18 | April | 2016 | Flojohn Travels

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Avignon 2016--0016

We drove down to Avignon to meet up with some friends from my hometown who are doing a barge/bike trip from Avignon to the coast following the Rhone. We drove down Saturday morning from Nice and were back Sunday evening.

Avignon 2016--0018

This time we stayed at a Chambre d’Hote called La Petite Saunerie, located at 9 Rue de la Petite Saunerie, situated in the heart of the walled city, making it very easy to explore the town. Just around the corner from our room were a couple of recommended restaurants, Chic Cuisine and Chez Lulu. We ate at Lulu’s and it was wonderful. Portions were just the right size and the prices, including for the wine, were very reasonable. Flo had the steak frite, while I had a rigatoni pasta with artichokes, tomatoes confit, fresh parsley and parmesan. Very nice.

We took in the Palace of the Pope tour again as it is so amazing. And we’ll do it again when we return in the future!

The Bike/Barge Gaing

View from Pope’s Palace

Pope’s Palace

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Great Hikes, Great Walks, Monaco, Tete de Chien

This hike starts off in Cap d’Ail and heads straight up the hill and mountainside to the “Tete de Chien”, the massive rock that sits above and behind Monaco and Cap d’Ail. Easy to get to with the #100 bus. This is one, though, that I recommend using your smart phone with Maps as the path can be difficult to find at times, and they do show well on both Google and Apple Maps.

Monaco Coast and Tete de Chien in the distance

The path goes up one side providing western views all the way, while coming down it is on the eastern side overlooking Monaco, Menton and Italy. And when you get to the top you can take in an amazing panoramic view where you see Italy, Menton, Monaco, Cap d’Ail, Beaulieu, Cap Ferrat, Nice and even Antibes, on a clear day. It is a big of a challenging hike, allow 3-4 hours to complete it. And for the lazy one’s you can drive to the Chien along the upper corniche road.