La vie est comme un fruit….

Another week and weekend has come and gone. With the limited time that I have left here, I can’t help but starting to feel a little melancholic about this whole experience. Though there have been some hard days, and times where I have missed home so much, I cannot begin to describe how weird it will be to pack up and leave here. For good. I have to be careful when I say this around my teachers, who have realized that I have three weeks left teaching and have asked me how I feel about it. This leads to a very nostalgic discussion: I am so excited to get home to be with my family and friends, but again, there’s something about la France and particularly la Provence that always calls me back. When I say to them that it’s weird to think I will never be back in Apt, their response is always a smile with a sly “on sait jamais!”- you never know! Then, we proceeded to talk about my constant worry once I return to the states: trouver un boulot*. Getting a teaching job in France is completely different than getting one in the states – you don’t even have an interview most times! Just fill out an online application and they send you an e-mail telling you whether you got the job or not. Say what?! They even told me they wished there was an interview process. I just don’t understand that – how can you be sure that someone is an adequate educator without ever meeting them? Bizarre, bizarre…. 

With my limited time left here, I have been trying to overload on everything français, from reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in French to watching How I Met Your Mother in French to pushing myself into random conversations with teachers, workers at the school, shop owners and servers at the restaurant, I realize that I have limited time to continue to practice the language in a native place. Plus, it helps that wherever I go, random strangers on the street will always flash me a smile and dit a little “bonjour!” That’s small town France for you!**

Another sunset view from the Apt apt. (yes, my Apt apartment)

I even pushed myself to do something that any foreign language speaker knows is hard and nerve-racking task: talk on the phone in French. I know what you are thinking, I speak French… so why can’t I do it on the phone?! Many factors affect this (not being able to see the person, body language, bad phone connection leaving voices to be mumbled and incomprehensible, etc),  but it is one of the hardest skills to master in my opinion. For shutting down all of my accounts, it was necessary for me to speak to the customer service of each one of my providers, to get information on how to go about doing this. Unfortunately, all these companies in France have their employees sign contracts where they cannot speak in English to help customers - even when they are having trouble understanding and you might be able to help them better in another language. Only French conversations can be had. Knowing this in advance, I prepared myself and hoped that this conversation would go as smoothly as one I would have with someone at a store. My phone call with SFR (my internet company) was as seamless as could be – she could understand me, and I could understand her. It was actually quite a lovely conversation. After that, with my spirits lifted, I decided to call Virgin (my phone company). This conversation was a little bumpier, but still a lot better than how it would have been when I first arrived! Either way, getting over that feeling of being timid is hard for me – in English and even more in a foreign language! I am more than proud of what I have accomplished and continue to accomplish as I grow within this language.

I took advantage of this weekend being my last true weekend “at home” in Apt. On Friday, I spent the day laying out and cleaning. I did venture out of the apartment to get some new movies and stop to get some kebab. After a nice conversation with the owner, I got out my money to pay for my meal and he told me “non, non, mademoiselle, c’est mon cadeau pour toi!”*** Though I felt weird about this, he insisted, reminding me of the little town atmosphere this place has and how a little conversation can go a long way. Then, like a true American, I went to the theater and watched Monuments Men. What a great film, filled with patriotism and a little bit of Matt Damon speaking French (albeit a little rough pronunciation, but still)! I couldn’t help but cry for my homeland a bit…

It's okay, Matt - sometimes I screw up French too!

Saturday, I went to the market for one of the last times. I ran into many students, and one of the teachers I work with, Marc. Again, these are only things that can happen in such a small town as this – I can never go anywhere without seeing a teacher or students from the lycée. Also, I heard A LOT of other Anglophones around, lots of Brits and Americans. Tourist season must be starting in Provence! With all the things I bought, I might have had a near anxiety attack and quickly did a test-pack of everything I have here… needless to say I haven’t done my April-May travels and with two checked bags, I am still overweight…. guess I will be shipping some things home! Then, I enjoyed a nice light dinner and watched A Good Year, filmed right here in the Luberon in Provence. I recognized many of the panoramic views of the little, hillside villages that are on my stomping grounds, including Gordes, Bonnieux, and Lacoste. But what was surprising was at the very end, while the credits rolled, they listed a special thanks to the people living in all of the towns that were filmed in the movie. I was more than surprised to see little, unexceptional Apt on the list! Now I will have to rewatch that movie a few more times and try to pinpoint which scene/s where filmed here in my French home.

