Chateaunef du Pape

Here is the old chateau that the pope of Avignon had built, so the finest wine could be produced for their own personal consumption. Much of this chateau was destroyed during the Wars of Religion of the latter 1500's.

Here is a picture of Don with his prized purchase, in the background is a spectacular view of the countryside.

This is a picture of Notre-Dame des Doms, the smaller church beside the Palais des Papes.

The picture below is of the Palais des Papes, during the 1300's the papal court was in Avignon and remained there until 1377.

We also walked across the Pont d'Avignon and hummed along to sur la pont d'avignon! I got very windy at that point in the trip, and I thought I would get blown in the water! After our time in Avignon we went to Gordes and walked around the 16th century medieval city, here we experienced rain! It was a little slippery on those cobblestone streets.

We then ventured back to Palette for a leisurely evening and a steaming hot bowl of bouillabaisse with the seafood coming from Sete.

Au revoir,

Barb & Don

Today we ventured out to the area around Avignon and Chateauneuf du Pape. The country side is spectacular, with some of the harvest starting you can still see grapes hanging from the vines. The grape harvest for the region was officially started on September 7, 2008 and decreed in Avignon by a government official.

This picture here shows one of the side streets in Chateauneuf du Pape. It is a very quaint town with many wine caves wanting you to come and taste their product. If you stopped at every one you would never be able to get into your vehicle and drive away; they give very health pours!

This is the wine cave of Earl Boiron and where Don purchased a bottle of the best! Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 Reserve