Avignon, City of the Popes and Hospitals

Wednesday 4^th May – Avignon, City of the Popes

Jens is a little better this morning so we bid him adieu and took a short walk down to the Rhone. It is a bright sunny day but the wind is still howling. There is a free boat shuttle that operates from Barthelasse Island where we are staying to the promenade beneath the city walls. After navigating our way through the narrow streets we emerged into a large square, the Place Du Palais.  Adjacent to the square was the imposing Palace of the Popes. It is the largest Gothic Palace and was home to the Sovereign Pontiffs in the 14^th century. The tour was one of the more enjoyable ones so far on this trip. The crowds were low so we could take our time and get a good feel for all of the 25 rooms including the chapel, cloister, ceremonial rooms and private papal apartments with faded but priceless frescoes. We finished the tour with a trip up to one of the castle towers which gave us a great view of the old city of Avignon.

The tummies were rumbling so we took lunch at one of the many restaurants that cling to the edge of the rectangular Place De L’Morloge. The mixed grill and omelets were just what we needed to fuel us for the remainder of the afternoon. We took a good ramble around the pedestrian only cobblestoned alleys and saw plenty of old churches. There were also plenty of restaurants doing a reasonable trade. The more busy streets were lined with high end fashion stores such as Zara, Jennyfer and Hermes. Lilian decided she had seen enough and went back to Barthelasse Island to spend time with Jens.

Alice and I climbed a few steps and visited the Cathedral adjacent to the palace. The frescoes on the roof were great but the stained glass windows were outstanding works of craftsmanship. Afterwards we continued our upward journey to the highest point of the old city, the Rocher Des Doms. I have no idea what the translation means but it is a beautiful garden that was commissioned by one of the popes. It is a tranquil location and there are of course great views looking out over the Rhone Valley.

One of the last sights we visited for the day was the Pont Saint-Benezet which is a major part of Avignon history. The bridge was built in the 13^th century and has been damaged several times by floods of the Rhone River. It was rebuilt several times up to the 17^th century. The stone bridge still continues to stand the test of time by jutting out halfway into the fast flowing Rhone. About a third of the way out there is a small chapel that you can visit. After our tour we decided to take a punt and try a river cruise on one of the grand boats of Provence. We had no idea where they departed from so we headed off in the direction where some river-cruise boats were tethered to the bank. It turned out to be a good choice as all the boats depart from Allees De L’oulle. We made it just in time to catch the 4:15pm departure (9euro) for a one hour outing. On another boat a disco cruise was just finishing. The empty wine bottles on the table and tired looking septuagenarians who could not get up and dance to the strains of Patrick Hernandez belting out “Born To Be Alive” was testament to a great afternoon out. We on the other hand boarded our slightly older vessel and headed up river to the accompanying smell of diesel fumes that were soon carried away on the back of the wind. Our cruise took us past the base of Pont Saint-Benezet and the Rocher des Doms gardens before heading downstream to Fort Saint-Andre and Philip the Fair’s Tower. The English audio guide which was free gives you some good information about the river and the sights. It was a great little detour but we were slightly envious of those souls who were ensconced aboard those luxurious riverboats. We caught one of the last ferries back to the island and rejoined Jens and Lilian.

Thursday 5^th May- Blazing Sirens

It is another beautiful day but not unfortunately for Jens. He had a bad night and this morning he is having even more difficulty breathing. It is impossible for him to even manage a few steps without gasping for air. We have made a decision to try and get a doctor to visit him at the camper. I went off to reception to try and organize some help for him. Even with the language issues I was able to convey the seriousness of the issue. The staff were very understanding and contacted a doctor (I think). With sign language and the help of the female manager we figured out that the doctor needed to ask Jens some questions rather than getting it secondhand through me. The manager came with me to the camper and acted as a translator between Jens and the doctor. The conclusion was that an ambulance would be called to transport him to the hospital. Fifteen minutes later the manager was guiding the ambulance to the camper and once again assisted with translation. I have to say that without her help we would have been up the creek. The three strapping para-medics took one look at him and could see that he was not well. After strapping him in a wheelchair they carried him to the ambulance. I accompanied him and with sirens blaring we headed off through the streets of Avignon to the hospital. Fifteen minutes later Jens was wheeled into emergency and I was wheeled into the waiting room.

Around 11:00am I was able to speak to a male nurse who had some English. He told me that Jens was on oxygen with medicine and it would be about 4 hours before I could see him. I decided to work out the public transport from the hospital and take a trip into the old town for lunch. When I found the bus stop I figured out that I could catch the route 2 and 6 from the hospital for the princely sum of 1.30euro.  I was a bit lucky as a number 2 bus turned up unexpectedly. Would you believe it today is a public holiday celebrating the end of World War 2 and of course the route 6 isn’t operating and route 2 is on a 50 minute headway. The driver was very helpful and pointed out where to get off and catch a return bus. Given the limited headway I took the precaution of checking the timetable for the bus back to the hospital.

