15th October, 2019 Visit to Avignon and walk and then tour of Pope's Palace and afternoon visit to Pont du Gard.

We returned to Avignon with a sense of excitement as to the forthcoming exclusive guided tour of the spectacular Pope’s Palace.

Following Breakfsat we departed the Viking Buri and we were split into small groups and boarded buses and were taken the short distance to the entrance of the walled city of Avignon. Jeanette and Ken found our earlier visit and couple of days in Avignon prior to the start of the River cruise to be of considerable benefit, because we had walked the town, visited the square and are surrounding the Pope’s Palace.

But let me start by providing a short history of the area.

Avignon is a beautiful and charming city in South eastern France. It is perhaps best known as the home to one of the most important buildings in Europe, the Gothic Palace of the Popes, home to 7 Popes during the 14th Century.

In 1995 Avignon’s historic Centre comprising the Palace of the Popes, The Pont d’Avignon and Episcopal Emsemble was names a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.. In 2000 Avignon was named as one 2000’s European Capitals of Culture.. We enjoyed the opportunity to to explore this Provincial Jewel, where beautiful elegant town houses sit alongside artisons’ quarters and rocks rise to parkland affording fine views over the world’s most famous 1/5th of a bridge, the Rhone Rivers turbulence swept away most of the Pont d’ Avignon centuries ago..

We enjoyed eating and enjoying coffee at Grand Cafe; L’Opera Cafe and L’Epicure a cozy French restaurant close to St Pierre Church.

We visited several Museums being the Musee du Petit Palais, Place de l’Hortloge ( the city square) , Le Musee Calvert

We should comment that The Avignon Cathedral which predates the arrival of Catholicism Papacy by more then 200 years , was dwarfed by its neighbour The Palace of the Popes. But in 1854 , centuries following the return of the after the papacy to Rome, the Vatican called for a gilded statue of Mary to be placed atop the cathedral. It is no accident that she stands taller than the Palace, as if to right a 14th century indiscretion. Our visit here is one of the highlights of our holiday.

We returned to the ship tired but overjoyed, then following a superb buffet lunch including pasta and salad, we had an afternoon optional paid excursion to the famed Pont du Gard, the amazing 3 tier Roman Aquaduct. This is an outstanding engineering achievement. I am delighted to provide some brief details gained from our guide and from the wonderful museum.

In ancient times the Pont du Gard was designed to carry water across the small Gordon river valley to allow the Aquaduct of Nimes which is almost 50km long to cross the Gard River. It acted as a major water supply for the people of Nimes and was a very important aspect of day to day life, due to their constant reliance upon it for water.

The Aquaduct was utilised for water transportation for nearly 300 years before its maintenance was neglected.

The Pont du Gard symbolised Roman ingenuity and posed as a representation of the architectural culture of the Romans. The Arch was the building technique that was used in many Roman structure, including the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. “in designing this 3 story bridge, which measures 360 (metres) at its longest point…… the Roman Architects and hydraulic engineers created a technical masterpiece that stands today as a work of art, and the highest Aquaduct bridge known from the Roman Empire.. In these ways the Romans proved their architectural expertise.

Furthermore, the Aquaduct serves as a large tourist destination today in France.. In one year the Aquaduct attracts 1.2 million visitors.and is the second most visited provincial monument after Mont Saint Michel, an island commune in Normandy, France. The Pont du Gard and many Roman arched structures have also influenced the construction of many modern structures such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri and various bridges across the world.

All in all the Pont du Gard Aquaduct has been an important construction to both ancient civilisations as a key water supply and people of modern times as a tourist destination and inspiration for architectural structures.

It is indeed a wonderful structure inspiring to the generations. We had a wonderful time.