La Magnanerie Anduze

... of the dishes (which were written in a flowery script that made the names even harder to decipher), and the waiter struggled to translate. So we thought, well it’ll all be good, and none of it seemed to be brains or tripe, so we each ordered one option of all three courses. One of the first courses was no longer available so we both had a salmon dish. Now I’ve eaten a lot of salmon but this was the best ever – firm ...

This was a long and eventful day. Je suis tres fatigue, so this will be an abbreviated entry for the time being.

We got up and went out in search of food and to give Lucy a glimpse of Avignon before setting off. I had pan au chocolate, she had brioche. Everyone was happy. On the way back we looked around a Carmelite cloister that was built around the 14th century, I believe. We grabbed our stuff and headed to Pont du Gard, long ...

At the Chateau de Malerargues, surrounded by trees everywhere, Sebastian has voice training for the next couple months. The work consists of a mixture of breath, movement, and massage, as well as singing, sounds, and group work. It's hard to describe exactly what goes on, and each day is different. But the isolation, beautiful weather, and delicious fresh foods make for a great place to work, relax, and reflect. So why do so many people have so many nightmares here?

I leave the hostel early, about 7 AM. I meet a women, Mardi, who is backpacking through Europe. She said that she had done that for 6 months in China. Pretty amazing.

With tickets in hand, I am off to Nimes. It is a small town with some great Roman ruins. I take a bus to the closest spot for my hostel, Hostel Nimes. The .5 km walk to the hostel is straight up a steep hill. Exhausting on a hot day. The hostel has a gorgeous courtyard. It is far enough outside of the town that ...

The road to Uzès heading inland towards the Cévennes mountains,is one of those unforgettable drives. Lush green fields overflowing with wild spring flowers like i imagine Provence to be, the falling light casting a warm vibrant glow accross the landscape. I was meeting Theo, a young musician and fellow couchsurfer...to stay with him and his mum... sleeping in their 800 year old appartment, formerly the castle prison . I meet him in a car park....below the city ...

... voor enkele fotos..bleek dat zijn hele familie ineens kwam aangesneld. Ze hingen allemaal wat rond op het midden van de baan. Ergens kunnen we stellen dat we het leven gered hebben van enkelen, want er kwam een dikke Audi aangescheurd (op deze baantjes in de bergen kunt je harder rijden dan bij ons op de autostrade...niet dat we dat doen hoor!) en maanden we hem van ver aan om te stoppen voor de geiten op de baan. Het was echt een vakantiedag! xx

... with steep drop offs and no guard rails... and those are the highways!! Wouldn't want to be one of those ashen faced motorhome drivers or the poor guy in the tour bus. In the Gorge the road is also pretty narrow with many tunnels and rock cuts. Took many pictures of this wild rugged area. Not only were there beautiful rock formations but the hill towns (built right in to the rock) were very unique. Right out of a story ...

... along the river, hiking the trails, and picnicking along the waters edge. Traveling with an engineer, at times, can be down right cumbersome, but on this particular venture it was a free guide. While I took photos, my father explained the construction process and engineering behind the aqueduct... I'm always learning something new with him on my journey. After dragging him up the hill and along a few trails we settled ...

We spent 3 lovely days in Avignon. It is a very romantic old town, which was completely fortified back in the day and the big stone wall still surrounds the city and the old castle. Once again we put ourselves up in a nice little hotel. Its becoming clear that we don't have the patience for ****** hostels and camping grounds anymore, which may prove to be quite costly in few weeks time. Avignon was a nice quiet town. We explored the castle in the town centre and walked along the ...

... we mixed the gin and the Kas and passed it around the bus. We arrived to the beach, ate lunch, and went for a swim. The sea is cold! I jogged for a few miles along the beach, it was great! Jogging on the Mediterranean. When I came back one of the teachers had found the empty gin bottle in Brian's backpack and we were in trouble ...