Today we spent the morning going to Avignon, picking up Heidi's licence and getting a rental car - an adventure in itself. We finally worked out that it was relatively easy, and cheap, to get to Avignon from Cucuron. We took the local taxi to Bonnieux, to a tiny bus stop in the middle of nowhere, and caught the bus to Avignon.
Once in Avignon, Heidi and the kids went exploring and visited the Palais de Pape (where the Pope lived when the Catholic Church was based in Avignon in the 14th century) and the Pont d'Avignon . I got another taxi to the Star Fruits office with a frustrating French driver who wouldn't believe there was such a place until he finally looked it up on his GPS, and got Heidi's drivers licence.

Back in Avignon we hired a car and took off to have a look at the sights.

We went to the Pont du Gard - a bridge over the Gardon river built by the Romans in the first century as part of an aqueduct that took water from a spring in Uzes to Nimes, 50 km away. It drops exactly 25 cm every 1 km. The bridge itself stands 50 m above the river. We went for a swim in the river, almost under the bridge, in beautiful clear cool water - bliss on a 32 degree day!

Then we drove back home, stopping at Gordes and Rousillon, amazingly picturesque hilltop villages. Rousillon is red, coloured by limewash made with red ochre from the surrounding hills.

We got back home to Cucuron at about 9 pm having not had much to eat, to find all the shops, pizza shop, crepe restaurant shut, and no food left at home. We managed to get some plates of chips and salad at the only open restaurant - I'm sure they thought we were a bit strange, not to be eating so late but to be eating only chips and salad when we could have had entrecote and creme brulee.

By Steve