Ah yes, my relaxing weekend getaway to Avignon. Okay, in my defence, I was told to be ready to leave the house by 8:20. So when I came down the stairs with my little suitcase to greet an impatient looking Rusty at 8:19, I was confused. Turns out he had said 8:10 and that was tight to say the least. What ensued can only be described as the most harrowing drive ever made from Semur to Dijon, followed by the fastest sprint through the Dijon train station on record. We literally had to hurl ourselves on the train as it started to roll out of the station.

Anyway, we made it. Oh how lovely, the South of France, a first for me and there’s only one word to describe it: Antarctica. I have never been so cold in my life. In my rush to depart, I forgot to pack my down filled coat and wool hat. It. Was. Freezing. The wind (the famous Mistral) was enough to blow the head off you. I wore every piece of clothing I packed, most days all at the same time.

At least the food made up for it. We found a beautiful indoor (and mercifully heated) market …

And we had great luck with restaurants …

I love a place that brings you tap water in a bottle like this …

And a place where your menu is a miniature chalk board …

While I could justify the fact that I could hardly move my arms, (who could with 5 shirts on?), the inability to do up my pants was a little more difficult to explain.

If you ever find yourself in Avignon don’t miss the chance to eat your way out of your pants at Fou de Fafa or Mamma Corsica, délicieux!