Avignon

You thought I've forgotten to continue on after the Paris postings, haven't you. Well, not so lucky for you, here's more about the rest of our trip to France - starting with Avignon.

I was terribly hot and bothered when we got off the train at Avignon Center, and totally shell-shocked by the tiniest of room at the inn where we were booked to stay with. The stroll down rue de la Republique was abruptly short when an Irish pub came into our view. These Irish pubs, they are bloody everywhere in the world aren't they?

The main thoroughfare is a little like those you'd find in Paris, just a little smaller in scale. The main activity seems to be shopping and restaurants, as witnessed by the dominant presence of such establishments in Place d'Horloge.

The massive Palais de Papes has been stripped bare on the inside, which was a huge let down because I was expecting frescoes, trompl'eil, that sort of stuff. The only interesting tidbit I thought was that the huge kitchen served up 50,000 tarts for the 3,000 guests who attended Pope Clement VI's coronation feast - that's 16.66 tarts each even though it's not that sort of tart I think you have in mind, its still a lot of tarts.

And that was it, basically.

Boring . . . even Molière is bored, and can you blame him if you have to sit there day in day out, in stony silence?

Avignon at 8:00pm, as viewed in the middle of the main thoroughfare, which could be rue de la Republique or Place d'Horloge, depending on where you are standing exactly

Palais de Papes, resembling a medieval fortress rather than a palace. Huge in scale but nothing to offer on the inside

Our first meal in Avignon was at the O'Neills's Irish pub, ah . . memories are made of this!

If you can read, LES MONOLOGUES DU PENIS is on at the Salle 2, at session 2030 hr. We didn't go but there you go, a little something for everyone

I like carousels, there's something seductively hypnotic about going round in circles without going anywhere at all

Our first dinner in Avignon at the Tavern de Maitre Kanier - grilled prawns with butter rice, very yummy!

brochette de boeuf with mayo and side of salad, and chips, also very yummy - my choice!

Can you believe it, crepe suzette!

a planter of foliage du plastic at Restaurant Le Viet Nam, on a little side street call rue Bancasse, off Place d'Horloge.

we call it Fresh Prawn Rolls, they call it Raw Vietnamese Pancake; 5.95 euros. thank you very much.