Stickin' it to the Pope and High Cats

Joelle, Steve, Renaud, and I set off to visit Villeneuve-lez-Avignon, which is right across the river from Avignon.  Our first stop was le Tour Philippe le Bel, which was built at the start of the 1300s.  Its original point was as a lookout for the Pont Saint-Bénezet (aka Pont d’Avignon) which is the bridge that is no longer in use as it only spans half of the Rhône river.  We climbed from there up the Colline des Mourgues to where we could see across to the major focal point in town, the Fort Saint-André.  

From a distance

From on top!

Pope's Palace across the way

 The fort was built around the same time as the tower, starting in the last decade of the 13^th century (that’s the 1290s if you’re too lazy to do the math) and was intended to protect the abbey that was located on the site, as well as to show off the power of the French royalty and rub it in the face of the popes right across the river.  There are two twin towers, and you can see across the river to the Pope’s Palace really well!

We also meandered a bit through the rest of town, passing by things like the Musée Cloitre Collégiale and the Chapelle des Pénitents Gris.  The town had quite a few neat sculptures that were built into the sides of buildings, so if you go visit, you should keep an eye out them on the way! 

Another town in the area that they thought deserved an afternoon road-trip was Pernes les Fontaines- literally “Pernes the Fountains” so named due to at least 40 public fountains and around a hundred private fountains in the city!  I also loved that the day that we visited, every man above the age of 50 seemed to be out playing pétanque, the French version of bocce.  

In the middle and all the way on top of the city is the Tour de l’Horloge (Tower of the Clock) which- would you believe it- is a tower with a clock!  The most famous part, though, is the windvane at the top which depicts a cat chasing a mouse.  This windvane is the origin of two local sayings: “Il est haut comme le chat de Pernes” and “Il est au milieu comme le chat de Pernes” which effectively translate to “he/she’s as high as the Pernes cat” and “he/she’s in the middle just like the Pernes cat.”  This is one of those expressions that I like so much in French that I’ll be saying it in English as well even if it doesn’t make much sense- it’s right up there with “That deranges me.”

Here’s to hoping that your own trips bring you as high as the Pernes cat!