As soon as I found out that I was going to Avène, I decided that I was going to take advantage of this opportunity to explore the south of France. My treatment was done by 11:00 am on Saturdays and I had Sundays off. The first Saturday, I took an overnight trip to the city of Carcassonne. Not only was I excited to see a new city, but I was excited about the drive. Driving here is a magical experience… especially if you love to drive. You have to be careful though, the beautiful scenery can be so distracting that once I came close to driving off the side of a mountain… SERIOUSLY!
I checked into my hotel and decided to head out. I arrived a little later than I had wanted, but I still I set out on an hour-long journey by foot (well, it was a 15 minute walk, but I kept stopping to sit and absorb the different nuances of the place). By the time I got there, the sun had long set… and the first unobstructed sight of this ancient city was of gilded splendor against a rich black velvet canvas.
I didn’t sleep well that night. For the first time since I left New York, I felt out of place. I found myself longing for my bed back in Avène. I had felt at home from the moment that I got there. I never had the sensation of being a “stranger in a new place”. Even though Avène was undiscovered country, I felt that all was as it was meant to be, and that I was genuinely welcomed. I couldn’t wait to wake up and head back “home”.
At breakfast… by the way, the hotels in France really know how to do breakfast… anyway, back to breakfast. So as I was eating, I realized that this is the perfect place to go get souvenirs for my niece and nephew, Max and Ava. As I was approaching this fortress again, I thought of how complete it would be to have them as my fellow explorers. Thinking of them got me excited to go in. I started to feel Max’s adventurous curiosity, and Ava’s rich awareness of everything around her.
I had never enjoyed shopping so much. Looking for the right gift made me think of them and reminded me of what I loved about them. I even stumbled across the perfect piece of this experience to take home to my boyfriend Jeff.
I was ready to head back home… to Avène 🙂
Shirin In Avène 