A rainy forecast kept us away from Milan this weekend. Instead, we decided to go south to Avignon and the surrounding area in Provence. A co-worker recommended a ferme auberge there and made a reservation for us. Allison hurt her back on Friday, and was having trouble getting comfortable on Saturday morning. Much to her disappointment, we decided that I should take the girls by myself. This gave her the best chance to rest her back, and to not disappoint Summer, who was very excited (even though she still thought we were going to Italy). I was unsure how things would go on my first trip alone with the girls.

On the trip down, we stopped at a crocodile farm.



After a few wrong turns, we ended up at our ferme auberge.



From what I can tell, a ferme auberge is like a farm plus a bed and breakfast (well more like a "dinner, bed, and breakfast"). You come there for a fabulous French dinner and then spend the night because you're too full to drive home. (We weren't brave enough to try sitting through the meal with both girls even when Allison was planning on going, so instead we ate pizza in a piazza in downtown Avignon.)

The girls' favorite thing there was all of the animals. Summer loved to chase the rabbits.



They also had ducks, chickens, and geese, which I guess are the source of their wonderful meals, and a horse, which they are probably saving for a special occasion.

We were all worn out and slept well on Saturday night except Summer and I both woke up a few times after confusing farm animal noises for Samantha crying. Even though we went to bed late, the girls woke up early as always.



We had a small breakfast with the only other occupants, a nice, older French couple. They didn't speak any English, but I spoke enough French to keep things from being awkward, and for them to demonstrate that in some places in France, you drink coffee out of a huge cereal bowl. They enjoyed the girls. Samantha can only say a couple of things in French, but "au revoir" is one of them and it always leaves people smiling.

We had a lot planned on Sunday, so we got an early start and headed to Fontaine de Vaucluse, where we went on a small walk to see the spring that emerges from the base of a mountain. It's been rainy in Grenoble for a couple of weeks, but the weather today in Provence was perfect, and we all enjoyed just walking around taking in the sites.



The girls were ready to get home to mom, so we drove through our other destinations, including Gordes. When I first saw this small city built on a hill, it took my breath away. This picture doesn't do it justice.



Overall, the girls had a lot of fun and held up well despite spending so much time in the car. They got along well except for a couple of times when they were very tired. It wasn't too bad having them both--although coordinating trips to the bathroom was never easy.

We all missed Allison and can't wait to bring her back down there.