Bonjour from Avignon, France!  It’s hard to believe that on Tuesday I hopped on a plane at O’Hare and nine hours later found myself landing in Paris.  About five hours later, a series of trains and shuttles got us into the heart of Avignon, down in the south of France.  And can I just say for just a moment how amazing it all is?  Oh, I can?  Okay.  It’s AMAZING!  As I sit here in my hotel, I can’t get over how great this all is.  

But, as usual, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s talk about our group of world travelers and GLS 177 – A Journey Through the History of France, the class they are taking.  All in all there are 20 of us on this trip: Professor Norval Bard, our fearless leader, me, the intrepid staff assistant, seventeen female students (of which five are transfer students), and one male student.  The class and corresponding trip takes place of the the entire December Term – December 1st  through the 19th.  The first day was a pre-flight meeting, and then on Tuesday we were off!  The first stop in our three city tour is Avignon, which is in Provence deep in the south of France (Google it if you are as bad at geography as I am).  Most of Provence was settled by the Roman empire (that’s OLD, people), and so they area is a vibrant mix between a Mediterranean and French style (if that makes sense).  Clay tiled roofs, shutters, and pastel buildings abound.  Avignon itself though, is stunning:  you may have heard the famous song “Sur la Pont d’Avignon,” and are familiar with the famous bridge. (Yes, I went to the bridge, yes I danced; however, due to my bad dancing that picture will never see the light of day and has been condemned to the bastille.)  

But my personal favorite in Avignon is the Palais des Papes, or the Palace of the Popes.  For a period of 70 years in the 14th century, Avignon was the home of the Pope, and as a result, the Palais remains a beautiful site and reminder of this time.  Here’s a picture of our lovely group: 

I wish I could show you pictures from inside this amazing place, however, my mother always taught me to be respectful of both my elders and of historical monuments, and so I’m sorry to say that I’ll have to keep the memories to myself, and instead invite you to visit this building one day.  

This region is known for lavender, and so it is not surprising to walk into a store and be overcome by the smell of it. I happen to love the smell of lavender, so this is a very good thing.  Also, during the holiday season towns throughout France and Europe set up Christmas Markets, making the city center of Avignon completely unforgettable.  As is the case in Avignon and Tours, we are using the cities as sort of a home based for a lot of our day trips. While in Avignon, we’ve taken day trips to the Pont du Gard, an unbelievable exposed section of an aqueduct from 100 AD (that’s SUPER OLD, people), and taken trips to Arles, one of the first cities to be colonized by the Romans (Just FYI, the arena in Arles is still used today for bullfighting, but in Roman times people would fight other animals, specifically bears.  That’s right, BEARS.  Stephen Colbert would be proud.)  

The students are having so much fun, and our hotel staff is very nice.  I do not speak French, and the front desk guys doesn’t speak much English, but we still managed to have a fun conversation about Jason Mraz and talk about other American musicians too.  

Well, tomorrow we are traveling for a full day to Tours, which is about two and a half hours outside of Paris.  So, on to the trains, and au revoir (for now!) – Megan

 (Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors, by the way.  Remember, I’m in France. Merci.)