And Marion Cotillard is in it - a fav French actress. Need I say more?

Sunday, one of my private lesson clients Laure and her husband Julien took me to the market at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Though I had visited this wonderful town before, through their knowledge and guidance, I saw it through completely different eyes. I learned so much about la Venise Provencal****, walking through antique shop after antique shop, and vendor after vendor in the marché. Before going today, I was not sure whether we would speak in English or in French together, as all of our communication up until now has been in English. It was a welcomed change to be expected to speak in French, even when at times I had difficulty in expressing my ideas, they would help me with giving me a new expression or words to use. Even so, these moments didn’t happen too frequently, meaning that my time from 9am-5pm was nearly entirely spoken in French. I know that many of my readers might be saying “Becca, you live in France – isn’t this something you do everyday?” The simple answer: no. Since I am required to speak English with students at work, and with the professors when in front of students, I mostly have found that I go some days speaking English more than French. Although I have had several opportunities to speak through meals and other gatherings with my teachers, this was a nice change as it was different people with different accents, for quite a long period of time. Their generosity and kindness was something that I hadn’t expected, et je ne l’oublierai jamais – I will never forget it!

Antiques everywhere!

We saw many pairs of these lions statues flanked at the doorways of the antiquaires. They explained to me that in ancient times these were used as guardians at the doors almost, portraying the fierceness of the nobility/people that lived inside of the buildings.

La Sorgue!

Laure and I in front of the many water wheels, or roules, that are scattered throughout Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

The emblem of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with its latin motto which when translated means the city holds strong against enemies.

Notre Dame des Anges - the church. We peeked in so I could get a look, even though there was a service happening, what a beautiful interior!

More antiquing along the Sorgue - anyone want a cup of tea on the dining set in the water on the right there?

La Sorgue est partout!

They took me to a lovely Chinese restaurant, which is honestly something I have been craving for a long time, as the one in Apt is SUPER expensive (and kinda sketchy looking) so I haven’t tried it. So when they said they felt bad because they didn’t take me to somewhere typically French, I said it is no problem. After, we went to their beautiful home and met their dog Uta, further making this day more amazing, as I got to have play time with un chien! After, they took me to a park where the Sorgue river splits into two parts, a well-known place called le Partage des Eaux. After, we headed up a windy, skinny road deep in the countryside and visited the village of Saumane-de-Vaucluse. Known for a chateau that is privately owned at the top of the village, it boasts magnificent views over the countryside while keeping its quaint, white-washed stone houses stacked in solemnity on the hillside. I had never heard of this village before, and after today I can say I discovered a new coin de Provence.

I can't tell you how many ducks I saw today, and all in twos! I guess that is the custom: as it is almost time for the mama ducks to give birth, the daddy ducks stay with them to help with the ducklings. It's bizarre I didn't manage to get both in the picture....

Le Partage des Eaux

Walking up to the village was beautiful, seeing the layered white rock flanking the hillside. Laure and Julien explained to me that some people have carved their houses into this type of rock, their house actually a part of the hillside. I didn't really believe them... until we saw one on the drive back to Apt. Unfortunately, didn't get a picture of that.

Best shot I could get of the privately-owned chateau

Saumane-de-Vaucluse

After such a wonderful day, it was hard for me to say goodbye and to adequately thank them for how much today meant to me. I think it is hard for people to realize how lonely it can be to come to a foreign country, knowing no one, not having a car, and to try and be able to make connections with people and do things. Today, I felt like I was somewhat part of French everyday life, and it will be a day that I will remember forever.

