Popes & Panacotta

Our Correspondent today is Connor Burgess:

We began the fifth day of our trip with a long bus ride to Avignon. The town of Avignon is steeped with history and there was much to learn there. Avignon is the city where the Papacy temporally moved during the Great Papal Schism. The Great Papal Schism was an era of turmoil within the Catholic Church. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the decision to move the papacy to Avignon, along with much corruption. The Popes were living lavishly and were not leading holy lives. We were provided with audio guides and took our time touring the palaces. The Papal Palaces bore a resemblance of a luxurious chateau rather than a place where the Pope should reside. We took our time wandering the high ceilinged rooms and lavish sleeping quarters. There was also a tasteful modern art gallery that was placed in the heart of the Papal Palaces. The sculptures, paintings, and other art forms adorned the walls and floors of the great halls. In front of the Papal Palaces, there were a few tents that sold paintings, jewelry, and small antiques.

It can be said that the Popes were held captive in Avignon, both physically as well as politically. Pope Clement V made the initial decision to move the Papacy to Avignon from Rome. Pope Gregory XI was the Pope who moved the Papacy back to Rome after nine other Popes resided in the Papal Palace in Avignon.  We were given about one and a half hours for exploration time throughout the Papal Palace.  The audio guides provided insight into the rich history of the palaces.  After the hour and a half tour we spent in the Papal Palaces, we were given time to explore Avignon. Everybody split up into smaller groups and we had lunch on our own. There was a multitude of restaurants to choose from  and we all went to different places. Before we headed back to the hotel, we saw some Asian tourists who were dressed in traditional medieval clothes (check back later for a photo update). After we took photos we boarded the bus, and headed back to Nimes.

Later in the day, after we arrived back in Nimes, the group visited many historical sights after a short break at the hotel. The first sight we went to visit was the amphitheater. Tall pillars and elongated arches encircled the building. Today the amphitheater is used for bull fights. In addition, many famous artists still come to perform on a regular basis. We had the opportunity to sit atop the amphitheater and explore what it had to offer. Another building we went to see was a classic Roman Temple. It was one of the most well preserved Roman temples in the world. It was built almost 1900 years ago and it was beautiful, though disconcerting because animal sacrifices took place there. Tall pillars lined the front entrance of the building. Though, the outside was far more beautiful than the inside; the inside was just a simple room. But overall, the sights we saw today were beautiful.

After resting at the hotel after we were done sightseeing, we got dressed and went to the church next door for mass. It was a very old church and hot beyond belief. It was fascinating to sit in on a Mass that was spoken only in French.  But, because of the universal nature of the Mass it was easy to follow the ritual. After Mass, we were set to go to dinner. The dinner was quite delicious. For a starter, we could choose from a salad with eggplant or a mellon salad with prosciutto. For an entree, we could choose a salmon filet with rice or a sun dried tomato chicken skewer with ratatouille. For dessert we had an option between a chocolate lava cake or Panacotta. Following dinner, we journeyed back to the hotel for the remainder of the evening.