This morning we left our nice little hotel in Avignon, and rented a car for the day before catching another train to Nice (we're on that train now). Our first stop--after getting somewhat used to the crazy road system--was the small wine village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The above picture is of the ruined "summer home" of the Avignon popes of the 14th century. After a stroll through town, we got directions to a couple of vineyards for a little wine tasting. We inquired into the costs of shipping some back to the U.S., as the price here is much cheaper than home. Upon discovering it would be a mere $300 for shipping, we put that idea to rest, and bought a couple of bottles to enjoy later in the trip. The picture above is from the charming little vineyard of Mas de Boislauzon, makers of a great wine they call "Cuvee du Quet"--sorry I couldn't ship any back, Jeff ;).
We drove a bit further north for lunch in Orange, and then made a confused journey back south to see the Pont du Gard--a wonderfully preserved Roman aqueduct about 15 miles west of Avignon. It ended up being a very Griswald-esque stop (we spent about 15 minutes there), as we had a train to catch. In the rush, I forgot to take any photos with my phone, so I don't have any to post... Sorry, you'll need to wait until we return and post our pictures, or Google it if you're really curious.
We got back to Avignon with a few minutes to spare, gassed up the little go-cart-like (and fun to drive!) rental (only $22 for a little over 2 gallons), and made our way to the train station to catch the train we're now on. Our next stop is Nice for the night, and then Au Revoir to France, and Buon Giorno to Italy and Vernazza.
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