I wandered around the old town for a bit hoping that I might run into Alice and Lilian. No luck with that but I suspect that we crossed paths a few times. I ended up settling on a restaurant in a square lined with trees and restaurant tables. The salad and white wine was just what I needed after such a hectic morning. I was just finishing off my wine when I felt something wet on my head. When I touched it my fingers came away painted white and green with pigeon poo. I looked up and there perched on a light pole was the rear end of a large grey pigeon whom I could swear was cooing with delight. As I finished wiping the mess from my balding scalp I could see some couples at another table grinning in my direction. It also brought a smile to my face for the first time today.

I caught the bus back to the hospital and was eventually allowed in to see Jens just before 4:00pm. He was sitting up in bed hooked up to oxygen and a drip, looking a lot better than this morning. After storing his clothes, setting up his phone and chatting for a bit it was time to catch the 5:10pm bus back to the City. It is about a twenty minute walk across the old town to the ferry and I made it in plenty of time before the last departure at 6:15pm.

After such a hectic day we decided to have a meal at the camping ground restaurant. The waitress had a bubbly personality and made up for the short comings of the meal.

Friday 6^th May – Visiting Hours

Jens is a new man now that he has access to his mobile phone. Lilian has been bombarded with requests and instructions and as a result I have a full backpack of goodies to deliver. Just before we left he advised us that he had been moved to another room. What room, I guess we will try and figure that out when we arrive.

It isn’t public holiday today so there are plenty of trips on the two routes travelling to the hospital. We arrived just after midday and alas the reception counter was unattended. Lilian found a ticket machine and after a couple of minutes we were called to a counter. The gentleman who attended me was kind but unable to understand English so he asked one of his female colleagues to help. After a few minutes she was able to give us Jens’ new room. When we got there he was with his doctor having a consultation. I was allowed in as I had his bag which was full of his medicine. This was handed to the doctor who must have gotten writer’s cramp as she catalogued his prescription medicine. After the doctor left we all sat around his bed and discussed his health and general business. He is still on oxygen and now has a drip feeding him penicillin. On Monday he is scheduled for a chest scan so that means that Lilian will have to take the TGV train to Paris. After annoying Jens for a couple of hours we left him to his own devices.

Back in the old town of Avignon prior to taking a late lunch in the main square I managed to purchase Lilian a train ticket (90euro) on the TGV from Avignon to Charles De Gaulle airport. Given the time of day there were not many tourists in the restaurants. We chose one that had a reasonable menu and were soon scoffing down a very good salad and some pasta. Our campervan supplies are running low and luckily Alice spotted a supermarket that was cleverly hidden next to a McDonalds. When we descended into the store we were hit with a blast of cold air. The air-conditioning was set at a temperature to make an Eskimo shiver or to get you out of the store quickly. In our case that is what happened, Lilian and Alice motored around the aisles in record time. Time was marching on and by the time we had caught the ferry it was nearly 6:00pm.

After the late lunch all we needed was a light meal and a glass of wine. Lilian whipped up some Bruschettas which we complemented with a couple of cheeses.

Saturday 7^th May – Wine and Culture Tour

I bid the girls farewell just before lunch as I am off to visit Jens for the afternoon. They are off on a wine appreciation tour and a trip through the countryside to Orange in the heart of Provence. They visited a large Imperial Roman Theatre, built in the first century under the reign of Augustus. The amphitheatre is still used for performances. Beside the theatre there is also the magnificent ruins of a temple where Romans used to worship their Emperor. Their trip was rounded off with a visit to a chocolate factory. Judging by the bag full of chocolate treats that Alice brought back, I would have to say that they enjoyed it.

My trip to the hospital is getting to be straight forward as there are plenty of buses on a Saturday. Jens is looking a lot better but he is very tired. It isn’t from his illness but from a patient in the next bed who would be your worst nightmare in a public hospital. Apparently he screamed for most of the night and kept the nurses on their toes. Jens thinks he managed about three hours sleep. The only problem is that he has slept most of the morning. Whilst I was there I witnessed about three episodes where he started yelling for people like his Mama. Good luck tonight, Jens! We chatted for a while but Jens lost concentration when he was given authority for internet usage. Only problem was that he could not decipher the internet code. It was eventually solved when we got a doctor to translate the document. In the end all Jens had to do was send me down to reception and they would give me the codes. By 2:15pm Jens was surfing the net and looking like he had just had a fix of cocaine, a very happy patient. I stayed for a couple of more hours before catching the route 6 back to the old town.

I picked up some supplies, including beer, for dinner tonight. With a heavy backpack I decide to visit the Petit Palais Museum. Due to the lateness of the day there were only a couple of people in the museum. In fact there were more staff than visitors.  The museum has an outstanding collection of Italian and Provencal paintings from the late 13^th to the early 16^th centuries. As you move through the various rooms you can see the style of the paintings subtly evolving. The major theme is of course religion and Mary with her Infant takes centre stage. In the early rooms there is a good collection of Romanesque and Gothic Avignon sculptures.