 

Now, onto another 3 weeks of teaching!

*Translation: to find a job. Woof.

**Recall: In a previous post of when I first arrived, I talked about how I feel like Belle from Beauty and the Beast with everyone shouting “Bonjour” at me as I walk through town. That welcoming feeling has not gone away, and will be one of the things I miss most when returning home to the states.

***Translation: No no miss, this is my gift to you! As you can imagine, I was torn between feeling grateful and wondering if he had put something in my food….

****They call this the Venice of Provence because the river Sorgue that runs through the town forms many canals in the alleyways between the buildings.

Back to Real Life.... in France

And another relaxing Sunday night in Southern France is here. With the full moon shining outside and the breeze coming in through the window, I am loving Provence spring. Since I have returned to le sud de la France, it has been sunny with blue skies every day, with temps in the mid 60s to 70. That’s right folks – 70 degrees in early March. Maybe I’m becoming a southern girl after all!

Another sunny day at school!

When I returned to Avignon on the last Friday of vacation, I met my friend Clara at the TGV station. I studied abroad with her in Aix two years ago and she is an English assistant in Andorra for this school year. As she had her vacation the second week of mine and wanted to visit Provence, I invited her to come to Apt for the weekend that I returned from Paris. It was so nice to have her come – we spent a lot of time talking about our various experiences from this year from assistantship stories to traveling accounts to foreign language woes. It is refreshing to reconnect with someone who is doing a similar experience as you, sharing what you have found and realized from all of it. 

On Friday night, we stayed in and made a meal in the crockpot, though we might have gotten a few desserts from a nearby patisserie. On Saturday, we woke up and went into town for the market in the morning. Seeing many familiar student faces, it was nice to get back to this pace of life again, especially coming back from a whirlwind week in Paris. For lunch, I took Clara out to Chez Sylla, and of course we enjoyed the wine and cheese tasting with salad. This is becoming a standard place I take visitors now, and I am not hating it! After that, we went to rent some bikes for the afternoon. As this was my first time renting them here in town, I explained to him what we wanted and asked when we should have them back by. His response “la fin de la journée”*. As vague as all Provencal men are, I noticed that they closed at 7pm and planned to be back by then.

It was a perfect day to go on a bike ride – sunny, slight breeze and 70 degrees. I found myself pedaling down the path, racing some imaginary person next to me and smiling like I had just won the medal. The plan was to try to go to Rustrel, a village nearby that has amazing ocres. It is named le Colorado Provencal. Unfortunately, the directions the man gave us at the shop proved to not be very helpful. So instead we just rode further into the countryside, which I didn’t mind so much, as the beautiful weather could not be wasted. We stopped for a rest by a clear creek and took in the rays.

Perfection.

On the way back, we saw signs that led to Saignon. Since I hiked there before, I knew it was quite a steep climb but thought it would be nice to see over the valley with the sun starting to set. However, I misinterpreted the climb a bit…. After ditching our bikes at the bottom of the hill, we hiked up to the top to get a magnificent view over Apt. It was not for long though – looking at my watch which read 6:15, we hurriedly biked back to the shop. Although we arrived at 6:45, the owner was waiting outside with all the other bikes put away, clearly waiting for us. He smugly said “je pense que c’est la nuit…”. My response “oh no no monsieur, c’est presque la nuit!”** Either way, we dropped off the bikes grabbed pastries, pizza and wine and headed back for a relaxing night watching My Fair Lady and eating. Thought biking was wonderful, I forgot how painful it can be – my muscles were sore for two days after!

After seeing Clara off on Sunday, I began to plan for classes during the week and took the day to relax. I was trying to get my mind back into work mode. So when I walked to class Monday morning, fully prepared and ready to teach, you can sense my surprise when I walked in to find 5 students. In a class of normally 20. I turned and looked at the teacher with a bewildered expression. She said “Oh yes, they are not so many!” If that wasn’t obvious. Then, she explained to me that all the Spanish students were going to be gone the entire week – they were going on a school trip to Barcelona. The week coming back from a two week vacation…. and they miss the entire week for another trip. I just don’t understand things around here! Anyway, because of this news, nearly half of all of my classes were gone, leading to smaller class sizes and, for the most part, more manageable classes. But it still begs the question, I thought I was going back to “real life” here. I guess that is just what real life is like in France.

