Goodbye to the no-tell motel in Nice and we head west. We stop in Grasse, France for a tour of the Fragonard Parfumerie. One step in the door and your olfactories are on overtime. Labcoats and "noses" sit behind the glass, busily making perfumes and colognes. After a couple of minutes, my "nose" was struggling since I picked up a lovely cold somewhere along our travels (probably from the "less than sanitized for your protection" recent accommodations). After the tour and samples, of course there was more you could take home with you, at deeply discounted prices. It was nice to visit but I had to get some fresh air.Back on the bus headed further west with quick lunch stop in Aix-en-Provence. Quaint cafes and street markets line the streets of this wonderful old town dating back to 123 BC. Paul Cezanne lived and painted here. Wish we'd had more time to explore, but we barely had time to eat.
On the road again to Luberon in the Rhone Valley for another quick stop at Chateau Val du Joanis winery for a tour of their kitchen garden, or potager. Perfectly pruned and manicured grids of herbs, perennials, and espaliered fruits overlooked acres and acres of grapevines and olive trees. It took us a few minutes to figure out what the funny looking lightweight black mulch was...spent cocoa shells. Careful with that stuff though, poisonous to the pups. 
More bus riding, on to Avignon, for what I believe was the quickest tour stop of all time. A quick sprint (literally) through the town to see the Palace of the Popes, the Pont d'Avignon, and experience a bit of the Mistral - the continuous wind that could drive you mad. Were we there 20 minutes, maybe? I'm not sure but I know we must have set a record.We ditch the bus in Avignon to pick up the TGV high speed train to Paris. No pressure, but we've got to cram 30 people, with baggage, on one train car before the doors close and it takes off again like a bullet. We were perched on the boarding deck like racehorses at the gate. We made it, but boy was it a stressor. Now that we're locked and loaded, don't relax just yet...let's take a class quiz. Stress on top of stress. By the way, I blew all my quizzes. Short attention span this year for some reason. Maybe it's a subconscious deep-seated resentment toward the Regents for pricing me out of my education plans. Still have a bad taste in my mouth about that toward my beloved alma mater. Or maybe I tanked my quizzes because I thought I was on vacation and shut my brain off.
Two and a half hours bulleting 400+ miles across the French countryside and we make it to Paris. Now a little more stress maneuvering through the Paris Metro subway system with luggage in tow. Half the group wimped out and took taxis (and ironically beat us to the hotel, with the reward of waiting on us in an un-air-conditioned lobby, hee, hee!) Time to relax? Can't relax too much with three people in a tiny un-air-conditioned room with hooligans partying all night in the courtyard below. Such is the life of a European jet-setter...glamorous, huh?
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