Day 3 (Paris, Avignon, Isle sur la Sorgue)

The day started off surprisingly well (not getting a wink of sleep!!!). I think I finally nodded off around 7AM and with breakfast at 8:30, let’s just say I knew the day would be interesting. Waking up, breakfast was just as divine as yesterday. Then with lots of scrambling and quite a few curses, we managed to pack up our stuff. We had decided earlier that we would simplify things and just take a taxi to la Gare de Lyon (the train station). This guaranteed that we didn't have to deal with our luggage on the Metro or get lost and miss our train. I'll say this, at least my French has improved enough to direct the cab driver (who thought I was English rather then America...score one for me). The drive to Gare de Lyon was....well...scary as hell. We came absurdly close to getting into an accident and I thought for a minute that our cab driver was actually going to get out of the car and start a fight. However, after a bit of screaming and a demonstration of all those "fun" French words we secretly learned in high school, we were on our way. We finally got to the train station, finally catching a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on the way (something Lauren had been aching to do). All in all, the ride was worth exorbitant amount of money we had to pay for it. Entering Gare de Lyon you encounter on thing: chaos. There were people everywhere; it took me a while to get our bearings. Finally, I headed to the ticket counter to purchase our tickets. After waiting in a huge line for an eternity, I was nearly frantic that we were going to miss our train but, rushing back to Lauren (who was guarding the luggage) then getting laughed at by a couple of railway employees because we had no idea where we were going, we finally managed to get into the right car. Dealing with our luggage was another story. However, after some help from a very nice French woman, I managed to heave them onto the luggage racks and we took our seats. Train ride down was not bad: we got some lunch from the dining car, (due to my motion sickness) I spent most of the trip with my head buried in a book, and I fell asleep for about an hour. I'm completely impressed with the TGV, it turned a 9 hour drive into a mere 3 hour train ride, very remarkable. After taking the bus into Avignon, Lee came to pick us up to take us the rest of the way to Isle sur la Sorgue. After a couple of wet, cold days in Paris, arriving in the south was a dream: sunny, warm, and slightly breezy. The drive to the house was amazing, I felt like I was back in Greece. Isle sur la Sorgue has a beautiful little river and along the way we passed the most fantastic water wheels, they were truly stunning and inspiring. Arriving at Lee's house (which is gorgeous), we quickly changed out of our Paris clothes which were now suffocating us. After, Lee took us to a little market outside of town to buy some fruits and vegetables for us for the next few days. It was fantastic: the smells and colors were something to die for. We picked up some bright red cherries, huge strawberries, and some delicate little apricots. Getting back to the house we fixed dinner: cheese ravioli, salad, cherries for dessert, with heaps of wine. We stayed up late into the night, talking and enjoying the outdoor place.

All in all, I must say that I'm impressed with Lauren and myself. We came to a foreign country that we'd never been to and managed to navigate it (with all that luggage!) on our own. I'd say the fact that we got through it with no major catastrophes is a major accomplishment in and of itself! I know that the rest of the trip will be a breeze because we've more than proved ourselves.

Lee's House

Water wheels

The Sorgue River

The Market