Avignon, France

On the way to Avignon, we decided to take the scenic way. Our wine guru Shannon had told us the day before that we should check out M. Chapoutier which is one of the wines we tried. They do tastings in English and since it was on the way to Avignon we thought we should head over.

On the way, we took some of the side roads to avoid the highway tolls and to enjoy the scenery.

For lunch we stopped in Tournon sur Rhone, just across the river from M. Chapoutier.

I had food envy from Matt's delicious pizza:

A very cute town. Matt had me go into a bakery for a post-lunch chocolate croissant snack, too.

Anyway, we made it over to the wine shop and got down to tasting.

We also spotted the Valrhona Chocolate City, which is a museum and huge shop. We opted for the shop and were incredibly happy to find a ton of free chocolate samples, including hot chocolate and assorted treats. We didn't leave empty-handed.

Soon we made it to Avignon and checked into our hotel. I had made dinner reservations at Fou de Fafa, which was rated #1 on Tripadvisor. It was so. so. good. Matt started with a chicken cake (which resembled a light and fluffy savory muffin) and I had the cauliflower and poppy seed soup drizzled with truffle oil. For the main course, Matt had this duck....

And I had the pork in creamy mustard sauce. Both excellent and went well with the carafe of wine we split.

The next day, we grabbed a quick breakfast before walking over to the Pope's Palace. Matt not only had a small set of pancakes for breakfast, but he also eyed this creme-brulee topped cheesecake and sent me back up to the counter to retrieve it. And yes, it was as good as it looks.

Anyway, to the Pope's Palace! Did you know that seven popes lived in Avignon rather than Rome in the 1300s? And they built a crazy large palace?

It's really neat.

 This is the chimney in the extra-huge kitchen!

 Here's me taking a break, also in the kitchen.

 We also got up and outside to get some more pictures.

 Matt wanted to get the perfect shots...

 One last shot from the inside.... so pretty!

Our entry tickets also included access to this bridge which extended out onto the river. It was actually the passage point from France to Rome at one time.

I couldn't help but get a picture of this little guy in his mom's sunglasses. He's totally pulling them off.

...And for some reason, some crazy guy waving the American flag and having people flip him off on the road below as they drove by. Whatever.

For a late lunch, we found a cafe and ate outside. We both got some delicious sandwiches but Matt spotted someone else eating a hot dog and so we ordered one.

The day will go down as the day that Matt ate the most amazing hot dog in his entire life. Why? Because the French just shoved a delicately large hot dog with ketchup and Dijon mustard, onto a big 'ol baguette.