27 Weekends (part 2)

Poland June 07
John and Aga's wedding, Poznan. Driving on the right for the first time. Polish beer, crazy heat, phrase book purchased lunch. €10 for a round of 10 drinks. The wooden church, the 7 course wedding with wild boar, the countless bottles of vodka, the storela storela song, the b grade polish tv celebrities, the worst haka in the world, Anna and the spilt soup, my allergic reaction to the same soup, the Italian lads and the dancing, more vodka and singing the day after. Lack of airport directions in Warsaw, horrendous traffic on a bus bound for Warsaw so much for a last look around the town.

London July 07
John and Helen overseas !! Sweet apartment down from Tower Bridge. The prologue of the Tour de France through Hyde Park Fabian Cancellara the victor, a taste of the carnival atmosphere. Losing the man in the red jersey at Piccadilly Circus. Dinner at Gaucho Grill Steakhouse. Watching the peleton ride over Tower Bridge at the start of stage one Robbie McEwan the victor, frantic photos, and a family photo under Tower Bridge.

France-Paris and Avignon July 07
A GPS directed taxi to a waiting single room near the Gare de Lyon. The speed of the TGV, 2 hours 38 Paris-Avignon. Festival D'Avignon, street jazz, live performers with flyers and posters plastered everywhere. A boat cruise on the Rhone. The Palais de Pape once home to medievil popes. Pont St-Benezet originally spanning the Rhone to Villeneuve-les-Avignon. John and his one litre beer. My one and only entre of Foie Grais, the set menu argument and resulting feast. Mum and her excursion obsession. Mt Ventoux and the Lavender fields, watching the back breaking work to extract the oil. Le Baux de Provence the rocky hilltop tourist town complete with impressive chateau. St Remy, the town with the name afforded to Helen's Brandy, my fluent french conversation to order coffee, the walking tour of important sites including the home of Van Gogh. Gordes the beautiful village perched high on a rocky cliff. Wine tasting in the town Menerbes and the Cave of Terra Ventoux. The clay coloured town of Rousillon. Finally the lavender producing Abbey of Senanque and the fourty degree temperature in the valley.