September 6, 2008 ~ Saturday

Greetings from the blankets!

I am typing this post in advance as we are driving to Aix en Provence; and have we had an adventure so far!

Let me begin…we started the morning perfectly with our driver arriving on time and he got us to the Renault agency. We then signed all the necessary documents and loaded up our Renault Megane, as we left we got a little confused and it took us an additional 10 minutes to find a gas station. Once that was completed we were on our way heading for our destination; 2 hours into our trip the car started jerking and warning light came on the dash – naturally everything is in French even the car manual so it did not help us a lot. We pulled over and called the 24 hr Renault roadside assistance; they promptly sent a mechanic. To make a long story short he said the engine was done (remember this is a brand new car) and he towed us to Auxerre where we spoke to the Renault hotline again. Because it was a weekend they could not do much about it but they provided us with an interim rental car for our use until they could fix our vehicle and if it cannot be repaired provide us with a replacement vehicle. If they can repair it we have to go back up to Auxerre and if they cannot then they bring a vehicle to us.

2 hrs later we were back on the road, this time with a Toyota Auris. We were happily on our way when Don noticed a sign that said the A7 highway to Marseilles was closed and we had to go through Geneva; we could not believe our luck. We got looking at the map and could not believe the distance we would have to travel so we just bit it and have forged on via A7. We have found an all traffic station and it said there were several accidents on the A7 but was moving.

Well we finally arrived at Palette (the village outside of Aix en Provence where we are stying) the time is 9:30 pm, concidering we left at 0800 hrs that was one damn long day!

We have unpacked and are sipping a glass of wine on the balcony, the temperature is 24C and the smell of fresh lavender is wafting up from the gardens below. I think I have found paradise!

Will keep you posted, as we have unlimited internet!

Barb