Appart'Valley Aix En Provence Aix-en-Provence

Really beautiful train ride along the coast (which in a way it is a shame that the railway is right on the beach) Marseille is a bigger city and not so quaint but the port area is nice. Flew out of Marseille to Lisbon. I know not quite geographically logicall

... but petty crimes and muggings are commonplace. There's no need for paranoia but you should avoid the Belsunce area. Women will get unsolicited attention, ranging from wolf-whistling to sometimes aggressive chat up routines- but keep your wits about you and you should be fine."

OK....This is coming from a guidebook that can make Somalia sound like an enticing destination. I take the opportunity to hide most of my cash deep in my pack. The train finally creaks ...

... playing well and looking gorgeous. The girls all thanked me for dragging them there, even if we did all get sunburnt!

After over two months of being here, I also finally visited Marseille! And all the things I had heard about it were true. It is massive, second largest to Paris, and very diverse. After we got off the bus, we didn’t hear French for about 10 minutes, walking through one of the quartiers populated by ethnic minorities. On the bad side, this ...

... and instead went out to a great classic Provencal dinner, and got some good wine. But then, we started to see a couple kids in costumes, or rather just kids in sheets. I think one of them had a mask. But on our way back from dinner, we found the bar scene. Mostly it was just people out on a normal Saturday night, but we had to at least go check it out. We were somewhat impressed with the Halloween scene, and probably could ...

... 8230;

First of all, we had a deadline. Something neither of us are accustomed to dealing with right now. Ferry departs Marseille at 7pm. Brian was concerned about covering the 100 km distance and finding the port in time. So, up extra early and on the road withour even eating breakfast! After all of the worry and fussing, and snaps of the whip to go ‘faster’, we arrived at the port at ...

... them! We're meeting our tutor, Philippe (!), this week who should hopefully point us in the right direction. Still waiting for our student cards so we can get a bus pass, but we have managed to sort out a bank account (surprisingly and maybe worryingly easily done) and our CAF forms (the French govt give you some money towards accommodation to make up for their appauling university halls). All the 'Bath girls' are here now too, which is a great 'back-up team ...

... way to Arles we were to encounter winter like weather from which our European leg was never to escape from. Our plans to picnic al fresco were thwarted but the local cheese, ham (more like a slab of tender pork), and leftover Chateau neuf du pape tasted just as good inside our car parked in a field. Arles is well known as yet another stop on the Van Gogh tour and for its arena. The strangely named Van Gogh foundation turned out not to have any Van Gogh ...

... depois íamos pra Cassis. Fernanda já tinha visitado tudo isto, nos deu ótimas dicas. No finaol convidamos ela e Vanessa pra irem conosco pro Luberon, porque concluímos que seria mais vantagem dormir em Aix novamente (Van nos convidou novamente). Como íamos voltar seria fácil elas irem e voltarem com a gente. Ficou tudo acertado, no outro dia sairíamos 9h da manhã pra irmos pra região do Luberon. Elas saíram e eu e Hed fomos dormir, depois de um dia extremamente agradável =)

... une déforestation majeure pour les besoins en bois de cuisson des aliments et ce notamment dans un rayon de plusieurs dizaines de km autour des grandes villes. Peu de plantations forestières nouvelles là où elles s**aient nécessaires c'est-à-dire dans le Nord de ces pays, très peu d'irrigation le long des fleuves Sénégal ou ***** et de leurs affluents. Question : pourquoi le Nil est-il depuis plus de cinq millénaires une oasis de plusieurs km de part et d'autres ...

(Erica) Today we decide to take advantage of our go-go car rental and head to Aix en Provence. With his Garmin, Dave straps himself into the co-pilot seat. Me...I gladly get behind the wheel and give us a go. We get on the freeway (don't ask me which one...I just followed directions as they came). In less then an hour and a couple Toll roads we take the Aix en Provence exit. We feel lucky and try finding ...