Sur le Pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse...

Do you remember the nursery rhyme? It's noon hour & I'm about to head to the TGV stn to get my train. Stopped at the hotel to pick up my bags which I left this AM while I walked pretty much the whole city. The main attractions in Avignon are: Le Pont d'Avignon (Pont St-Bénézet - named after the saint who apparently had 3 separate visions that he had to span the Rhone at any cost); the Palais des Papes (Popes' Palace which is crazily enormous); and a bunch of galleries & museums. Getting here yesterday my immediate impression was that of a college town (which it is) - there were so many student-types milling about, and that in the centre of the town there is a maze of streets solely dedicated to shopping. I've seriously never seen such a concentration of stores before. I didn't really shop much, as I have zero space in my backpack to accommodate anything beyond what I brought here, but I did go to a store called fnac which seemed to me a combination Chapters & Futureshop, where I bought a Mitch Albom book, translated into French (For One More Day). I've already read two books & a magazine so far on this trip. A French novel should take me a bit more time. Being weighted down now, I'm leaving the first book here at the hotel's little library (Magaret Atwood - not sure that I really like her weird style). One last word on Avignon before I leave - it is yet another walled city on my trip. These walled cities are always very pretty, but once on the other side of the wall you always see the real life beyond the clean and neat tourist area. I stepped outside the wall yesterday and wandered only for a little bit. Being alone always makes you a little paranoid about how people watch you - whether they have ill-intent or not, you can't always be sure. As a result I tend to stick to the tried & true tourist areas where there are lots of people & where they like to keep real life at bay. So I only get small glimpses into the real deal from time to time.