The Trail's Our Thing

We were also in Bonnieux in March as a family for a two-week extended spring break trip. We rented our friend Christine’s little house at the top of the village and had a very special time—lots of hiking and time with friends. We enjoyed actually living in the village. It was an added plus that the house is just up the street from Henri and Rosa's boulangerie!

Hiking at the Colorado Rustrel (Charley and our more-grownup Kelly)

We also visited Marseille for the first time on an extremely windy day. We really enjoyed the city, and are anxious to return since the boats weren’t going to the Château d’If due to the Mistral winds. Kelly read the Counte of Monte Cristo in school this past year, and she really wants to visit the chateau.

A very windy day in Marseille

Now Kelly and I are out of school, and our family is getting ready for another summer in France, our fourth consecutive summer in Europe. This summer will be very different for us, since we’re splitting up for some of our travels. Kelly is taking a special three-week program in architecture at Davidson College in North Carolina beginning next Sunday, so that’s an adventure of a different sort for her. I decided this would be the ideal time for me to do some major work on my French language skills, so I’ll be leaving for France a few days later. I’m going to attend the IS Language School in Aix-en-Provence for three weeks, about an hour south of Bonnieux. Although I’ve been to Europe 15 times as an adult, this is my first-ever solo trip. I’ll arrive in Aix three days before my classes and will stay at a B&B before I shift to my main accommodations.

I decided to board with a local family while I’m going to the school. This approach has two main benefits. It’s less expensive than the other lodging options, and— more important— I’ll get the chance to practice my French in daily interactions at breakfast and dinner.

This week I got information about my accommodations. The “family” has turned out to be a lady, a Madame Renault. The information describes her as a single woman, 60 years old, an active retiree who is a good cook. Her house is a ten minutes walk from the school and ten minutes from the center of Aix. I checked the address on a map, and it’s very close to the “King Rene statue” end of the Cours Mirabeau. I’ve been to Aix at least ten times, but always just for the day. I’m really looking forward to spending an extended time there and the chance to experience a French city for several weeks on my own.

When I told my mother about the living arrangement, she pointed out that the woman was not that much older than me and actually younger than Charley. (Thanks so much for that reminder, Mom!) It will be interesting to see who my classmates at the language school turn out to be—what countries they’re from and whether they’re college students or "more mature" working people like me. I really don’t know what to expect! In addition to the group lessons each morning, I hope to arrange some private lessons in the afternoons.

On July 6 Charley and Kelly will fly to Paris, and we’ll meet the next day at the TGV station in Avignon. Our friends in Bonnieux have invited us to housesit for them again this summer, and we’re looking forward to another leisurely stay in their beautiful home. I love visiting new places, but it’s so special to return to Bonnieux, a place that we treasure that’s really become a second home to us. I absolutely love it there.

Bonnieux in March

We've already got a "list" for this summer: things to do, places to visit, friends to see, and of course, the cafes and restaurants where we need to eat. There’s always so much more still to discover. We’re especially looking forward to the possibility of an overnight visit with our friends Cynthia and Ian, who now have an apartment in Bandol on the coast.

We all have projects that will keep us busy during our summer in Provence. I have classes to prepare for the fall and some consulting work I can do remotely. Charley and I are committed to finishing our Luberon hiking guidebook, which means we need to hike a couple mornings each week. Kelly has a summer reading project for 9th grade and wants to get in shape to play high school basketball next year.

Kelly and I will fly home for school on August 12, a week before our friends return from their trip, so Charley gets his own adventure too. He’ll stay on for the last week of housesitting on his own. We haven’t been to Paris since New Years 2005, and our return flights are out of Paris. So Kelly and I will spend three nights in Paris on the way home, and Charley will have two nights in Paris the following week. Much as I’d love to have Charley with us, it will be fun to have a few Mother-Daughter days in Paris.

I’ll be blogging from Aix and also from Bonnieux. Stay tuned!