Wednesday, October 5
Geoff, Jill and Janet (Jill's mom) leave Urbana at 12:15 by car
Leave O’Hare, Chicago at 17:40 by plane
sit a lot

Thursday, October 6
sit a lot more
Arrive Charles de Gaulle, Paris at 8:40
Train to Avignon at 11:40 (about 2 hours trip) picked up by Tera (Jill's sister)
Lunch in Avignon
Go to our new home (La Ferme de Saint Jean) and have drinks w/Roland & Marie-Paule (our hosts)

Friday, October 7
Carpentras – Marche
Coffee and jazz (at the Marche)
Home for a break
Malaucene – Lunch, coffee
Drive to top of Mt Ventoux
Tom Simpson memorial on Mt Ventoux
Crazy bikers riding up Mt Ventoux in what must be 32/32 gears
Drive to Sault, lavender fields, buy honey from barn at side of road
Monieux – cute town w/chestnuts & chime fountain
Gorges de la Nesque
Dinner at home -- fresh pasta (from marche), salad and tarte (also from Marche)

Saturday, October 8
Jill & Geoff's Roman Road Hike to La Barroux
Malaucene – Coffee
Dentelles – “The Teeth”
Wine Tasting – Domaine de Cassan
Gigondas – lunch with cats
Monastery shop with items made in Abbeys all over the place
Home – sit by “pool”, read and watch sunset
Dinner at home – “leftovers”

Sunday, October 9
Isle Sur la Sorgue – Grande Marche and Antiques Market
Picnic along road
Gordes
Abbey Senanque
Venesque – small town, quiet
Dinner – in Pernes-les-Fontaines, too much food

Monday, October 10
One hour walk to Malaucene via the old road, drink "un café et un biere pression", one hour walk back – hung out with goats on a farm
Beames de Venise Cave for Muscat
Visit the Chateauneuf de Pape region, a stupid chocolatier, and drank a lot of wine
Dinner in Entrechaux – Restaurant Saint Hubert (hunting lodge with game for food), too much food again
Vomitorium (not really but felt like it)

Tuesday, October 11
Vaison la Romaine – marche, café (of course), crepes, bike shop with very fancy bikes
Nyons – Man on chapel, no olive oil despite being olive oil capitol of the world (or some such thing)
Dinner in Malaucene – beverages and then pizza for dinner

Wednesday, October 12
Jill and Geoff walk to Malaucene for coffee and internet access
Tera and Janet come down to ship stuff home
We all head to Avignon to meet Chris and Cal (12:15 train)
Into Avignon for lunch, walking around and coffee
Meet Cal's father
Received news that my old kitty buddy Mickey had passed away last night
Long walk in the vinyards
Dinner at Roland and Marie-Paul's home -- Risotto con fungi

Thursday, October 13
Janet leaves by train for Paris at 6:40am from Avignon
Tera, Jill, Geoff drive around, have a sausage platter lunch in cute town

Friday, October 14
Tera, Jill, Geoff to Marche in Carpentras
Meet Chris, Cal, Robin, Fiona for lunch in Malaucene
Geoff, Chris, Cal, Robin, Fiona drive around
Tera packs
All meet in Entrechaux for dinner at the Restaurant l' Ancienne Poste that Chris Gutowsky (who runs Velo Vacations) recommended

Saturday, October 15th
Leave la Ferme (boooooooo) and Provence for Burgundy via rented Renault Kangoo
Meet Plou, Veronique and family at La Ferdiere
Eat dinner in Trivy
Lose way for the 100th time

Sunday, October 16th
Stop off in Beaune on the way to Alsace
Stay at Chez Leslie in Colmar with Leslie and her two cats (only saw Softee, Fuzzy was off cattin’ around)
Stomp around in the mist of Colmar

Monday, October 17th
Geoffrey takes over as map-reader, everyone rejoices
Walk the olde towne of Colmar, see “little Venice”
Take a drive on the wine route and see stork nests, then see real storks in their nests
Eat at the bike guy’s place in Kayserburg -- it had very little to do with bikes, a lot to do with hunting
Geoff eats the biggest meat plate complete with a glistening slab of “bacon”

Tuesday, October 18
Long drive to Paris -- hairy drive through Paris with crazy Parisian drivers (and motorcyclists)
Meet Claudine (our hostess)
Stay in the 12th arrondissement
Wander about

Wednesday, October 19
morning: Tera sees churches, Jill and Geoff wander, drink coffee, eat a sandwich of butter, cheese and ham and a panini (yum)
3:00pm: gather at Pompadoo, watch bad ben stiller-esque mime/juggling act, watch man painted gold stand still, watch man in polkadots stand still. Go inside, see Dada exhibit
Find Habitat store, Tera buys The Lightbulb

Thursday, October 20
Wander Viaduct area see artisans at work.
Geoff goes off to coffee with Ben (friend from Urbana who is studying in Paris)
Tera and Jill go shopping at Printemps (and eat lunch on the roof -- that was one of Jill's favorite moments!)
Meet up with Tera and Jill on the steps of the Sacre Couer in Montmartre (where Rendevous wraps up)
Sat at Café Lux with excellent cabaret waiter who seemed to know everyone
Metro-ed to Eiffel tower -- took lots of bad pictures
Ate at a restaurant in 12e in the viaduct area

Friday, October 21
10:15 Taxi to the airport
1:20 Fly to O'Hare
4:30 Start driving to Urbana
8:00 Back home. Darn.

Domaine de Cassan -- Beaumes de Venise (Cotes de Rhone Villages)
2002 – Red (peppery) (e5.25)
2003 – Cuvee Saint Christophe (e7.50)
2000 – Violettes (oaky) (e15.00)
tried Muscat, bought a bottle but didn't have it when we got home

Domaine du Pere Caboche (Chateauneuf du Pape)
2002 -- Domaine du Pere Caboche (e12.00)
2003 -- Domaine du Pere Caboche (e12.00)
2003 -- Elisabeth Chambellan (e17.00)