Voyages around France: A moving experience.....

Like most people I have discovered, again, just how fun packing up and moving can be. We had always planned on moving at some point to be closer to Alicia's work and last week we made that move. We now live right in the town of Vedene which is what would be considered a suburb of Avignon. Many items are still unpacked and we're still trying to get situated in our new surroundings.

There are not nearly as many wide open places for Rudy to walk and run freely so for now I have him on a leash when we leave the house. There is a hill above town that has some of those open spaces which we have visited a couple of times so far that he can explore without that restrictive leash. From the hill you can look down on the large city of Avignon to the west and on the east side you can see many smaller towns including Mont Ventoux in the distance.

Of course I will miss the vineyard and the views that our former "rural" home gave us but now I can walk to the store and other small shops that are only a block or two away from our front door. Parking is definitely at a premium with very narrow streets and equally narrow sidewalks. It has been quite a change but we're adapting slowly each day.

A couple of weeks ago we visited the village of Venasque which sits high on a hill surrounded by steep cliffs on 3 sides. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France it also boasts a 13th century church which greets you right when you enter the town. Of course it has those classic narrow streets with some nice shops and restaurants along the way. Not an overly tourist type of village but it does gets its fair share of visitors. We happened to be there on a Saturday which was very quiet, but we discovered that a cherry festival was being held the very next day so we decided to return again on Sunday.

This region produces a large amount of grapes and olives but cherries has to be high on that list as well. I know I have consumed my fair share of cherries in that last 2 weeks...actually, MUCH more than my fair share... :-)

I have posted some of the photos from the Saturday trip and will post some photos of the Sunday cherry festival in my next entry.

An old school for garcons (boys)

Cyclists taking a break and quenching their thirst at the fountain in the center of the village. Cyclists from around the world come to this region to test their skills and endurance. In some years it is also where a stage of the Tour de France is held.