Along with temperamental class sizes (with randomly all my Thursday afternoon classes being cancelled… without anyone telling me..), this week gave me lots of time to work on the future travels I have coming up. All my main transportation is booked, now it is just time to reserve some hostels and do a bit of research on things to do and directions! I can’t believe how real it is getting now – booking all the planes, trains and buses made it even more so!

Saturday, I decided to take the bus into Aix to see something I have wanted to see since I studied there: Cezanne’s atelier. I was the first to arrive there, walking in at the same time as a 40 person high school tour group from the U.S. but as I was the only one with the tour in French, I got to have a private tour of the atelier. VIP status right here! It was wonderful to see where his vision stemmed from, and the tour guide did an amazing job describing his life story. I was left to wander around when the first part of the tour group came in, so I got to hear the tour in English too (and therefore assess my listening comprehension skills, I did pretty good if I do say so myself!). I also got to enjoy some sunlight sitting in his garden and reading a bit of Harry Potter II in French. It was a lovely morning.

After grabbing the obligatory Pizza Capri, I met up with Clara and her friend Aly at Giovanni, my favorite gelato place on the Cours Mirabeau. Clara just happened to be visiting her friend who is studying at IAU the same weekend I was planning on  making this day trip, so we stopped for a nice sugary treat. It was great to hear from a current student perspective how much IAU has changed and stayed the same. That paired with sunshine and gelato made for a wonderful afternoon. After some more time reading and shopping, I boarded the bus back to Apt. This ended being the worse 2 hour bus ride, with screaming students, several stops because an elderly woman would not stay in her seat, and even one unexpected stop with no explanation but the driver ran outside with ducktape and was fixing something on the bus. Needless to say, I was happy to make it back in one piece.

After a relaxing Sunday of laying out, catching up on shows, seeing Dallas Buyer’s Club and talking to my Fifi, it has left me to reflect a lot on time. One month from now, I will be done with the assistantship and starting a 4 week travel adventure and two months from now, I will be HOME! It has all gone so fast and although I am SO excited to be reunited with everyone at home, it’s weird to think about leaving this place. After all the hard times I have had trying to adjust to living and working in a foreign country, just when I think I am starting to get the hang of it, it is time to leave. Either way, c’est la vie and I am always feeling grateful for being able to have this opportunity. Until then, I am going to post some pictures of my future travels...(not to make you jealous or anything...)

Barcelona, Spain

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Cinque Terre, Italy (this picture is of Manarola, one of the five villages I will be hiking to)

Santorini, Greece

*Translation: the end of the day. Well, as if I didn’t guess that!

**Translation: He said “ I think its night time…” I said “Oh no, sir! It is ALMOST night time!” Since he said to bring back the bikes at the end of the day, and the sun hadn’t set yet, I kind of was being a little smug. J

Ma famille en Provence

The day my family arrived in France began very early with a 6:58 shuttle train ride to the TGV station. They just put this shuttle train in Avignon, calling it le Virgule, and although it was very fast (getting us from Avignon Centre downtown to the TGV station in 6 minutes), I think they should not have gotten rid of the shuttle bus they had before, as this doesn’t run nearly as often. Alas, all went well and I arrived on time to Charles de Gaulle airport to pick up my extremely tired parents, Dan and Brenna. After taking the bus to Gare de Lyon, we had a quick lunch (and nap in their case) and made our way on the train back to Avignon. We were all supposed to sit together but as the woman next to me said that she gets motion sickness sitting next to the window, I agreed to sit there and speak across her to my family. She joined in our conversation, understanding nearly all English while speaking French to me. In fact, when asking about what I am doing here in France, she exclaimed that she knew where Apt was and had friends who lived near my new French home. This would soon become a pattern for the rest of the two week vacation.

