Still here, but getting closer!

I'm sitting in my chair, watching Downton Abbey for the 25th time and wondering how in the world we are going to be ready to go in 6 days.  It's really not a question of having enough time, we have plenty.  It's the details that are last minute can't be done until the last minute. Jerry makes lists on a big yellow pad, and I jump from thing to thing, not finishing anything.  Oh well, Sunday the 6th is the day, and ready or not we will go.

The first blog was about the first half of the trip, this one is about the last half.  After Dave and DeeAnn fly back to Iowa from Nice, France we will take the train to one of our favorite places on Earth, Avignon.  Avignon is in the Provence area of France and we have stayed there twice before, the last time for two weeks.  This time we have a lovely small apartment in the heart of the old city.  

While we are in Avignon we hope to touch base with our dear friend Laurence Brun and her husband Robert who live near there.

After a relaxing week in Avignon we will head North a bit and stay with Martin Lammert and his wife Patricia in their home in a small town in the area.  Martin and Patricia are the grandparents of our friend Vicky Agromeyer, who was a foreign exchange student last year at Maquoketa Valley.  We had the privilege of hosting Martin and Vicky's parents at graduation last year for dinner and we hit it off right away!  Anyway, Martin has asked us to stop by on this trip and we are looking forward to it.

The next part of the trip is less planned.  We will leave Martin and Patricia's home and go to Paris.  

Paris is the place where all of this European traveling was started.  We will stay in my Brother-in-Law, Donald Drapeau's apartment again on Avenue Apland right in the heart of the 16th.  This trip will find us wandering, soaking up art and wine and fabulous food.  We will sit in the parks, we will visit beautiful buildings, we will window shop, possibly go out for a few days here and there (possibly Burgandy, or Versailles, or ....????) Paris is a wonderful place to just "hang out" and we will do just that until it is time to go home.  We just can't wait!!

So, back to Jerry's lists and my spinning my wheels.  Suitcase comes out tomorrow to begin the process of put in, take out, put back in.... I am determined to have LOTS of room to bring back treasures from all the amazing places we visit.  But most of all, I am determined to enjoy every minute of the trip.  So glad you are traveling with us!