An Avignon Surprendre

 

Date:  Saturday - September 24, 2022

Trains:  From Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseille to Avignon via three trains.  

Travel Time:  4.5 hours

Avignon Airbnb:  6 Rue Lafare, Avignon, France

     Margery and I pulled our luggage about four blocks on a gray, chilly and rainy morning to the nearest bus stop in Cagnes-sur-Mer which would take us to the small local train station.  But, en route, we absolutely had to stop at our favorite neighborhood boulangerie to buy the most delicious buttery croissants as was our daily breakfast routine. 

1:13 pm - Took the local bus No. 9 to the Train Station in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

Ticket: $1.35.  

     Rain poured as we sat on icy cold metal seats at an outdoor train platform waiting for the SNCF Regional train to Marseille.  

Ticket: $36

Travel time: 3 hours   

     

                    

4:02 pm - Arrived at Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles.  Changed trains for our final destination:  Avignon.

4:18 pm - Departed Gare de Marseille on a completely full, high speed TGV train, Carriage 18, Seats 845/846.  TGV - 'Tran a grande vitesso' - French for "high speed train" used in France. 

TGVs travel up to 199 mph!  

Train ticket:  $11.24  

Travel time:  34 minutes 

Distance:  52 miles  

     The number of travelers waiting for the TGV at the stately old Marseille station was overwhelming.  Everyone standing in small groups.  All eyes looking up at the train boards overhead.  

     Literally wall-to-wall people.  Reminded me of a 'rock concert' with everyone standing shoulder-to-shoulder, but without the band or good music.  But, it definitely had the distinct body odors and decibel level.  

     Finally, the overhead board lit up with the platform number for our departing train.  There was a huge surge of bodies all moving en masse to the platform entrance.  All TGV tickets were scanned by conductors with a handheld device.  

     This was unusual because only about 50% of our train tickets had been scanned by conductors during our travels and only on the train as we were en route.  But the TGV is an expensive train on which to travel, hence the ticket validation.   

  The conductor turned us away because we had not had our tickets validated. Yikes, we simply cannot miss this train! We very quickly retraced our steps to the ticket counter where our tickets were officially scanned/validated. Back into the throng of passengers. This time, our tickets passed the scanning device.

An ear splitting train whistle blew as we raced to find our carriage and seats. There must have been about 25 carriages on this long train. Found it... Sometimes, you just don't know how the system works.   

 

4:48 pm - Arrived in Avignon at the new, ultra modern train station.  We met up with our Airbnb host, Claire.  She had volunteered to pick us up and drive the 20 minutes into the walled city of Avignon to her apartment.  We were so impressed by this generous gesture.  Well, that would be short lived. 

     So, during the car ride into Avignon, Margery and I learned that there was no WiFi at her Airbnb!  Quite frankly, I was puzzled by this conversation and new information.  I didn't think that I had heard her correctly.  

  

  

     Really, how can you rent an Airbnb to international travelers without WiFi?  It just didn't seem very likely.  

     And, who in the world would rent an Airbnb without the Internet?  Certainly not us.  We're seasoned travelers, right?  But, apparently we had done just that!

      

     Margery and I looked at one another with shock and true alarm.  How did we miss this critically important piece of information when we rented her Airbnb?  This had never happened to us before. 

     

     WiFi is typically just a basic amenity when you rent an Airbnb.  You usually don't need to search through the entire list of amenities for this.  Call me confused and annoyed.     

     We started asking Claire questions about her Airbnb.  She told us that we should have read this information online when we booked her apartment.  She quite adamantly said that it was in the Airbnb website description that there was NO WiFI - NO Internet.  We should have known.   

     So, after the initial shock, we began to ask questions about where we might find WiFi and Internet in Avignon.  But this request fell on deaf ears.  

     She clearly had no idea where we could find an Internet Cafe.  Again, that was hard to believe.  Doesn't she rent to guests who most likely have never been to Avignon?  She really didn't care.

     We tried another tactic.  I asked Claire if she knew where the Tourist Office was located.  Again, she had no idea.  I said that I assumed the Tourist Office would have Internet, but she could not offer a street address or a general location.  

    

     It was hard to believe that she didn't know where the Tourist Office was nor did she care.  She basically said that we could just find it on our own.  How could she not know this important information?  

     Last question, I asked Claire if she had a map of Avignon for us.  Nope!  She did not have a single map for us to share.  Do you think she cared?  

     Now, mind you this wasn't our 'First Rodeo'.  We had been renting Airbnbs for years.  Most hosts collect and offer lots of interesting town maps, restaurant suggestions, shopping locations, good streets for tourists and much more. 

     But, not Claire.  She clearly did not care.  

 

Not only no WiFi, but a very antiquated building with our apartment on the 4th floor.  Remember, there are very few buildings within the walled city with elevators!  Also, a flight of stairs in these old places are double the steps. 

