We weren't leaving until Saturday morning, so Friday we had a wonderful beach day in hope of perfecting my tan before Festival time! After this we decided to watch a school volleyball tournament being held in the courtyard. It apparently turned into a mini Olympic games with students from Sweden taking on the Mexican students followed by the Dutch, etc. Very entertaining to watch! Somehow, team America (lead by my friend Tanner) was a little too confusing for the foreign students and we became Team Tina! After several matches, we were wiped out (well ok we didn't play, but we sure watched a lot of sweating going on!) so a few of us hiked it down the beach to grab some cocktails! I ended the week with a delicious bloody mary-go figure! 
Friday night we just hung around in a friend's room enjoying each other's company! It was a really low key night but reminded me how much I am going to miss all my new friends!
The next morning we were up early for an 8:00 departure. Our first stop was Arles where we were able to see their colosseum (built 400 years before Christ!), the eclectic market, and explore the city on our own.
After this we had a short bus ride before arriving in Baux-de-Provence. Alright go ahead and add this to your bucket list-it was AMAZING! One of the main attractions to the little village is an old quarry. Artists have transformed it into a living art exhibit! Every year a different artist is spotlighted (This year Picasso) and there are giant projection slide shows that take place all over the quarry creating a 3-D moving art exhibit accompanied by music. The space is dark and chilly, similar to a movie theater and it really is a must see! After this we hiked it over to the town's castle ruins. It was a very windy day, but the area had amazing views and we were even able to see a catapult show .
Our final stop for the day was Avignon. I was delighted to learn that we were staying in a cute little hotel that had a shower AND A BATH! What a wonderful treat for us weary travelers. That night we had a group meal that consisted of 3 courses (tried foie gras yuckkk!) and wine all paid for by AIFS and then some of us found a local bar.
The next day, unfortunately, we awoke to pouring rain. But that didn't stop us and we sloshed on over to the Palais des Papes (Pope's Palace). This was pretty cool to see (alright kind of boring but again paid for by AIFS so who cares!) and then walked around and grabbed a bite to eat. Sadly I chose the wrong shoes for the day- my rainbow flip flops- and was literally drenched up the the knees, and somehow my shoes died my little feet a nasty chocolate brown color that has yet to come off!
Our final stop on the trip was chateauneuf de papes vineyard, which is ranked among the top 3 best wines in the world! We had a wine tasting and were able to purchase vineyard goodies to take home! We were all exhausted for the bus ride home but it was a great final group trip!
Sadly I only have 1 more trip to Munich this weekend before the Festival and the end approach!
Paix,
Leah
le! ive been to that popes palace! cool!
ReplyDeleteMy only question is--are the Bloody Marys as good as yours? Vickie
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