To get me out of here, you'll have to drag me kicking and screaming

The title just about says it all, and I love living in Provence.  The last couple of days saw Renee and I hammering out the routes for our upcoming trips (1 luxury and 1 explorer).  Renee is a trip designer/expert so she changed up some of the routes/locations so that guests could return and get something new!  Working as a guide is going to be hard work, but the rewards are fantastic.  Great company, awesome experiences, delicious meals, and some high-quality hotels! haha.

Today we went out to the town of Sault and drove a route in the morning.  We followed by meeting with the hotel, Val de Sault, and it is featured on the explorer trip (www.valdesault.com).  What a beautiful place to stay!  The views are unforgettable, the grounds are relaxing and welcoming, and the overall atmosphere is one of total feng shui balance.  This is definitely a wonderful place to stay if exploring in the Provence region.

Tomorrow is going to be a full day of paperwork, and we'll sneak a ride in after getting a solid work block done.  We scouted the last routes today, so all that is left are final touches, which take much longer than one thinks.  This entails editing all route guides and trip documents, discussing logistics and overall trip, grocery buying, car/trailer washing and cleaning, and many other small pieces that come together to form the memorable vacations Trek Travel provides.  (You like that plug?)

You read my post about the olive oil and that experience just about made my day.  Most, if not all, of you know that I love to cook and experience food, so it should come as no surprise that I am in cuisine heaven. Everything is so flavorful here, but the dishes are simple.  When something always tastes really good here, we joke that it's because the secret ingredient is love.  In many circumstances that is true, but chefs use top quality ingredients here that are just exploding with flavor.  I purchased rosemary, basil and sweet sage plants at the market the other day and planted them on the back terrace.  Those will come in handy to garnish and enhance some dishes, but also to leave my "stamp" at the house.  A simple contribution like that will go a long way, and I'll be remembered when someone needs some fresh herbs (no, not THAT kind of herb... get your head out of the gutter!).

Since my trips start on Sunday, I will most likely just post small snippets of info and more pictures.  I have some nice photos to upload, so stay tuned for a few good ones.  Time to get some sleep and prep for tomorrow's work.  Merci et bonne nuit!  (Still trying hard to learn French... slowly).

P.S.  I got into grad school at KU, but you can all guess correctly that I am deferring until a later date;  this experience is very important and I believe most would agree with that decision!