Managing the local buses and some good tennis at a near by club

Bonjour tout le monde,

We're still adjusting to the local bus service here in Aix which, for the most part, is pretty good. We have bus passes (ten trips per pass, all for 7 euros) which you validate in an easy-to-operate machine when you enter the bus. (By the way, as long as you have your dog/ pet in a bag on your lap, they are allowed. So Niko has been riding the buses with us, to the amusement of many of the French.)

However, this morning we learned a lesson: the bus doesn't necessarily stop at every bus stop. In fact, the bus does NOT stop unless someone has pushed the buzzer letting the driver know they want to get off OR, the driver sees people at the bus stop waving their hand for him/her to stop.

We planned on visiting a local tennis club today on the outskirts of Aix, about 15 minutes from here on bus. No problem. I checked the approprite bus schedule (I knew it was bus #13), found the bus stop on the bus-schedule map (about a 6-7 minute walk from our flat) and we were already go. Given that it is Sunday, the bus for this route runs (only) every hour. So, Yvette, Niko and I are at the bus stop, eagerly awaiting the bus. Right on time, we see the bus approaching about 200 meters away. So, quickly, we're trying to get Niko settled in the bag we use for his bus travels. However, to do this, we were somehow bending down and were apparently out of the sight of the bus driver. Sure enough, bus #13 goes sailing right by us, leaving us more than a little frustrated.

Lesson to be learned: no matter anything, make sure somebody is signaling the bus driver to stop when you want to be picked up. The two buses that had come by before that (as we were waiting) both stopped--apparently for people to be dropped off. We just assumed (wrong) that the buses stopped at all of the pick-up points.

So, not to be denied and not wanting to wait another hour for the next bus, we walked ten minutes or so to the taxi pick-up location and spent our lunch money on a taxi ride to the tennis club. C'est la vie. But also, plus jamais (never again).

Arriving at the tennis club (a nice club with 12 clay courts which we need for our aging joints), we were quite impressed. It turned out that there was an interclub match today, with the top team (men's and women's) from the Aix club putting on quite a show against their club opponent. We also saw enough of the "usual" club members playing to think it would probably be a better playing situation for us than what we've found thus far at the city-sponsored club we've already joined (for a small fee).

This week (Tuesday evening or sometime on Wednesday), our friends, Gary and Dianne Gerberich, will be visiting for a few days--from San Diego. They're on a three or four week European trip and have, fortunately for us, decided to include us (and Aix-en-Provence) in their travels. I've known Gary since our grade school days back in Aurora, Illinois. Later, he and I played together on our high school basketball team that went 18-6. Also, the Gerberichs were members of the UCC church I pastored (for thirteen years) in Poway, CA, just north of San Diego. Should be some good times (we haven't seen them since 2002).

Life goes on ... two conversation sessions demain (tomorrow). Still, a long way to go with the French. Mon probleme principal est que les gens parlent trop vite (my main problem is that the people speak so fast).

A bientot ...