10/3---10/4 AVIGNON

Stayed at La Roche Hotel near train station the first night. We were a little leery about staying in the “roach” hotel, but I had booked it online and we were committed. The entry was very charming, rustic, old world style---tile floors, a raised breakfast area with green checked cloths and dark wood chairs---candles and artwork all around. The rooms all surround an old garden area---very comfortable and charming. The rooms had double doors and windows, the first layer being wood lath painted in a turquoise color. Our room was all yellow including most of the furniture. The bedspreads were bright red (good quality woven spreads) and a table with a yellow and red traditional Provence patterned cloth and 2 yellow chairs. I almost felt like I was in Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles. The hotel was named after a portal (named for St. Roche, a healer of plague victims and patron saint of dogs) into the old walled city of Avignon. Well...two days in Avignon. On Thursday, 10/5 we will be headed via TGV to Paris. The young man at the train station found us a room at the Ibis chain for 55 Euro per night for 3 nights. We will be at the Montrouge Ibis, near the Porte D'Orleans, 33 Rue Barbes, Paris. Tel: 1 42316700. The TGV, 2nd class tickets were $127 one way for the 2 of us. I think that was very inexpensive. If we had been able to change our reservations this morning to come home we would have. We were both ready! If we do, it looks like we have to call and so far I haven't been able to get a call through, so maybe we'll be stuck in Europe until 10/23 :{} This has been a really weird trip. We were kind of disappointed in Greece and have been sort of wandering aimlessly since we left. We don't really have a purpose of being here and think longingly of the comforts of home. We have 19 days left to fill...maybe we will make it. Avignon is turning out to be a more interesting and pleasant city (at least the old part---and we are staying right next to it) than we first thought. The Papal Palace is a huge Gothic structure built ca.1300. For about 70 years the Papacy presided in Avignon, but eventually the Romans won out, although for a time there were two popes.