WanderlustandWhimSea

Mind the GAP – In this case I’m not referring to the gap between the platform and the subway but between my blog posts. I’m not sure what happened but between Aix En Provence and Barcelona I lost my will to blog. Nothing dramatic happened, except I lost internet while on the ship and boom 3 weeks were gone.  So I’m back in the saddle now but about 5 adventures behind…..

Above are pictures from our street and VRBO. Sad to say goodbye to Aix but the next adventure was starting out of Barcelona and a 16 day transatlantic cruise.  But first a few wrap up notes:

We had originally planned to rent a car to explore Provence for a few days but I forgot my International Drivers License.  These pesky licenses that allow you to rent cars in Europe expire annually so you have to be on your toes and alas my expired license sat at home. Thankfully Gaia arrived in Aix with a license and the real adventure began. We rented a car, first challenge was getting out of town. It sounds easy but we first had to get the GPS to talk to us in English and then she led us into a parking garage. After twirling for several levels we escaped to the French Countryside and the Luberon Villages. I had read it would remind me of Tuscany and the views were very Tuscan.

After two weeks it was finally time to say goodbye to Aix and out favorite shop – Christophe’s Les Madeleines.  It was simply the best deal in town where we purchased 6 Madeleines for 3 Euros. The always sticky, sweet and sometimes hot Madeleines were on the daily must do shopping list. I’m pretty sure Kathy will experience withdrawal as it was the highlight of the day.

Just wanted to provide a tidbit about APPs and Cell Phone usage in Europe.  I’m too cheap to pay Verizon’s $10 a day fee for a travel pass so I look for APPS that work without WIFI and Data.  One of my favorites is Here We Go.  If you download the maps in advance or when you have Wifi access you can use the app for directions when you are offline.  It gives you great confidence to drop a pin and be able to get home from any where. Speaking of home here are a few pictures of the street where our VRBO was and typical living areas

And now it’s off to Barcelona and the next phase!