🇫🇷 Southern France | Provence | Avignon (Part 2)

📍 Avignon In Avignon, time moves so slowly you can barely feel its passage. The midday sun beats down fiercely, leaving the narrow alleys nearly empty. Occasionally, you'll spot locals lounging in cafés or bakeries, lost in conversation. The squares are dotted with artisanal trinkets, while the ancient city walls—still punctured by gates for cars and pedestrians—encircle the old town like a protective embrace. Tiny theaters hide around corners, their melodies drifting into the streets. This city is calm, unhurried, unbothered by fading paint or crumbling stones. The Rhône River splits in two, cutting through a broken bridge and a quiet peninsula. You can eat gelato on the palace square to the sound of an accordion 🍦🎶, or wander the pebbled riverbanks, imagining the stories of the towers across the water. By day, the city naps; by night, it toasts to life. "Don’t waste a Southern French summer," the ochre walls seem to whisper. 🌟 Must-See Sights 🏰 Avignon City Walls Built in the 14th century when popes ruled from here (a UNESCO site since 1995). A 5km loop of stunning medieval fortifications—walk it if you have time! One of France’s last fully intact walled cities, with jaw-dropping views of the Rhône. 🌉 Pont Saint-Bénézet (The Broken Bridge) Famous from the French nursery rhyme: "Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse…" 🎵 A 12th-century bridge repeatedly shattered by floods—now romantically incomplete. Best view: From Rocher des Doms Park, not the bridge itself! 🌿 Rocher des Doms Park Enter via the path behind the Palais des Papes. Two viewpoints: One over the old and new towns, the other framing the broken bridge. Locals love it for sunny afternoon picnics 🌞🧺. ⛪ Notre-Dame des Doms Cathedral Avignon’s oldest religious building (rebuilt in the 12th century). A golden Virgin Mary statue glows atop its bell tower ✨. #Avignon #ProvenceMagic #FrenchSummer #Wanderlust