Most of the important sites in Villeneuve are closed on Monday, so we'll see them today and save Avignon and the palace of the Popes for tomorrow. After a nice breakfast with the cats and the little Westie, we went across the street to do the laundry. No competition on a Sunday AM. The day started out sunny and warm with some amazing cloud formations! Clouded up a bit in the PM

We went to La Chartreuse before lunch, the largest intact abbey complex in France. These priests had it quite good as far as their abodes, but there was that "issue" of almost never talking (except in chapter) and long hours of prayer each day. The monks at this abbey were very involved in herbal medicine, but were forbidden by the king to practice it on the general population.

Took a break for lunch, then hiked up to the Abbaye St Andre and Fort St Andre, way up on a rocky point overlooking Avignon and the Rhone. We can see the well illuminated fort from our room at night. The fort is in wonderful condition, but the Abbaye was mostly destroyed after the revolution.

The Rhone changed position in the 1700's, no longer flowing at the base of the fort, making it's defensive aspects less important. Floods are a continuing problem, most recently in the 1990's (see photo of high water mark in 1840 and 1850)

Finished the day poolside then dinner here again. Discovered our waitress could speak unaccented English because she is from Ontario, here because she married a Frenchman.

Walked - 4.3 miles

Drove - zero km