Viva La France!

When asked how she wanted to celebrate her successful recovery from cancer treatment, Betsy said: How about Paris? And in the words of Aubrey Hepburn in the move Sabrina: Paris is always a good idea.

But, we aren’t in Paris just yet. We woke up in Avignon this morning and it’s lovely, and we’re rested, which seems a miracle after 24 hours of travel, some not up to my usual detailed planning. Let’s just say the joy of sleeping in a flat bed seat in Lufthansa business class was dulled a bit by sitting in the tiny jump seats in a hot section between train cars speeding from Lyon to Avignon.

So, we went from this swanky business class complete with glasses of champagne…

To this: Seated on a little jump seat in a hot area between compartments on the TVG.

Even so, it will make a great story, one better told in person than on this page.

So, here’s our plan: This morning we’re going to walk this city as soon as the sun rises. We love to explore when a city is waking up. Then, we’ll choose somewhere for lunch, and then an afternoon nap is probably in order before we’re back out in the city for the evening.

Tomorrow, we pick up our car and our friends Sheri Lynn and Brenda Kay, known by some as the hosts of the Nash Trash Tour. Sheri and her husband John were with us in Ireland last year.

We’ve rented a villa in Malemort-du-Comtat. Here it is: https://www.vrbo.com/1596488a?
We will spend a week there exploring the perched villages of Provence.

But, we don’t have any firm plans, and that’s a dramatic change from any other trip we’ve taken. First, our trips usually involve five or six days of walking from town to town. We loved self-guided walking holidays. But, with Betsy recovering (beautifully) from her health issues earlier this year, we decided something a little less active might be warranted. Of course, we’ll still do a lot of walking.

For now, though, it’s out to explore Avignon for the day.