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Wed, May 23: St. Remy, Pont du Gard: Hurray. No chicken pox for D. He was perfectly fine in the morning. Seems as though the spots are heat
related. He got them again on Wednesday and they disappeared as he cooled down.
We got a late start today. I had a late run while W gave D a bottle. I
found the laundry room at the complex and W started two (expensive!) loads. D and
I were crabby when we finally got out. D fell asleep in the car
as we got going. Our first stop was the market at St. Remy-de-Provence.
Unfortunately didn't see much more than the market. I actually think I heard
more American voices than French voices at the market! We did have some
delicious pastry (almond, flaky, sugar bread) and some other snacks. It was hot
and the kids were crabby. We looked for a park nearby and didn't see anything.
We ended up in a mountain park soon after we left St. Remy. It was very pretty
but a bit rocky. D was happy to move around a bit and I got filthy digging
in the dirt. He smiled as he announced/questioned that he had to have a bath
that night.
We passed some gorgeous towns - including one that we later went to see, Les
Baux. D fell asleep so we kept driving. We ended up going to Pont du
Gard, an old Roman styled bridge that W had heard about. Very touristy and
pretty place. The bridge was plenty impressive. I and I climbed the stairs
hoping to see the upper level of the bridge (there are three levels). We ended
up in a rocky set of paths and eventually came upon a scenic panorama of the
area. Took me a bit to find our way back! When we got back down and found D and W, we saw that there were people swimming in the water below the
bridge. Stopped at the grocery store (Champion in Remoulin) for some things.
Boys not so happy in the hot car! Had delicious pancakes when we returned. A
couple of firsts today for D: first time he drank out of a water bottle and
he started climbing the stairs! I and D had a great time in the bath. We
had a lovely dinner outside as usual and I got filthy playing outside in his
pajamas.
Thur, May 24: Nyons; My diary notes from the trip start out: "What day is it? Who knows? Who cares? I'm on vacation ;-)...this is an awesome vacation and only half over!!" Life is good. We first stopped by the bakery in Montsegur-sur-Lauzon - more bread and the same chocolate treat I had before. Still delicious. Fortunately D slept on the way but woke up during the bakery stop. Afterwards, we got to Nyons and had a picnic before catching the very end of the market. I wanted a new diaper bag for kids stuff but everything was so expensive. After a quick search, I just bought something at a store by the market. Nyons is lovely. We started climbing a stone passageway with D in the Baby Bjorn and I in the stroller. No way we could get up it with a stroller but things got complicated when I's sandal broke. He climbed reluctantly with only one shoe on to a lovely chapel at the top. Some poor woman was writing postcards outside the chapel probably enjoying the panoramic view and hoping for serenity and quiet. I hereby publicly apologize for our loud, whiney presence. I was the ultimate tacky tourist snapping pictures left and right hoping to see later what I visited while trying to appease the wee ones ;-). W came up with a good temporary solution for I's sandal. We pulled the string belt from I's pants and tied it around the shoe. He looked very Roman while climbing down the twisty, stony sidewalk. On the way back to the Little House, we stopped at two grocery stores looking for new little toys to keep the kids occupied and new sandals for I. Didn't find any shoes for I. His shoe was easily fixed when we got back anyway and cut it with a knife. After returning, we all went swimming in the pool. Cold but so nice and we were all alone initially. D was skeptical at first in his little inner tube but he liked it and looked so cute with his little hat on. I gave himself an early bedtime. W and I had a delicious sweet and sour meal (W hated it but it WAS great!), fresh French bread (of course!) and local wine (of course!). We had planned on going to the Grand Canyon du Verdon. The guide books tell you to definitely not miss Europe's widest and deepest gorge but it was too much to ask the kids to handle all that extra driving. Perhaps next time ;-).
 | I promised a photo of the world's best chocolate dessert! |
| A photo of the Nyons market. |
| The top of the chapel peeks out. |
| A fantastic view from high up by the chapel. |
| Julius I in his makeshift shoe. |
| Blowing bubbles in the backyard of the Little House. |
