Almost chez moi...

My vacation within what feels like a vacation is almost over! I have absolutely no desire to return to the cold, wet, and probably snowy north -- this Mediterranean climate is nothing to be messed with. It is seriously pleasant, thus yielding such warm-weather delights as incredibly fresh produce, lots of outdoor eateries, great parks, incredible flora, and tons of homeless people. I cannot get enough of it.

I think I have done a pretty good job of exploring Provence on a budget (less than 450 euro for a week and a half!). In ten days, I managed to visit Avignon, Arles, Marseille and its calanques, Cassis, Le Ciotat, Toulon, Salon-en-Provence and Aix-en-Provence (and lots of it). I was also able to see a great deal of the countryside, either through the windows of buses or in my friend's car -- Alps, Alpilles (much littler ones, to the south and west of the real Alps), scrubby plateaus, the shoreline, forests, vineyards, cities à distance. It's been a great and varied vacation, and I imagine that with the quality of life that I have right now, I don't deserve to be in Provence for another day.