Another observation about this trip: I've been drinking much less coffee. In fact, I think there have been a few days where I skipped coffee entirely, or had no more than one shot of espresso for the entire day. Very surprising. By 2 months into my last trip, I had very much a habit of several espressos a day. At home, I drink at least one 20 ounce coffee a day. Is this why I've been sleeping so late in the morning?
We made the collective decision that the Smart Car I had rented, however charming, was far too expensive, and that it must be returned to Avignon. D drove R to the airport (he was on his way to the Edinburg International Festival) and E and I (neither of us familiar with driving in France), drove to a semi-nearby Patisserie to pick up pain au chocolate (breakfast for me), and three chicken sandwiches for all of us later. Despite only a few missed roads, we managed to arrive at Avignon TGV at the promised time to drop off the car and meet up with D. I turned in my keys to the same girl at Hertz from whom I had rented the car on Thursday, very friendly both times. This time though, I thought she said she was going to print something out and give it to me, so sat waiting at the counter making small talk for a few minutes while I thought I was waiting for it to print. Finally I asked if she was printing it and she said "no", and I realized that I probably looked like I was semi-awkwardly lingering, so I said okay, thank you, and the three of us left.
We drove through the Provencal mountains (steep, hilly, white rocks) to the tiny touristy town of Les Baux (from which I learned the word "bauxite" derives"), and visited the Cathedrale D'Images. This "cathedral" is actually a former limestone quarry, now a hollowed out portion of the mountain, now featuring exhibits by which images are broadcast onto the white stone walls, accompanied by music. I have been informed that in previous years the exhibits have been about visual art, this exhibit concerned Australia, its history, its landscapes, the Aboriginals, etc. The room was slightly chilly (refreshing on such a hot day), and I enjoyed it. Afterwards we walked through the town of Les Baux (all touristy shops) to the church at the top of the hill and ate lunch. As mentioned previously, the winds were strong.
We drove back to the house (after stopping briefly to pick up R's bike from the shop) (I think I slept part of the way), and I think I may have taken a nap upon arrival.
D and E prepared dinner (both excellent cooks), and we watched a film made by R about Shakespeare's Hamlet -- essentially a faux television program wherein the characters in the play are interviewed throughout the course of the action, I believe intended for educational purposes. The conversational nature of the program I thought was an effective way of explaining the characters' motives, from the perspective of those same characters.
Nana Mouskouri -- La Provence
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