After a nice train ride enjoying the views of the countryside*, we arrived at the Avignon TGV station and picked up the rental car. And so began the critiques of Dad’s driving in a foreign country, which continued all week, ranging from funny to mean. Really guys, he did an AMAZING job navigating roads in a place he had never been before, especially in such a ridiculously small car with the winding, narrow mountain roads (which in many cases had no guard rails). Though for navigation, I really do think the in car GPS ended up being a lifesaver – my road map I had bought of the South of France would barely have been able to lift a finger in helping us. That night, we got pizza from Pizz’Avenue and relaxed at the hotel. I had been dying to try Pizz’Avenue for a while as everyone raves about it. My review? Incredibly disappointing, undercooked and flavorless. Let’s just say the meals got better as their week in Provence progressed.

Sunday, I woke everyone up and we went to get pastries from my favorite boulangerie here in town, Caractères. This again would become a pattern: what I didn’t realize about vacances de fevrier in Provence is that nearly EVERYONE takes this as an annual vacation. Including businesses. Throughout the week, as we would walk up to a shop, café, or restaurant that I had been so excited to show my family, most times my eyes were met with a gated door and a handwritten sign saying “congés annuels”. Like normal, I never know what to expect around here! I felt bad that my family couldn’t see some of the things I had planned to show them, but they were completely understanding the entire time. And plus, they got to experience my way of life here in France: expect the unexpected!

After breakfast, we headed to the Sunday market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I had been told by many that this market is the best in Provence and, as I have been to many a market, I was excited to see what this new place had to offer. I can officially say that this market is definitely the best: with its enormous size and variety of vendors set in this quaint little village, it was wonderful just to wander around and buy some souvenirs on the beautiful sunny day. 

The Sorgue River that runs through the city

Then we were off to Avignon, where I showed my family the quintessential tourist sights of the Palais des Papes, the Pont d’Avignon and the view from the Rocher des Doms. Although they were extremely tired, this being their first true day combating jet lag, they definitely were in high spirits to see the details of this walled city. Even so, we called it an early day and drove back to Apt, and as no restaurants are open in town on Sunday, we might have partaken in a McDonald’s meal slightly outside of town. You gotta do what you gotta do…. plus they have wifi!

Cheesing in front of the Pope's Palace

With the bridge in the background - on y danse, on y danse!

Monday morning, we were greeted with another blue skied day. We took our pastries and ate them in the Jardin du Monde in town. Then, as Brenna’s leg had been hurt from a soccer accident and the pain was getting worse, we stopped by the emergency room here in Apt and I got to practice my French medical terms. Although these are pretty non-existent, I helped out as much as I could, as none of the nurses and staff spoke English, besides the doctor that saw Brenna. After getting more meds and information about where to get bequilles**, we were off to our first stop of the day: Roussilion. As my Mom has her degree in geology, I was extremely excited to show her this place and knew that it would easily be her favorite. They were just floored by the dramatic colors of the ochres, especially with the extreme contrast against the blue sky, and it led to a wonderful afternoon exploring this natural wonder.

This week's new pastry: pain au chocolat et noisettes. Basically, a chocolate and hazelnut pastry. Pure HEAVEN.

Just chilling underneath the palm trees in Apt.

The red rock in Roussillon

Miss Geology with the ocres in Roussillon!

Working up a hunger, we stopped by a terrace café for lunch and soaked up the sun while we munched on crêpes, croque-monsieurs and ice cream. Then, it was off to the scenic overlook onto the town of Gordes. Although I have visited both Rousillion and Gordes in the past, it was so much more enjoyable being able to share these little villages with my family. As we drove up to the viewpoint, I knew what to expect, but hearing their “ooh”s and “aah”s made me see the beauty of the light shining on the white walls of the posh buildings in a completely different way.

