Bonjour Provence

Midterms have arrived to cruelly remind us that yes, we are being graded for this. One down three to go.

The weather is heating up here and I think by mid May I’ll be a big fan of the mid afternoon sieste tradition here.

Over the past week or so, I’ve ventured out of Avignon. Actually, we’ve journeyed to an island that is literally a condensed version of Provence. Granted, it’s only a 2-minute ferry ride from Avignon, but it felt like the city was miles behind. We passed low stone houses with stick fences, huge orchards of pink flowered trees, and bright green grazing fields. As I predicted before I left, I got so lost and walked for so long I might as well have made it to Italy. But it was completely worth the exhaustion and blisters to take a walking tour of Provencal countryside less than a mile from the city.

Later that same weekend, Joelle took Kim and I to a market in a neighboring town. I have to confess, my favorite part of that trip was her car. Kim and I wedged ourselves in and I wished I would have stuck with yoga. Flexibility would have made having to fold myself in two easier. Then Joelle said she would “decapitater” the car. Needless to say, Kim and I were concerned. But suddenly the car’s solid roof began sliding into its trunk and we remembered, with sighs of relief, that “decapitater” applies to car tops as well as heads.

I must say passing old sandwiched-together buildings and cafes with a 360-degree view and no need to physically move was amazing and attests to my laziness. Soon we left the city behind and were surrounded by nothing but Cyprus trees, orchards, and brilliant blue sky. Once at the market, we watched in awe as Joelle nonchalantly parallel parked the car with maybe 2 inches to spare on each end.

The market itself was teeming, packed with antiques and clothes, whole roasting chickens, and dried lavender. And tourists. I bought a scarf from a woman speaking French with a heavy Scottish accent and managed to pull myself away from a collection of antiquated doorknobs. But, if I’m being honest, I think I definitely preferred speeding down the highway, face turned towards the sun and the sound of Joelle humming “La Vie en Rose” in the background.