Loose ends

I've been meaning to write for a while, but like always it has just gotten away from me.

For starters, my parents were here just a couple weeks back.  They spent a week and a half with me and we traveled all around Provence and had a blast together.  It was really nice for me to share this place with people who know and love me.  We did a lot of sight-seeing, and really had the most wonderful time together.  Of course they did happen to arrive right in the middle of the biggest travel crisis ever to affect France.  Airport closings due to volcanic ash cloud + French train strike (mais oui) = good fun.  But, apart from a slight delay in getting to Avignon it didn't really affect us. We saw and did so much that it's hard to recount it all,  but I think the most fun we had was just sitting in the sun eating ice cream or watching old men play pétanque in the parks.

Due to my phenomenal navigating skills we got successfully lost or at least well off the beaten path on several occasions.  But, on one occasion that path took us through lavender country.  It was beautiful even though the plants weren't in bloom.
Saying goodbye was hard.  I have lots of friends here in Aix, but they don't know me in the same way, and it was so comforting and easy to have people here that just wanted to spend time with me and experience a little piece of my life.  They came at a good time, though.  The weather was the best it has been before or since.

 Mom and Dad in front of the Pont du Gard

So now I am in the throes of despair.  I leave Aix tomorrow.  This city has been my home for 4 months, potentially the best consecutive 4 months of my life.  I have become adapted to a completely new way of life which includes daily fresh-food markets, patisseries on every corner, and cafés with large outdoor terraces.  I'm not sure how easy it will be to leave it all behind.  I am also looking forward to going home, but I'm traveling for 2 weeks first and during that time I will be missing both my home in the US and my home in France.  Luckily, my sister will be here to help keep me stable...or something.  Mostly I'm worried that I will return to my normal life and it will be like nothing happened, as though these four months of my life just didn't exist.

I will try to update during my travels, but if I don't I will at least write one more entry when I return to the states