Avignon After Dark

We had a bit of time between the end of the wine tour and our train back to Aix-en-Provence.  We took some time to explore the Avignon Christmas Market.

Yum! Macarons!

The market also featured a vendor selling some gorgeous teas.

I liked the lights strung out above the market like a web of stars.

We stopped in the town hall to see the nativity scene complete with copious amounts of santons.

 

We strolled the winding streets of Avignon bathed in street lights.

The Palais des Papes soon came into view.  The pope was relocated here in the 1300s when unrest and chaos approached Rome.

We continued toward the river and the ruined old bridge spanning it.

The bridge itself crumbles about halfway across.

We walked back inside the Avignon town walls.

I liked the jaunty painted windows on the side of the town hall.

We decided to grab a bite to eat closer to the bus stop to facilitate our return to Aix-en-Provence.  We stopped into Taverne de Maître Kanter.  After dark, this stretch along Cours Jean Jaurès seemed a little rough.  There were quite a few vagrants with tough looking dogs hanging out along the road.  We never felt threatened but I wouldn't recommend walking here alone at night.

We opted for a seafood platter and a very thin flatbread pizza.

Greens and bread rounded out the meal.

We had a bit more time to kill before our bus so we indulged in some sorbet covered with fresh whipped cream.

We boarded the bus and then the high speed train at the TGV station to return to Aix-en-Provence after a long and rewarding day in and around Avignon.