April 17, 2026

We arrived in Avignon last night and got up this morning to an absolutely beautiful day. Our tour today is a walking tour including the Palace of the Popes. Our guide was Mylene.

There were some optional tours, including biking (there were several of these over the two weeks), cooking class, kayaking, a trip to Collector’s Island in the afternoon and the Pont du Gard Roman Aqueduct. Lots to choose from.

Avignon is an ancient city filled with history, art, markets and lively streets. Inside the fortified walls, you can wander forever through the UNESCO listed sites – much of them related to the 14th century role as the capital of Christendom. Nine popes lived here between 1305 and 1429 – most notably Benedict XII and Clement VI, shaping the city’s identity as the city of the Popes and leaving behind the grand monuments that we see today. The city didn’t officially join France until 1791! Mylene told us lots of the history of the city.

When you look at these old buildings, it is hard to imagine the work that it took to build them. Many took decades or even centuries to complete.

The rooms are empty – you have to imagine how it might have looked. In some of the rooms with painted walls, visitors are not allowed to take pictures. I took them where I could.

We did walk all the way to the top and the views were worth it.

Next we went to the covered market which has everything including produce, seafood, lavender goods and Provençal textiles. I love markets. It is immaculate!

After our farewell Gala dinner (the night before our last night) we were entertained by a wonderful flamenco group called Los Chiquitans. The instrumentalists and the dancers were all terrific.

Tomorrow we will spend the day in Arles, then pack to leave the ship on Sunday and head to Marseille.