Trip to Avignon and the mountain town of Sault

Bonjour mes amis,


On Tuesday, our good friends Gary and Dianne Gerberich arrived from San Diego for a four/five day visit. We've been having some great times.


Gary and I have known each other since grade school back in Aurora, Illinois. Back in the day, we played basketball together on our high school basketball team that went 18-6 my senior year.


We got reconnected years later (in the late 80's in San Diego, CA.) when I was pastoring the Community Church of Poway, United Church of Christ (a suburb of San Diego). Soon, Gary and Dianne became members of the church and a short time later, in 1990, I was honored to officiate at their wedding.


Yesterday (Wednesday), the four of us visited Avignon, the site of the shared Papacy (when, for a period of 60-70 years there were two Papacies) back in the 14th century. Avignon is bursting with history and timeless beauty. We visited the gorgeous jardin des Papes (garden of the Popes) high aloft a quaint and scenic hillside. We peered into the cathedrale ... lunched on the plaza with hundreds of others and, in general, delighted in walking the grounds of this historic site.

Avignon exists inside a walled city. As you might imagine, everything is in close quarters ... very narrow streets, sharply angeled turns ... all very interesting and challenging for motoring tourists.

Later that same day, we ventured up the 40-50 miles or so to the mountain-side town of Sault, a small town with some spectacular views of the rural, farmland valleys below. All the way, we were guided in the Gerberich's rental car by a European GPS system. Except for some of the inevitable changes due to new construction or changes in city planning (i.e., one way streets etc.), the GPS did an outstanding job of guiding us along the way.

Over all, it was a wonderful day of sight seeing (something we haven't done much of thus far in our time here). Today we showed the Gerberichs the sights and smells of the local marche (out door market) and assisted them in buying round trip train tickets to Paris on the TGV, the train de grand vitesse (the train of great velocity). This very fast train is renowned in these parts, making its way to Paris (some four hundred-plus miles) in three hours.

Tomorrow, we are all going to Cassis, the beautiful, seaside town just north of Marseilles where we hope to dine down by the water front, port area, visit the nearby calanques (canyon-like areas with waterways at the bottom where, over centuries and centuries, the waters have worn away the rock), and take in the beautiful sights. If things work out, we may do a little wine-tasting as well.

Can't believe it, but in one week we leave for ten days in Greece and Turkey. When we return on June 27th, Natasha and Annika will be arriving (that same day) for five weeks. Can't wait. Lots to look forward to. Lots to be thankful for.

Be well and a bientot from Aix ...