The bus from Marseille took us further down the coast of the Meditteranean. We passed through Nice and into Italy. With the help of a little dramamine from Jen, Katelyn slept better and Nick and Greg were out cold for most of the ride. We woke with the sun and knew immediately that we were in Italy because it looked just like Italy should. Colorful villas dotted the hillsides with Italian cyprus trees and vineyards stretched out before us. We got stuck in traffic for a while and made a few stops, including one in Florence, before finally arriving in the Eternal City.
Read on
For our second morning in Aix, Katelyn decided she wanted to climb Montagne Saint-Victoire. In hindsight, this probably was not the brilliant beyond brilliant idea that Katelyn thought it would be after such a late night. Nevertheless, the five of us set out around 10 am to catch the bus to the mountain side. Mt. Saint-Victoire is the mountain that makes starring appearance in many of Cézanne’s masterpieces and our expectations were as high as its altitude as we began our ascent. Jen and Nick were a couple of mountain goats, quickly getting ahead of the rest of us while Greg and Katie lagged behind, and Geraldine acting as our guide brought up the rear, wise to conserve her energy for later (she was climbing for a second time despite her better judgement).
Read on
Aix-en-Provence, c’est la France! This town really is very charming, and feels almost exactly as you’d expect a small-ish southern French town to feel. We spent all morning browsing the street markets. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and handmade soaps, jewelry, and clothes for sale. We picked out some cherries and strawberries to go with our assorted breakfast pastries, which we ate on the steps of Palais du Justice.
Read on
Early this morning, we said ‘adios’ to Barcelona and got on the bus towards Marseille (and eventually Aix-en-Provence). As we made our way along the Mediterranean coast, we had stiff gales to go with our stiff legs. Taking a break at a rest stop somewhere in the Languedoc region of France, the bus driver warned us (in Spanish) to tie ourselves to the bus before getting off just to be sure we wouldn’t blow away. And he was definitely right. Back on the road, we all were a little concerned by the way the bus swerved and swayed on the highway because of the high winds. But the bus driver seemed to know what he was doing and we were soon making our way (safely) through Languedoc and on into Provence.
Read on
For our second day in Barcelona, we didn’t have too much on the itinerary so we caught up one some sleep for most of the morning. When we did finally drag ourselves out of bed, it was off to La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece of a Cathedral. It’s a kind of gothic style meets space ship aesthetic and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Unfortunately, it isn’t due to be completed until 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death, and we could definitely tell that work was still underway.
Read on
