Avignon vs. Snow, part 3:

For those of you who are still unsure that global weather patterns have gone completely wacko, please come to Avignon. For the third time this winter, the city of the Popes was pounded by a snowstorm, this time dumping about 15cm within a few hours. While most of my friendly Provençal neighbours stayed indoors -- probably fearing the coming of the apocalypse -- I donned my snowsuit and hurried into the heart of town, giddy about the snow, eager to catch the event on film (can I still use the word "film" for a digital camera?) . After all, it was about 2°C outside, a beautiful blanket of snow, a lovely evening for a stroll...

Below is the town's main square, Place de l'Horloge, taken at about 10pm: so much for serving dinner on the terrace...


The Pope's Palace, the largest gothic building in Europe, probably hasn't seen many days like these in its 700 years...


And if you thought the Japanese tourists could be stopped, think again...


One of the many churches within the town, pelted with snow...


The 14th century ramparts...


A father and son having fun in the main square...



Two major lessons learned walking through the streets of Avignon in the snow:
1) What a wonderful town Avignon is, in any light, whether in the heat of the sweltering Mediterranean summer, or even under its rare snowy blanket.
2) It's frustrating trying to take pictures at night.

And so I was eager to get outside this afternoon, rush into the streets of Avignon in the light of the day, and snap a thousand pictures of every monument covered in snow and at every angle. But as suddenly as the snow fell last night it vanished: all 15cm of it reduced to mere puddles by midday, as if it never fell at all...