Chateauneuf-du-Pape or ‘The pope’s new castle’ was built by the pope in a fertile area north of Avignon so they could grow grapes to make the church’s own wine. The village took on that name and became the home of that now world famous wine. We took a bus ride up there and attended a wine tasting session at the Bouachon winery. We then walked through the village to the top of the hill to the castle remains which was destroyed by the Germans during their retreat at the end of WWII. The bus returned back to Avignon through the vinyards and on the west side of the Rhone. Back to the ship for drinking and eating.