From The Road

As I write I am sitting in the backseat of the car as we drive South towards Avignon. It is about 2:30 and we have about three hours ahead of us. I somehow managed to sleep the first two hours. I arranged all our coats and made pillows and blankets like a little kid. Then we had a little lunch and now we’re back on the road. This drive is mostly beautiful. Rolling hills, green fields, little red-roofed villages, the occasional small castle. This drive reminds me of something I can’t quite put my finger on but I have a feeling it just reminds me of France. I remember attempting to take photos out the car window the last time we made this journey but they all came out a blur or primary colors and now those images are finally coming into focus gain.

Grandpa has GPS. Mom got it for her car but I haven’t been home to see it so this is my first GPS-guided car ride. Grandpa says he likes it because the GPS system is very polite. It never yells if you mess up. It also has a nice woman’s voice and speaks British. I’m sure you can imagine: Hello dears, pop onto the motorway in your driving machines. Make sure you have a torch in the back and look out for a hole in the wall in case you need some money! Cheery-o! I think I need one! Although I have a funny feeling you need a sense of direction for one to be useful since it seems to lie sometimes. The first thing it did when we set off was ask us to drive straight into a brick wall. I can just see the lawsuits. “Mr. Smith, why did you drive off the bridge?” “The GPS told me to. I’m suing!”

We just stopped off at a “rest area” (there’s a reason I put that in quotes). It was terrifying. The toilet was literally a hole in the ground. It was the second time I’d seen one like that… the first time in a Monestery in the mountains of Greece. Gold star America for having proper toilets.

I think I will make a table about the advantages and disadvantages of Greece, France and America. Someday.

Might not have Internet again until Thursday (I will post this at the hotel tonight) unless they have Internet on the boat... but don't fret! I'll be back. And thank you to all the nice friends and relatives who have emailed me and seem to be enjoying the blog. Cheers, loves.