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| On the patio by our hotel in Bourdon |
We're now at Djon, after a train trip from Avignon. Before we left, Jan, the co-owner and manager of the hotel we stayed at in Bourdon, literally 'went the extra mile' to help us get our luggage to the bus stop, about a kilometer down the road over rough cobblestones. Instead of simply putting the luggage in his car and driving to the bus top, he found a hand trolley and carted it all the way there by hand (with a little help from me). Along the way, he chatted about the hotel, which he and his wife had purchased four years ago after retiring as a lawyer in Belgium, then spent two years extensively renovating it. Two years ago, they opened for business, a lovely 'boutique' hotel with nine rooms, pool, and a gourmet restaurant. Quite a retirement project.
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| The train station at Avignon |
About a half hour later, we were back in Avignon, where we had a few minutes to have a 'petite dejunier' of croissants with berry jam and cafe au lait in a sidewalk restaurant before boarding our train for Djon. Hilary had yet another opportunity to thoroughly beat me once again in Scrabble. I like to think I'm getting better at the game... but so is she!
We checked into the Sofitel, Djon, a beautiful, hotel that reminded me of a small version of the Empress in Victoria. Built in the 1800's, it is built in a grand style, reminiscent of the age, complete with a polished brass and mahogany elevator, which lurched and lunged as if it had a life of it's own. It helped to remind oneself that if it has been moving guests up and down it's five floors for the past two hundred years, it had to be safe.
That evening we set out to explore the town.
Stopping by the tourist bureau, we learned that there was free jazz music in the plaza..
We ended up at a table right next to the musicians, who were terrific! We stayed until the last performance, after the warm summer sun had set, and lights on the waterfall cast a magic glow across the plaza.
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