Les Angles, South of France

This little town just outside of Avignon was so cute. Really quiet, sleepy and with no tourists whatsoever. I took a local bus and got off when I thought I had hit the town centre. There was not a soul around. I had a little map that showed me where the “tourist attractions” were, which was a remnant of a tower and chapel, and an old community washing site. None of the sites were marked, so I walked around and around until I guesses which were which. The landscape was gorgeous, wide open and the air so fresh. I ended up staying the whole day, just walking around in solitude and enjoying the heat and leisure. [I hear now the town is changing, as it has a highly active industrial zone. It’s also a popular base for skiing and exploring the surrounding region.- see comments below]

Photo: typical of the houses and yards in Les Angles, France

Flight to Paris, Train to Avignon

Photo: The ramparts that surround the downtown of Avignon

I was so excited the whole way to Paris, waiting impatiently to see the city again. Once I arrived, I knew I only had a couple of hours before I had to be on the train down south to Provence. When I got out of the airport in Paris, I realized that the whole transit system was on strike! I ended up catching an alternate train into the city but got stuck at some suburb station with so many others who were totally lost. Although I was speaking French fluently, the announcements on the loudspeakers were so fast and distorted that I had no idea what was happening. I ended up hanging out with a German family to bide the time until the train to Paris came over an hour later. I got to the city exhausted and irritable. I walked around for an hour until I had to board another train to Avignon. Another 5 hours of travelling, yippee. But the ride was amazing, as the route went through the countryside. By the time I arrived down south it was 11:00pm. Everyone around me suddenly disappeared and I was alone walking down the road in the direction I thought was right. You can read my funny tale that was published in the Vancouver Sun.

Learning French

After I returned home from Paris, I looked into French schools right away. My desire to learn the language and return was utmost in my mind. I began a few months later at L’Alliance Française de Vancouver, getting into an intermediate class. I spent the next year in and out of a few classes and felt fairly comfortable speaking and understanding French. By the next January, I was hungrily planning my next trip. I wanted to go down south, probably to Provence, and scoured through travel books to find the right location. I finally chose Avignon, an important city located right in Provence. It looked like the perfect place to practice my French, soak up the sun and see what the south of France was like.

Photo: The main entrance to Avignon, France