Have you visited the Palais des Papes in Avignon?

Yes. It is fking amazing! I was 4 hrs in the Palais des Papes. It is fascinating. The downspouts are little pascal lambs instead of lions. Lol. Avignon is very cool. You can bike around the old walled city in lik 30 mins. Nimes and Pont du Gard are close. I rented a car and driver for the day and saw some of the best extant Roman architecture in the world!

The tomb room is super haunted tho...

Thanks.

Yes, OP. It's big. It's really, really big. Vast empty spaces.

Yes. Big and cold. Very pretty. I was in HS, what else to say?

The pic at OP is not great. And its amazing lit up at night. The plaza in front is lined with bistros. Very pleasant way to spend the day.

Excellent wine from that region, too!

Op here. It's almost the only one (at least on that grand scale) of the medieval gothic palaces left in Europe. The biggest: Buda Castle was destroyed, as were the Lateran and Westminster palaces. Others survive, like the Ile de la Cite and Prague Castle, but very much altered.

The funny thing is that it served, in it's final current form, as a Papal residence for only a couple of decades (50 years more if you count the Avignon Popes of the Westers Schism) and that is what probably saved it from destruction or alteration.

The Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery was based on the Palais des Papes.

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised by Avignon and the surrounding areas...wasn't expecting the Palais du Papes, which was great even though now it's more of a ruin than an actual Palace.

Yes, OP.

It IS fabulous and the surrounding area is beautiful. The Rhone is a pretty awesome river, too. I was surprised how fast and turbulent it can be. Like the Mississippi in places.

Great area to spend a vacation. I really enjoyed my time there

Yes, two years ago.

Very impressive. Avignon is a wonderful city.

Yes, it is worth visiting. While you're in the neighborhood, also visit Pont du Gard, a beautiful Roman aqueduct.

In Avignon all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils

I really liked Arles, which is nearby. Neat little city. Roman ruins galore.

And yes, Pont du Gard is a must-see. Simply incredible the engineering involved -- all without computers!

Finally, The Carmargue is great too -- Rhone River delta. Scores of pink flamingoes from Africa and white Camargue horses. So inspiring an area that Rolls-Royce named one of their car models after it.

[quote] Simply incredible the engineering involved -- all without computers!

It was aliens!

Yes, I've been. And yes, it is.

Plus Nimes, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, then on to Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Eze, and Monaco.

If I had to do it again, I would add Marseille.

I loved it and Avignon is a wonderful gateway to parts of France that a lot of tourists don't normally think of. Provence of course, but to the west there is Nîmes, Castelnaudary, and Montpelier.

I love the whole two competing Popes in Avignon and Rome history

[quote] Montpelier

Full of very aggressive street beggars. Is Avignon the same; if so, no thanks.

I spent 5 weeks in the region two years ago and am looking forward to (one day post COVID) going back. Great scenery, food, wine and history. The palace is huge and eerily beautiful.

I don't remember seeing one beggar in Avignon. Marseilles was interesting too. A bit rough but still felt safe during the day and in tourist areas.

The museum is very well done. Lots of artifacts on display and yes some giant empty rooms. You can get a headset for companion audio tour.

Sorry Op, I needed a better picture. The place looks very bland but vast. I'd love to check it out in 2022.

Op here. The picture I posted was to compare the size of the building with humans, hence the close shot.

R21 France does have its troubles, aggressive street begging certainly being one of the more noticeable ones. It has been a long time so I can’t say if Avignon now suffers from it as well.

*Montpellier

Montpelhièr es una comuna occitana de Lengadòc, situada administrativament dins lo departament Erau e la region Occitània.

We hold our annual Datalounge gala there every year.

Carcassonne is fabulous as well, OP. The train ride from Carcassonne to Avignon was gorgeous.

The old city is just as it was during the Inquisition.

That region of France was the highlight of my vacation many years ago.

Is Nice nice?

Putting in a word here for Béziers and its spectacularly monocular cathedral on a cliff above the river.

I been to Paris Las Vegas.

No, but I sure do like calling on Los Papis de las Palestras. :j

The Avignon Papacy, when it was established in 1309, bordered the Kingdom of France, and was in the sphere of influence with the Holy Roman Empire.

By 1378, the beginning of the Western Schism, Avignon was entirely within France and under the influence of the French kings.

R36's map is a salad. England was never part of the Empire.

R37, the map doesn't say England was part of the Empire. Read the map key.