Alterarosa is a rose exhibit that takes place from 01-04 May in the cloister of the Popes' Palace. A display of thousands of roses in such a beautiful setting is an event not to be missed. One of the most exciting parts is discovering new varieties of roses that have never been shown before. Scent, shape, colour, the name of the game is creativity. Visitors can vote for their favourite rose and prizes can be won. Learn more on the official alterarosa website.Alterarosa est une exposition de roses qui a lieu du 1er au 4 mai dans le cloûtre du Palais des Papes. Voir des milliers de roses dans un cadre aussi prestigieux est un événement à ne pas manquer. C'est aussi l'occasion de découvrir de nouvelles roses encore jamais vues : couleur, forme, parfum, la créativité est à l'oeuvre. Le public peut voter pour sa rose préférée. Pour en savoir plus, visiter le site officiel d'alterarosa.
It was fairly crowded yesterday at lunch time when I went and I wasn't the only one taking photos!avignon photos alterarosa palais des papes
Il y avait foule quand j'y suis allée hier à l'heure du déjeuner
et je n'étais pas la seule a prendre des photos!
In rue Philonarde yesterday, the Men at work sign revisited. White collar and cuffs, sexy underwear, Playboy rabbit ears. The painted eyes could also be a way of representing his interest in beauty and skin care products. The tiny sticker near his face reads 'L'homme moderne' (the modern man) : is the modern man a metrosexual?
Yesterday ended in rain. Let's take refuge in the cosy and luxurious comfort of one of Avignon's best hotels, 
This judas tree grows at the foot of Fort St André's massive twin towers. Last winter when it was no more than a dark naked silhouette I had no idea what tree it was... until April when it burst into this gorgeous explosion of pink. These photos were taken last week but unfortunately the blooming season is almost over now and a bright green foliage is taking over.
I think I could live there... Could that be your dream house ? (not quite mine; mine would have sea views)
Photography is an interesting thing : a photo is never neutral. The angle you choose, the distance, light and perspective all contribute to giving it a special character, power or meaning. Here are three takes on the same graffiti I found in various parts of town. The top one is by far the most powerful in my opinion.
Meet the workers paving Avignon's main square, Place du Palais. Well, not the whole square; they're restoring part of it after some work on the underground parking lot was carried out. They were kind enough to let me take some photos. The traditional paving technique in Avignon doens't involve square stones cut out from a quarry but big river stones cut in half. The heavy duty quartz stones rolled in by the river Rhone are much more suitable for paving that the local limestone, which is far too tender. On average a worker paves 5 to 7 square metres a day, this man explained. Up to 7 to 9 square metres if an assistant prepares the work for you by cutting the stones in half and bringing them over. Despite the kneepads, the knees are pretty sore at the end of the day. "It's Roman slave's work" said this man with a big smile. 
The stones are embedded in a thick layer of dry mortar. At the end of each day the mortar is watered down and it sets around the rocks. For a view of the final result, see below. The workers are in the fenced off area you see at the back. There's three of them (two pavers and one assistant) and they will be there until the end of the month.
There was fog when I woke up yesterday so I just had to rush out and take a few photos. The air had that particular stillness that is associated with fog. I enjoyed the walk. To compare with what Avignon's famous bridge looks like on a bright summer morning, 
Rainy day yesterday, plip plops on Place Pie.
I have no idea what came first of the poster or the graffiti.
On Saturday afternoon along the Rhône river bank I practiced macrophotography. Bugs and poppies, no doubt this is spring. I know nothing about these little critters, I'd never seen or noticed them before. What about you ? (for those who are interested, my camera is a Canon G7 powershot)
Is he typical enough? I think he could feature in a tourist ad! The French word for waiter is garçon de café and in the old days you'd attract his attention by calling Garçon ! Litterally the word means boy and nowadays few people feel comfortable with calling so a grown-up man. The word is on the verge of extinction. I personnally prefer to attract the waiter's attention by saying S'il vous plait ! (please!). Anyway the weather was nice and sunny in Avignon last weekend, nice enough for patrons to enjoy eating and drinking outdoors, en terrasse as we say.
Recipe for this photo: take an early morning walk in the city. Spot pigeons picking bread crumbs in the street. Notice their shadows on the rampart as they fly up to the top of the wall when you approach. Grab your camera. Position yourself opposite the wall. Wait till the pigeons return, attracted by the food. Click. Miss. Shoo the pigeons away. Click again. Miss. Keep clicking as you get them to fly away and come back. Stop when they are totally fed up with it. Walk home hoping you have something of interest in the box. Download photos on your computer. Sort. Discard most. Keep one. Reframe. Enjoy.
Epicerie, from the word épices (spices) means grocery store in French. Located in rue du chapeau rouge (red hat street) this one named The little souq also is a hallal butchery (selling meat of animals slaughtered in accordance with islamic laws). The posters in the shop window advertise spices, tea, dried fruit, herb teas, merguez sausages, lamb skewers, harissa, preserved lemons... mmm! The above photo is not a collage, merely a detail of the shop you see below in full. The sign says open every day except Monday morning.
Grey skies yesterday but a red nose is enough to cheer me up. This little fellow is located directly across from the cool girl I showed you yesterday. There she is on site. They face each other in a street hardly 12 feet wide. Do you think Mickey Mouse is spying on her? What's going on between these two?
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