By Train and by Plane

Our last day in Provence and in France!

Our train was at 12noon so we just wandered around a bit around the area. We went to the cathedral, Notre Dame-des-Doms, which is next to the Pope's Palace. Architecturally, the main features of the church are the crucifix right in front, and the statue of Mary right on the top of the church, covered in gold. Set on top of a hill, the cathedral provides a good view of the square below, the rooftops of Avignon and of Villeneuf le Avignon across the river. Behind the church, the gardens. We did not explore there, however, but went inside the church itself.

In a little side chapel on the left of the church entrance, there was a mini-exhibition on the shroud of Turin - what must have been a life-size picture of the original, stretched across the altar. The "face" could be seen quite distinctly, as can be seen in this photo.

The church itself was a little sombre, but what I found interesting was the little "in memorium" plaques which were put up around the statues in the various side chapels of the church, of different dates, in different eras.

We left the church, did a spot of shopping and then went back to our B&B to pay the bill. Indeed, I was a little sad to leave this charming and restful little hotel, with the beams across its ceilings, its narrow staircases with the worn steps and the internal courtyards. I will miss the breakfasts too - the morning coffee and chocolate, the fluffy croissants and the cup of fruit.

It was going to be a long journey back to Singapore from Avignon. Because of the crowded trains, we left Avignon on an early train to connect to another train in Lyon. This resulted in us getting to the airport 7 hours before our flight (which was delayed another half an hour). But the train journey was fairly well used - we sorted out most of the accounts. At the airport itself, I did a little surfing, reading, and a fair amount of shopping. What we did not have very much of, was FOOD. The French pride in and passion for food stops at the airport. The main food court closes by 8pm (8PM!!!!) and there are only two small kiosks left, both pretty crowded. However they were at both ends of the terminal and I did not find them when I did my initial round. So, after a light baguette lunch, we had a light dinner. Sigh.

The flight home was not too bad. Because we checked in 7 hours early, we got our seats changed to the front row just next to the exit. That makes such a difference! Wonderful to stretch your legs! The other thing about Air France as opposed to SQ (and believe me, SQ is ahead in most other areas) is that there are more French movies. I'd watched "The Choir" on the way out, so this time round I watched "Two Days in Paris". This was written, directed, and starred Julie Delpy. It charted the deterioration of the relationship, between Delpy's character and her American boyfriend, on their way back to New York from Venice, via Paris. The plot is limited, and the emphasis clearly on the dialogue and the interaction between the characters. This is rather like "Before Sunset" and "Before Sunrise" which starred Delpy and Ethan Hawke, but whilst Sunset/Sunrise encapsulate the perfect brief encounter, "Two Days" in some way is its dark reflection. Some reviews here and here.

At last, our plane touched down. It was 6pm Singapore time, exactly 24 hours after we had left Avignon.

And so ends my visit to France, my first for many years. In particular, I enjoyed my visit to Provence, even though its legendary sunshine had temporarily deserted it. The charming little villages, the old towns and Roman ruins, the beautiful countryside make it a place I would definitely want to visit again.

Au Revoir!