I keep singing Babylon and subbing our new town -Avignon. We arrived yesterday afternoon after riding the first class train from Marsielle. Viola! Here we are ...at the wrong station so we had to hop on a local bus to get to centre. Only the bus driver did not speak any English. So telling him where we needed to be dropped proved challenging. Ended up at the wrong hotel and having to lug our stuff 500 meters to the right hotel that is practically on top of the train station. We were hot, hungry and pretty exhausted. The hotel (Ibis) is minimal but good and clean + free internet! Jennie and I threw ourselves together and ventured into the town surrounded by stone walls - similar to Dubrovnik (where I was this time last year!) - beautiful and old and picturesque. After several circles and turns we found the off the beaten path plaza crillon and finally sat down to have dinner. The staff was not so friendly and it took forever. The wind was blowing like crazy - I had a salad with shrimp tempura, lamb with couscous and tiramisu - delish. We walked down to the bridge to see the river and take photos and then back to our hotel to check email, sip tea and hit the hay.
The train station drama continued this morning ...we finally went to the bus station and decided to visit the Venice of France > Isle-sur-la-sorgue on a whim. 40 minutes later we were dropped in the most precious town - cool, clear water runs throughout complete with old, mossy waterwheels. We walked down winding cobblestone streets and took in our surroundings. Unfortunately, we missed the famous market but were able to grab a thing of sweet nectarines. We put our feet in the rushing water and watching the ducks try to paddle against the current. Lunch consisted of the cheesiest pizza I have ever had which we split and probably pissed our server off as a result. The town is built around an old church and we had a bit of time before it opened so I ventured into a pharmacy. You haven't lived until you have tried to explain what ails you in a foreign pharmacy - needless to say she thought that I had lower back pain! The church was breathtaking! It was extremely ornate with so much to look at every which way-Notre Dam de Anges - no photos allowed. After we found Le Caveau de la Tour de L'isle which was Rick recommended and so we sat outside sipping glasses of wine and eating yummy cheese that happened to be in the shape of ear plugs- what a day. The guy that waited on us was super nice which really makes a difference considering that Jennie was scolded earlier for sitting in a leather chair earlier in the day. The last bus was at 4 pm or so, we quickly drank up , paid and ran to where we hoped the bus would pick us up. I am starting to mime the french language which isn't good but gets me by. Thankfully the bus rolled up about 10 minutes later. Once we got back we dropped our stuff and were off to rent bikes within the walls. It was fun but stressful to zip around the cars and people - oi vey! We discovered a park on the other side and took turns sitting with the bikes while the other would explore. I totally relaxed and felt like I am exactly in the place where I am supposed to be at this very moment. After J returned, it was my turn. The views were stunning - the bridge, the alps, the greenery in the foreground and stone and orange rooftops in the background. I snapped many photos - it was beautiful. We rode our bikes back generated smirks at the two crazy americans. For dinner we chose this bustling outdoor spot - salad, gaspacho, thick bread and the most delicious blueberry tart. It literally melted in my mouth...back at our home away from home Jennie called for a wake up call that had us in stitches. She did a good job of trying to speak the language but between me laughing and no one being able to understand us she just switched to plain old English. I sent an email to the fam - it has almost been one week. I was delighted to find a return email from Spencer (my dashing yachtsmen who I met in Cannes). Needless to say I was too keyed up to sleep...! Tomorrow we are back to Nice for more rocky beaches and whatever else is in store.
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