Vaga-Blog - Volume II - Pont du Gard and Avignon
(June 21)

YOU BELONG TO THE VEGAS PARTY CLUB?

Today my dad wanted to see Pont du Gard, a viaduct that’s second only behind the coliseum in Rome as the tallest structure ever built by the Romans. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, so it’s filled with busses of schoolchildren and tourists speaking every language under the sun.

After Pont du Gard we went to Avignon where we toured the Palais du Papes, built as a home for Popes and Bishops. It’s a lovely, mammoth structure – but by the end of the tour my dad is angry at the Catholic Church for building such a luxurious home while hundreds of thousands of people were dying of the plague. He says in the future, he’s keeping his five bucks each week. Take that!

We had lunch at a small brasserie in the heart of town on a wide pedestrian walkway. The only other American was a man wearing a “Las Vegas Party Club” t-shirt, and as you can imagine I disliked him immediately.

In our emerging tradition, we then focused on our next meal. We ate at a small restaurant in nearby Coustellet called Maison Gouin, which is a carryout/butcher by day and a charming bistro at night. The menu is fixed, so we don’t even have to decide what to order. They have a wine cellar downstairs, so after you’re seated you head down and choose your own bottle – they’re priced and everything. I make a mental note that if I ever own a restaurant, I’ll remember this.