part.

The bull running was a random and free event - just next to lovely beach. Camargue horses are breathtakingly beautiful in the wild.

Unfortunately no photos of characterful and cultural city of Arles because only took the camera out one day - the day we went to The Camargue obviously.

... to step out of the train station and be greeted by sunny Avignon. The place immediately had an inviting and warm feel to it as we walked through the gates into the old town (the main centre of Avignon which is surrounded by a massive wall that runs all the way around it - the old Roman ramparts). After a short five minute walk to our hotel, we couldn’t wait to head back out for a feed and a bit of an explore.  We first had ...

... the day. To reward ourselves for staying awake for the whole day after such a tough night we treated ourselves to a restaurant meal in a picturesque square, a welcome escape into the world of a normal tourist. The next morning we went to a local market by the side of the canal and picked some fresh fruit for breakfast which was not only ridiculously cheap but some of the best fruit I have ever had. This set us up well for more exploring and we took a water ...

Not too early a start today. Walked over the river to the walled city, and into the Palace des Papes, once the home of the Pope before the Vatican. Tour of the buildings and ramparts and then late lunch in a town square - pizza and Perrier! Walked to the Pont D'Avignon, a bridge built over 850 years ago!, then back to camp. Lazy evening . . .

... 48 Euros a night plus extra for brekky. Because we were nowhere near town we were forced to eat at the hotel. The menu looked appetising and we could sit out on the patio with other guests...but it was a terrible meal. Our first course was described as a grilled cheese on toast. It was a whole camembert grilled and melted over chunks of bread which had been soaked in garlic. It was presented in a dish the size of a cereal bowl. I could barely get through a third of it. It was ...