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| Sarrians in northern Provence |
We leave April 2 and will meet our travel companions, the Hunsingers, in Paris on the morning of April 3. We've leased a larger car - an SUV - if you can believe it, due to some additional luggage needs. My ankle still requires that I wear a brace and so we have purchased a mobility scooter in hope that it will allow me to expand my range beyond what I can tolerate walking in a brace. This should be an interesting experiment. France is not known for being handicapped friendly - understandably so as the streets, towns and transport systems are millennia old. But I can walk some, so I should still be able to visit all the buildings even with some stairs. I'll report on how well this works on French pavements which tend to be rough and uneven at best in old towns.
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| My mobility scooter - folds up to the size of a large suitcase |
So far, the airlines have been helpful and easy to work with in planning for the extra luggage. In some respects, it makes their work easier as some airlines allow gate-checking mobility devices which saves them using their staff and wheelchairs to get me to/from gates.
The trip down from Paris should take us about 6 hours plus a lunch break and we should arrive at Villa Vanesse in time for aperos. The owner of Villa Vanesse has been so welcoming and has offered to stock the frig for us to manage a first breakfast as well as a bottle of wine in welcome. This home is the largest we've rented as our circle of visiting friends and family is growing and having them visit us is one of the large joys of living in France. You'll meet them all as this trip unfolds. I'll post more on the house once we've arrived and settled in.
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| Villa Vanesse |
Sarrians is a small town located in northern Provence and the area is known for its production of fruits and vegetables with outstanding markets in the area. Of course, Avignon is known as the home of the French popes from the middle ages when there was a brief split with Rome over control of the church. Orange is the home of a Roman theatre, still in use today. If you've ever read any of Peter Mayle's books, such as "A Year in Provence", you'll get a good feel for the region. We're living just north of where he owned his house.
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| Sarrians (in red outline) |
Of course, the Rhone River makes its way through our area, with promise of some of the best wines France has to offer in Côtes du Rhone, Châteauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and others. I know Clark is salivating over the wineries to be visited this trip. Dave has lists on his phone of the wineries he's discovered, as well as the most beautiful villages, the markets, and the history. Much of Provence is within 2 hours drive from our house, promising fulfilling day trips around the region.
The area is vastly varied in geography from the Rhone delta of the Camargue with its flat sandy soil and Mediterranean beaches to the chalky cliffs of the Provence hills to the edge of the Alps. There is much to explore.
With my body falling apart at 71 years old, it's not clear how many more France vacations are in my future, but I know that France always heals my soul and provides perspective on a life well-lived. So off we go. I hope you will join us, albeit vicariously, on this next adventure.
