Diane says, "Mother Knows Best"

our luggage

Today we rode on the TGV, the high speed train from Geneva to Aix-en-Provence. It took exactly three hours on the train and lots of schlepping our bags up and down ramps and stairs.
It was sad to say good-bye to our dear friend Jonathan, he was a wonderful host and so full of important information. He reminded us not to lose our passports, but if we did he would be the go-to person! We took a shuttle bus to the town center and then walked about 10 minutes dragging our bags.

Fortunately the sun was shining because 1 hour later the heavens opened up. We kept telling the French people that it was raining cats and dogs. Apparently they don't use that expression. What better place to be stranded during the storm, but a lovely patissirie, a French bakery- we bought a sandwich and a thin slice of pizza and a Fanta soda and stayed indoors and chatted with the help. The owner loves Van Cleef. She wore a green earring on one ear and a white earring on the other and two butterfly necklaces, one green and one white. It was very classy! Finally the rain slowed down so we could get back to our hotel and nap. That is our new favorite activity. Two hours later we were back walking the boulevards and side streets of Aix looking for Brad and Angelina- yes their twins were born right here - no paparazi spotting! Aix is a friendly, tree lined town with cobblestone streets and narrow alleys. Lavender scents the air as it is grown locally. That and cigarette smoke. Obviously the French haven't learned the dangers of smoking. We managed to eat early in a side walk cafe almost by ourselves which was good so noone was smoking nearby. The French eat around 8:30, of course we were hungry at 7! One thing we liked was the angles of the streets and the colors of the buildings, especially when the sun would reflect off of them in the late afternoon. Zoom zoom was the sound we heard the most from all of the bikers here. It is a busy University town in the heart of the South of France and tomorrow we have hired a driver to take us to the more Provencal areas in the countryside.

Jaime has dreamed about visiting this area and she spent a lot of time planning this part of the trip. Our hotel by the way, the Cezanne, is just charming. It is a boutique hotel filed with colorful works from Cezanne, bowls of cherries and our room is orange and white, very modern and high tech with internet free in the room.

We visited Longchamp today, the one made in france product that is actually cheaper here then back in the states. Don't worry Jerry (Jaime's dad)I didn't buy anything, just looking.

Editor's note: We are unsure what the deal is with Brad and Angelina. Apparently the birth may have been a fake out.