Early evening light on Gordes

On our last stop of the day, making it just before sundown, we arrived in the middle of an uninhabited valley where the 12^th century Abbaye de Senanque sits. The isolated, yet still active, abbey was proceeded by lines and lines of lavender. Though not in bloom right now, you could still imagine the beauty of the place in the summer. Not to mention that it still had a lingering, fragrant scent of lavender, which added to the sense of calm one has when visiting this place.

The next day I dubbed to be Roman day, as we spent the day exploring many Roman ruins in cities scattered around this region. In the morning, we drove to Vaison-la-Romaine which has two sites of ruins nestled within the town center. It was amazing to see how the rest of the city has been built around these ancient ruins, and great to see how well they have been preserved. Plus, another wonderful morning market to wander around in was a nice way to start the day.

Queen of the ruins.

Then, we were off to Orange, which boasts a well preserved Arc de Triomphe as well as an ancient Roman theatre. Though it became windy and cold during this part of the day, we climbed the many steps in the theatre and tried to imagine the performances that took place at the venue in ancient times. Today, it still hosts the Choralies festival during the summer, a world renowned opera festival!

Arc de Triomphe in Orange

Who doesn't love a good photobomb?!

Theatre Antique

For the last stop in this tour of Roman Provence, we left the Vaucluse region and traveled into the Gard, visiting the magnificent Pont du Gard, a massive Roman aqueduct that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though I have wanted to see this site ever since I studied abroad here, I was not expecting how big it was truly going to be. Staring up at its large beams, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Romans could have built something so large and lasting with the limited amount of technology at that time. It was definitely the highlight of “Roman day” in Provence.

No picture can quite capture its massiveness.

That night, we ate at one of my favorite restaurants in town, Chez mon cousin Alphonse. Again, because many of my favorites were closed during this week, Chez became a place that we frequented. My family nor I did I mind, with the dessert menu that nearly competes in size to the regular one, we enjoyed nice meals of tartiflette, wood stove pizza, fondue, duck, and other favorites, washed down with wine for the ladies and beer for the men.

Dad's poison (left) and mine (right). Papa Bear and Little Bear. :)

Wednesday, we woke up and were greeted with rain. A lot of rain. As I had seen this in the forecast, we made it a simple day of driving through some of the littler villages around Apt, including Bonnieux, Lacoste, and the famous Ménerbes where Peter Mayle lived and wrote about in his book a Year in Provence. Because it was rainy and there was a lot of fog, we didn’t get out and take any pictures but more or less took in the view and feel of the cities from the car. Then we were off to Lourmarin to visit the Château de Lourmarin. We stopped in town to get a small lunch beforehand and ended up having a nice leisurely lunch, full of conversation with our waiter Benjamin who had just returned to France after living in San Francisco for several years.*** Again, always expect the unexpected here in France!

We made it back to Apt early that night and decided to catch a movie at the cinema, something I tend to do normally on a Wednesday night. They had August in Osage County playing in English, so we enjoyed a quick flick and then a nice French dinner at a crêperie called le Chant de l’Heure. As my family all adores cheese and sweets, they loved trying the savory and sweets crepes in this homey lofted restaurant.

Thursday brought an early morning but a promise of beautiful weather, as we were heading to the coast town of Cassis. Anyone who has asked me the question “What is your favorite place in France?” will know that this has been and still is my answer. I fell in love with this small coastal beach town during an excursion that I went on when I studied abroad, and my love for the clear blue waters splashing up onto the beach surrounded by Cap Canaille and the calanques has only continued to grow. Although we spent a short morning here, going on a boat tour of the calanques and relaxing by the Mediterranean Sea, I am so excited that I get to return here for my last weekend of the assistantship. I was so happy to be able to show this little gem to my family, who seemed just as enthralled by its beauty.

Pure happiness.

I said that Tuesday was dubbed “Roman day” – going with this theme, Dan decided to dub this day “Becca day” as we went to all my favorite places. The afternoon was spent in Aix-en-Provence. Although my mom had visited here before, it was wonderful to show the rest of my family where I studied for six weeks, my walk to school, my favorite gelato and crepe place and of course, all the fountains. After exploring the city, I took them out to the Barrage de Bimont where they could see the Montagne Sainte-Victoire that I hiked just the weekend before. 