I just missed the ferry and was the last one allowed on when it returned for another crossing. Alice and Lilian returned from their tour around 6:30pm. I was in charge of dinner tonight so the Webber was dragged out, hamburgers with roasted vegetables was the Chef’s choice.

Sunday 8^th May – Pont du Gard

This morning we have decided to start the camper up and take a 25 km drive to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of Pont du Gard. I had a rough idea which way we had to travel but I trusted the GPS to do the job for me. Instead of taking me on the faster highway route it saved me a few hundred metres by taking me through the suburbs that had more speed bumps than a street that has been traffic calmed by the Brisbane City Council. Eventually we pulled into the parking lot (18euro for a car and five passengers) and took the short 400 metre walk to view this three tiered aqueduct. It was once part of a 50km-long system of water channels and built around 50AD to transport water from Uzes to Nimes. The engineering is audacious and the scale huge: 48.8m high, 275m long and graced with 35 precision-cut arches. Each block was carved by hand and transported here from nearby quarries and some of the largest blocks weigh over 5 tonnes – no mean feat. The river which the bridge crosses is crystal clear and ideal for swimming in the summer months. We took a walk over the bridge to get a feel for the scale of it and then took a walking trail that winds upstream. It takes you through typically Mediterranean scrubland and offers some of the beat bridge views. There was also a 50 metre long tunnel that had been hewn by hand through the mountain.

Back behind the wheel again and we set the GPS to take us to the Avignon TGV station and then the hospital. This was a trial run so we knew what to expect when we drop Lilian off. For once everything went smoothly. Jens had been moved to another room just after midnight as his bed mate was playing up again. He had been given a few sleeping tablets but they only slowed him down temporarily. From what Jens said it was a hectic few hours. He is looking good but it is still too early to tell if he has shaken off what is ailing him. Around 3:00pm the nurses moved him to another room where he gets the prime position next to a window that has a decent view of a park. Jens has nothing but compliments for the professionalism and kindness of the nurses and doctors.

We eventually left and headed down to the car-park for the short trip back to the camping ground. The GPS took a route that looked dubious to me but I followed it until we reached the city walls. When it told me to turn right into the old city I ignored the so and so as I knew what that honeycomb of narrow lanes would do to the auto-camper. It kept trying to turn me into the City and I kept on ignoring it. By sticking to my guns I eventually found a bridge that would take us onto Barthelasse Island and the camping ground.

It looks like II am in charge of preparing dinner so the Masterchef is whipping up a signature dish, Spaghetti Bolognaise. Just before dinner we received the first sprinkles of rain that has been predicted for the next couple of days. The meal of course was delicious.

Monday 9^th May – Nimes

As predicted the weather today is overcast with intermittent showers. Nevertheless we thought a trip to Nimes which is 55km south would be worth the effort. We set off a little after 10:00 and by ignoring the Nav B… made very good time to Remoulains before diverting off to Nimes. On the outskirts of this rather large City I keyed in the Costieres Stadium which is supposed to be good for Campervan Parking. There is also a trambus (about the size of an articulated bus) that we can catch right to the Roman Arena. Only problem with this idea is that most of the parking was taken up by a large market and the only area had a high boom gate which was okay for cars but would have taken the roof off the camper. I ended up mounting the footpath and executed a pretty reasonable ‘U’ turn. We had to continue down the road to find a roundabout to head back out again. There was a roundabout however there was a large shopping centre on the right so I parked up on a clear piece of bitumen whilst the girls attacked the shopping centre. 

Eventually they emerged with a trolley full of goodies which included a carton of Heineken beer. One thing about the beer over here is that it is generally sold in a 250ml bottle. It would be interesting to know the reasoning behind this. Anyhow it is past lunch but we don’t want to have it in this particular car park as the spaces are filling up quickly. There is no time left to visit the Roman Arena so we hit the road and headed towards Avignon. About 10km out of Nimes we found a good spot to pull over for lunch. After a bite to eat we hit the road again and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of other campers pulled over for lunch.

When we reached the hospital I thought like Sunday that there would be plenty of options for parking. No way, it was like trying to get a park at Garden City to buy your Christmas presents. Given our size I didn’t even try to hang around the lot in the hope of snagging a spot. I dropped the girls off and headed up the road to look for a quiet spot. I found it on the edge of a cycle-way, outside the auspicious doors of a crematorium. At 4:00 I picked up the girls who gave an update on Jens. He is now off the oxygen but is still taking soluble penicillin that he says tastes like sh… His chest x-ray is now scheduled for tomorrow afternoon so we don’t expect him to be released for at least a few more days.

I decided to try a new tactic with the GPS and entered a furphy address to get me to the bridge which will give us easy access to the campground. In the end I ignored most of the directions and had a hassle free trip back. Dinner tonight was grilled asparagus, potato and pork schnitzel with a béarnaise sauce. The food was excellent however the girls turned their noses up at the sauce.