Hotel Residence Le Moulin Greoux les Bains

... which all the girls obviously enjoyed, and I’m sure will help the plants grow. There were lots of mountain bikers about and people riding, but most of the other walkers were middle aged...but we enjoyed ourselves, even if we did get awful blisters! Planning to go again soon and try a different route. I suppose we
should have checked whether our phones work up there in case we get lost...

Otherwise, there’s been a lot going on in Aix. We ...

... campervans. One of which had the biggest dog we have every seen. It was a Newfoundland, which looked a little like a small bear but was as tame as a kitten. As the sun was about to set we took some photos and then had a wander through the village - everything was closed - end of season.

... made some friends had we the time and resources to put together costumes... I decided we were dressed up as Canadians, which I thought would have worked great until Tom pointed out that Canadians would probably speak more French. But we weren't really left out, there were only a handful of people dressed up. Overall; here is the tally of costumes in Aix on halloween: 2 girls in witch hats (with one stocking each), 5 ...

... full of huge luxury yachts. No sign of Jonny Wilkinson though...maybe next weekend! The mountain area was also very pretty, definitely motorbike/cycling country (Dad, you'd love it, Eileen, the bends and drops are scary!), but although pretty, I still find the landscape up there quite arid and hostile...wouldn't feel quite as comfortable peeing in a bush up there as I would in a gorse bush on Exmoor (don't look like that, needs must)!

And now a little bit about ...

Bonjour avec Aix-en-Provence Cherie
Since the last news we have visited the Cote D'Azur spending time at Monte Carlo and Antibes. We stayed near Antibes at a place called Biot and at night you could hear the seals at nearby Marineland - very strange. It was still quite hot and stickey with more mozzies. Monte Carlo was wall to wall money with billions of dollars in boats and cars. Antibes was similar but it had a lovely old town as well.
We arrived ...

... additional note of warning: it seems that the brothers don't want their visitors to enjoy any unnecessary comforts or amenities either. There were inexplicably no toilet seats in an otherwise modern bathroom.

Note to the contemplative: If you wish to temporarily join the Cistercian's community of prayer for a while, the monastery has guest quarters if you write to Frere Hotelier.

We thought we could fit ...

... to Aix-en-Provence.

Some random observations on the way to Aix: parking is much better in Avignon than I would have thought. There is not a whole lot of parking in the city walls, but free parking is available in large lots just outside the walls and even up against the wall. Men do hang out and play bacce ball, just like in the books and movies. There is a group that loiters about the tobacco shop that I have seen several times. Lucy’s preferred ...

... then, I am in a city! TV is also quite different out here, except for some exceptions (have seen the French versions of Wheel of Fortune, Come Dine With Me, How Clean is Your House, and 60 Minute Makeover! A lot of the programmes are just dubbed British or American ones, mainly CSI, and even Mistresses!). Most programmes just have people sitting on sofas talking, or are quiz shows, which all have 40yr old+ male presenters. They do show lots of films though ...

... lavender attached. The afternoon was ticking on and there were still a few places we wanted to see before we had to head back to Antibes. So we drove a little closer towards Mont Ventoux to catch a glimpse of the picturesque town of Brantes, and then we made our way back down towards Sault and on to the town of Roussillon. This area is known for it's rich coloured ochres, which some 2000 years ago the Romans used to use for producing pottery glazes. These days the ...

... that says that I have applied for residency. If I'm lucky, I'll be allowed to leave the country to travel around Europe a bit before it arrives--I've heard of someone waiting four months for theirs! 5. Went to a yard sale. I bought three bowls and a knife for our barely adequately-equipped kitchen, and drooled over lots of cheap trinkets I neither need nor will be able to take back with me. 6. Thought about going parachuting. It's a ...