Provence

After we left the gang, Jay and I went to get the car and start our big trip. On Sunday, we drove from Geneva to Aix en Provence, where we would be spending the first two nights.

Along the way, we made a stop in Avignon, which was a beautiful old walled city. We had a nice time walking around the gorgeous ruins - and climbing lots of steps (without anyone to carry!).

After a little snack and some beautiful scenery, we were ready to continue on - and we arrived at our hotel around 7pm that night. Having arrived late, we decided to eat in at the hotel that night - which was a genius decision. The food was absolutely incredible, and Jay described his steak as the best meal he's ever had in his life. We were staying at a small inn, so the dining area was very small and intimate - like eating in someone's home. It was a special evening, and a great start to our holiday.

On Monday, we woke up and went for a run around town. The town was very cute - but the running turned out to be a big challenge, as there was considerable dog poop everywhere. (And I mean everywhere) Because of the Easter weekend, I think the clean-up services were not operating - which probably exacerbated the problem. But it did take considerable effort to make sure we didn't land in anything. :) Afterwards, we had a delicious breakfast at our hotel, and set out to walk in the "footsteps of Cezanne."

Unfortunately, right at the beginning of the walk, Jay was taken with the scenery - and forgot to always look down... Sure enough, his footsteps of Cezanne began with a footstep of dog sh*t (see below).

He didn't find it nearly as funny as I did... but fortunately, he was willing to continue on - and we had a nice walk outside the town. I'm not sure we ever quite found the real footsteps... at one point, I saw a sign that said, "Parc Cezanne," and we followed the road - right into an apartment complex. At that point, Jay declared the walking tour over - and we returned to town to explore the beautiful markets and have a lovely lunch.

One of my favorite things about our lunches (and dinners) were the amazing salads available. We don't have nearly the variety in Switzerland... and I loved having salads with literally 20 ingredients in them. Everything was so fresh and delicious...

After our leisurely lunch, we returned to the hotel to sit by the pool and read. The weather was unseasonably warm, and we relished the chance to just relax and catch up on our huge piles of magazines and books that we brought along.

That night, we opted to return to town for a casual dinner and had another huge salad - it was fantastic. And thank goodness that Lent was over, as we fully took advantage of the gelato and crepe options for dessert. Below is a picture of my first night with gelato... notice the scale of my ice cream cone relative to Jay's. :)

All in all, we really enjoyed Aix en Provence, and would hope to return to the region again with the kids sometime soon.