Avignon and around

Avignon became an important city because the popes moved there from Rome for 100 years during the 1300s.  They built a very big palace and the bishops and cardinals also built big houses.

This is the grand palace of the popes.

Avignon is very busy at this time of the year because they have a big festival with lots of different plays and shows;  so the town was very busy.

Even Snow White was there.

Another famous thing at Avignon is its bridge.  There is a French nursery rhyme that goes: "On the bridge at Avignon everyone dances all around", so we did.

Another day we had a very colourful day in the area near Avignon.

The first town that we saw, called Gordes, was all made of grey stone and it looked like the whole town was tumbling down the hill.

Then we went and saw the lavender that is a beautiful blue colour.  They grow a lot of it in this area for making perfume.  It smelt wonderful!

Then we went to the town called Roussillon where they mine bright red and yellow soil to produce ochre for making dyes and paints.