Back to Aix for the night

AIX EN PROVENCE - We checked in at the Hotel Cardinal, a small typical French hotel, just off Cours Mirabeau on a narrow, winding street typical of the old part of Aix. The room was nice enough, except for the lack of a stand-up shower (it had a large tub and one of those hold in-your-hand shower heads). Not uncommon in France, and in fact, one of the bathrooms at Le Bergerie has the same set up. Tubby time will have a whole new meaning in France.

Mike and I managed to get on-line using the same wireless connection, checked email, and Mike made his required 3 or 4 Skype calls to Nadine, the kids and work people back on the island. {Mike uses a Mac notebook that is always within his easy reach, and loves the video feature on Skype, using it to show his wife and Toni real time views of various points of interest the whole time during our visit.}

Then we set out on the town. It was Monday night so not a whole lot happening (compared to the bustling activity of the weekend), but we made our way to a little area with a couple bars and restaurants that were relatively lively. We ended up at a Spanish tapas restaurant and drank a couple of pitchers of local red wine, ate various Spanish-influenced meat dishes, and then tried some kind of flaming tequila shot drink that the guys sitting next to us were pounding down with alarming frequency, using straws to battle through the flames. We thought they had bought us a round when two infernos showed up at our table, but Mike later pointed out they ended up on our bill at the end of the night. We enjoyed them anyway, and headed back to the hotel.

We called it a night, but not before a few more video Skype calls, including one to Toni, Lindsey and Savannah - during which I walked Savannah through the typical school day and classes at CIPEC. At first he was tentative and not very open, but toward the end warmed up to it when she heard about all the activities available. Plus, in my flaming tequila-induced state, I promised her a cell phone if she agreed to move to France – that won’t be forgotten.

I called my other wives in Texas, too, to give them the report, which of course excited them as well – Jacquie even threatening to quit her teaching job and join us as the girls’ full-time tutor.