The bridge of St. Benezet and the papal castle in Avignon

This is the famous Avignon bridge on the Rhone. It was named after St Benezet, who, as a shepherd boy, was helping eleventh century pilgrims cross the furious Rhone river. His grave is in a chapel on the bridge itself. If you are familiar with the song (..."sur" le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse..go on, sing if you'd like), you also must know that it was originally"sous", i.e under not "sur" le pont, that people were dancing to live music. After multiple destructive cycles by man and nature, only about half of this bridge is still standing. The "anti-popes'" palace can be seen in the background. One of these (there were nine) popes, namely John the XXII, had actually declared in the fourteenth century that the local wine was "le vin du Pape". Since this time, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape has evolved into a small but very famous wine region. The Rhone is the fastest river in France and it certainly resists most bridging attempts.