It seems that every year it happens to be a Monday I have to take Jason to the train on his last morning here. This day is always a very blue day. After weeks of fun, laughter and adventures, it’s hard to adjust to life in Provence tout seul.
What a crazy whirlwind the last week and a half had been with broken bikes, long, hot cycles and a quick jaunt to Rome.
Last week while Jay was out cycling up and down the Mont Ventoux, he heard a loud “snap” while descending at speed. His bike was acting strangely after that, and a while later he called and asked me to pick him up. He didn’t notice until he finished his ride that his top tube had literally separated from his head tube with only an inch of metal holding it together. This could have been a very serious, if not deadly accident if it split completely. Evidently we thought Jason’s riding days were over, but we had some tricks up our cycling jersey sleeves.
Luckily our friend Rose happened to have her bike here, and also happens to be very tall. Her bike was a great old classic titanium bike and it fit Jay to a tee. So we took out the Airborne for a few fun rides around the neighbourhood. And for the last couple of days, Jay rented a bike and we happily continued to cycle in the gorgeous weather Provence had provided.
Beauty day in the Gorge de la Nesque.
It was just happenstance that we had booked a little getaway to Rome, and the timing was perfect with the lack-of-bicycle situation. Jason wanted to go somewhere he hadn’t been and take me on a little birthday sojourn. It doesn’t take much to twist my arm to agree to Italy, so off we went for a few days filled with walking, learning, eating pasta, drinking Peronis and Italian wine. This time Saint Peter’s Basilica was open, so I got to see Michelangelo’s La Pietà and the hordes of crowds. We also took a tour of the Colosseum; I really loved learning more about it and Rome’s history. I find it so moving to be in places that other feet have stood for centuries. The Colosseum is truly an amazing structure and rather awe-inspiring.
So while we had a few technical issues and missteps along the way, one thing that gave us no issue was the weather. There hasn’t been one day below 30 degrees since Jason arrived, blazing sunshine, zero rain and only one day of mild wind. Now that Jason has left, the wind has returned, we have only a few more days in +30 temps, then the rain and cooler weather arrives. It seems the weather is sad about his departure too.
Hiccups are always part of travel, so one has to remember the moments of utter perfection, as there were so many in these last few weeks I feel entirely grateful for every one of them.
