We're on our way!

We made it to London. We flew British Airways in a 747 and sat in business class. They greeted us with a glass of champagne. Nice! We had our own little space with seats that reclined into beds. Jan got the window although there was nothing to see until just about landing in London because of darkness and clouds. Peter, our purser, was extremely accommodating. Dick had a bit of a difficult time understanding his accent even though he was speaking English – maybe it was more his vocabulary (e.g., the overhead compartment is a “box”). We have a three hour layover in London before we leave for Nice. More later….

Well, the three hours turned into 41/2 hours. Jan dozed and Dick read his magazine. The flight to Nice was uneventful once we got off the ground. We got through the Nice airport with no problems except for the change machine. Jan just couldn’t “wobble” the 10 Euro bill quite right to get coins. Coming from another EU country (the UK), we didn’t have to be checked by customs. We got our rental car – a little Ford that isn’t found in the States – cute car with a big trunk. It’s a manual with six speeds and handles nicely. Although once we got to Aix, the car seemed to be huge, as big as a truck going down all the wrong streets trying to find the our hotel. Even the GPS couldn’t find the hotel! We also learned very quickly that pedestrians have the right of way even if they are just standing in the street refusing to move! We noticed the hotel’s church spire and kept aiming for it. We are staying in the old city of Aix-en-Provence which was founded in about 120 B.C. as a Roman military camp. Aix has had its ups and downs over the years and today is a lively city. Aix was Cezanne’s favorite city. Our hotel, Hotel des Augustins, was once a 12th century convent. It became a hotel in 1892 and was restored in1984. It’s located right off the main drag, Cours Mirabeau, which is a beautiful tree lined street with lots of shops and restaurants. Jan didn’t see the ice cream store that she frequented as a French student at the Universite of Aix-Marseilles when she was 15 years old. But we did see the fountain she climbed several times as we drove in circles looking for the hotel.

It’s been a long day. Tomorrow we’ll get some pictures.