You walk up about 12 stairs, then there is a large landing.  Turn to the right, walk across the landing, and turn right again to go up the next flight of steps where you arrive on the next floor.  This continues…  Whew…

     Also, the 1st floor in Europe is the 'Ground Floor' with the entrance to the building, mailboxes, etc.  Therefore, the 4th floor in Europe is actually the 5th floor in the USA. 

     I loved the architecture in the medieval walled city of Avignon on the Rhone River, especially the Gothic style of the Papal Palace.  However, it was difficult to walk on the cobblestone streets.  It was also challenging to find our way through the narrow streets with small street signs only on the building walls. 

     In spite of the WiFi fiasco, our stay in Avignon was incredible!  Our apartment was only a few blocks from the Papal Palace, cafes, restaurants, boulangeries, patisseries, wine bars, ancient churches, and my favorite place - the Carousel in the town centre.  

       We did find an elegant hotel close to our apartment the first evening where we used their Internet.  The front desk staff allowed us to sit in their lobby and gave us their Internet password.

     So, we were able to connect for about 10 minutes the first night.  

     Avignon was brimming with travelers from all over the world who were speaking many different languages.  

     The weather was perfect and we had Internet for about 30 minutes daily at the Tourist Office.  Life was good!  

     We took several day trips on trains and buses.  We explored the quaint, small town of Giverny to visit Claude Monet's gardens, home, studio, paintings, in addition to his extensive, exquisite lily ponds which he began to create in 1890.

     Monet and his partner, Alice Hoschede, raised eight children at the two-story home in Giverny.   

     He continued to work on the magnificent gardens which he had always wanted to paint.  Monet spent 43 years at his idyllic Giverny residence (1883 - 1926).

   

     I absolutely fell in love with the hill towns of the Luberon region of Provence including the village of Rousillon with the astonishing ochre cliffs.  Officially, one of the most beautiful towns in France.  Lavender fields everywhere.  

     Rousillon was unique also due to a complete absence of modern development.  It was as though time had stood still as we walked the small town and enjoyed the old, beautifully painted buildings.

    

      This small out of the way village was one of the highlights of my trip, second only to Saint-Paul-de-Vence which is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azure region of southwest France.  

     Gordes, another regional town, was also most interesting.  They hosted an enormous outdoor market selling small bags of lavender, burlap bags of spices, local cheeses, homemade bread, olive oil, honey, handmade soap, clothing, art works and much more.  

     Be still my heart!  I must return another day.  After all, I am 50% French!  

     My maternal Grandparents were both born in France and came to the United States as small children.  They lived only a block from my childhood home.  French, of course, was their first language.  

     Therefore, it made sense that they only spoke French to each other when we visited.  But, they did speak English with us.  I only wish that I had known them better and had learned to speak French with them. 

     Of course, I never pass up an opportunity to ride a carousel.  I love the  music, rhythmic motion, and the beauty of the hand carved horses and carts which are truly works of art.  

     I felt like a little girl again as I rode this spectacular two-tiered beauty - Carousel Bell Epoque merry-go-round in the center of the historic city square!  Quite the adventure and only 2.5 Euros!    

  

     When in France...  I completed my sensory experience with a glass of wine and a great memory!     

     Well, traveling is always an adventure, right?  So, I simply had to write a poem about this crazy experience with Claire, our Airbnb host.  I hope that you enjoy reading it!

'Claire Didn't Care'

Arrived in Avignon at the Gare,

Picked up by our host, Claire.

So excited to be arriving there,

Me and my friend, Margery Sinclair.

Conversation began between the pair,

That is Ms. Sinclair and Claire.

I overheard that Internet would not be there,

I asked Claire, Internet is not where?

This thought gave me quite the scare,

But Claire said we should have been aware.

Clearly, we were not aware,

And apparently, Claire didn't care.

She said the Airbnb online description was there,

All we had to do was read it and compare.

Oh no, I didn't want to swear,

Instead, I just said a silent prayer. 

This cannot be true, I declare, 

No WiFi, no Internet, who would dare?

This is just not fair,

What an awful snare.

All I could do was stare,

What I wanted to do was glare.

Five days without Internet there,

Now I was feeling utter despair.

I asked if an Internet cafe was near there,

Claire didn't know and she truly didn't care.

We needed to connect with our families and share,

But, Claire brushed us off and just didn't care.

My mind could not prepare,

A week without Internet for this pair.

A week when we could not share,

A week in Avignon playing Solitaire,

As I said, Claire did not care.

But, not to despair,

We found the Tourist Office near the Square,

Internet for 30 minutes that they would share.

We used their Internet daily with great care,

Even if Claire didn't care!

Moral of the story to share,

Read the fine print or beware.