Family in front of la Rotonde!

Alumni representin'

Dan and Brenna with Cezanne's muse in the background

We awoke Friday finally feeling the effects of a non-stop tour throughout Southern France. That, along with the rainy weather, scrapped the plans for the day and we decided to hang around town, resting and writing postcards while spending some quality time together. That night, we were invited to go to my coordinating teacher Cathy’s house for dinner. As I have been there a few times, I felt at home instantly, though I was worried about how my family might fit in. I needn’t have worried; Cathy, Marc and their children made my family feel so welcomed, offering us pissaladière, pot-au-feu, bread, cheese, and homemade ice cream for dessert, all washed down with a lovely Alsace white wine, a round red wine made in nearby Ventoux, and even a light organic red wine. They talked and talked to us for hours and loved hearing about life in America. After finally saying our goodbyes and many thanks at midnight, we drove back to the hotel with our bellies full and our spirits high.

Saturday morning marked the beginning of our last day together in Provence and it could not have begun better. A sunny blue sky greeted us as we made our way through the Saturday market here in Apt. I was happy to show my family the little windy alleys of Apt, and help them buy some souvenirs from this place as they got to experience one last market. For lunch, I introduced another French tradition to them: a wine and cheese tasting at Chez Sylla. With each of us getting something slightly different (the men got sausage platters while the women got salads and cheeses), we got to try each other’s food and wine choices, leading to good discussions with our waiter about how the wine was made and how each one is different. My family loved this meal, boasting that it was maybe their favorite, which showed as they bought their favorite wines and confitures from the store room.

In the afternoon, we headed off to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, a small village which holds la source, or the source of the Sorgue river. As it is winter, everyone says that it is the best time to visit this sit, as the water is incredibly high and rushing throughout the village. As the beautiful weather continued, it was clear that we were not the only ones that had the idea to visit the source, which was shown by the overflowing parking lots throughout the city. We followed the mass of people going towards the source, all the while taking in the sights and the sounds of the gushing water of the river next to us. When we reached the beginning, we noticed that there was a large rock face that people were climbing to get a better view. Although I was not really equipped for climbing, Dan, Dad and I climbed up to get a better view and a few pictures. It was certainly worth almost slipping down the side of the hill, as the pool of blue water below was a beauty to see.

Dad looking like a kid in a candy store after climbing the rocky trail for a better view!

La Source

Our last night in Apt, we decided to have a small dinner, as we would be up at 4:30 to leave for Avignon.**** So what fine dining establishment did we visit, you may ask? Since I had told my family so much about it, we had to make a stop at Pizz’Burger. One of my students took our order, gave us a meal for free and even offered us coffee after. I talked to my favorite French woman, who I finally found out refers to me as la fille avec l’ordinateur, or the girl with the computer. Wifi junkie, much? But anyway, we spoke in French about my family and we translated the conversation back and forth, always so welcoming even if they barely know any English. I am glad that I did take my family there – though it is not exactly French cuisine, it has that laid-back, welcoming Provencal attitude that I want my family to remember. 

With speedy and a little stressful packing for the rest of the night, our week together in Provence came to a close. I can’t even begin to explain how wonderful it was showing my family around where I live, work and studied. I hope they understand why I like it so much in this region in France, that it is all about slowing down and enjoying what is around you: the beautiful sights, delicious food and wonderful family. I think that they felt welcomed and at home, in my home away from home. It was truly a week that I will never forget.

*Read: Me enjoying the countryside, everyone else napping. Jet lag is rough, folks!

**Translation: crutches. I had to google translate that one on my phone while in the hospital – yes technology!

***I know, right? What a small world! Brenna, Dan and him chatted like old pals about the Bay area.

****In hindsight, the 7am TGV ride might not have been a great idea. But hey, it was cheaper and we got into Paris earlier!