In planning what to do during the kids' October break this year, we were determined to go on a vacation that was actually relaxing, instead of a trip filled with frantic visits from historical site to museum to historical site, where we stay in a different hotel every night. So, we found a villa to rent in Provence, and stayed there for the entire week. It was a beautiful house just south of Avignon -- with plenty of bedrooms and sleeping space, plus a large yard with olive and all sorts of other trees, as well as a pool. The kids were really excited to try out the pool, but with temperatures in the 60s - low 70s during the day, the swimming didn't last too long.
Where are the muscles?
Grant (above) and Luke (below) finally building up enough courage to take the plunge.
Right behind the house was a hill/rocky outcropping they call the Montagnette. It was about a 20 minute walk to the top with a nice view of the valley, the Rhone river, and Avignon in the distance, so we walked up there most days.
A couple of days we even took sandwiches up there to eat lunch. The Mistral winds were really bad on several days.
A view of the villa from the montagnette."
There are a lot of beautiful old villages on hilltops in Provence. One afternoon we went to the village of Roussillon.
Roussillon is right near an old ochre quarry - lots of orange/reddish rocks.
We also went to a lavender museum place and Heidi got some lavender girl stuff (lotion, etc.).
We drove down to the Mediterranean coast to an area near Marseille with calanques.
This calanque is called Sormiou.
Nash decided to go for a little run along the trail at Sormiou.
We then went in to Marseille and tried to take the boat to the Chateau d'If, but it was closed that day. Instead, we got lunch and walked around a bit. This photo is from the Fort Saint Nicolas, which is at the entrance to harbor.
Back at the villa, eating dinner in the dining room/enclosed porch.
Grant and Nash examining the olive trees around the house.
Very large mushrooms.
The boys and I had a little fun with the camera on the terraced lawn.
From the top the of Montagnette, again. The village of Barbentane is on the right, and further off in the distance on the left is Avignon.
At the museum at the Pont du Gard - the Roman aqueduct near Avignon.
They had a pretty good kids section with a lot of "hands on" displays.
At the Pont du Gard -- a little rainy, unfortunately.
Inbetween the rain, we tried to get a family photo...
But we set the timer on the camera, and every time someone pushed the buttom and came running back, something funny seemed to happen (the camera would fall, the umbrella blew away in the wind toward the river, or someone tripped on the way back).
We walked across the bridge under the Pont du Gard, and Grant started to kick this rock all of the way across, but some other kid went to try to kick it away from Grant, but Heidi rescued it for him.
In Avignon in front of the Palace of the Popes -- the papal seat for a while in the 1300s, when the pope didn't want to be in Rome.
The inside is pretty bare, but they had a good audio guide.
In the rain, at the far end of the Pont Saint Benezet - the bridge over the Rhone in Avignon, with the Palace of the Popes in the background. The song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" is a catchy tune.
Our kids in a candy shop.
We also went to Arles for the Roman ruins and the Van Gogh sites.
The coliseum in Arles is impressive from the outside -- we didn't go in, because it was being renovated.
Narrow alleys in Arles.
This is the site of the old Roman forum, called the Place du Forum today, with us standing in front of the yellow cafe from Van Gogh's painting. 
We spent an afternoon in the city of Les Baux.
Mallory practicing her balancing skills.
Les Baux is an old city on top of a hill, with a castle, mostly in ruins.
Mallory and Luke, crawling through the holes in the walls of the ruins.
Luke and Grant seeing what it would be like to be in the stockades.
As we climbed up the fortress part of the castle, it started to rain, but that didn't deter Nash and Grant.
At the highest point of Les Baux, on the walls, overlooking the city.
Nash and Heidi have been reading the Count of Monte Cristo (we're always misprouncing it as "Crisco"), and we watched movie one night at the villa, so when we went to Marseille on Monday, we were disappointed that we could not go to the Chateau d'If. So we went back to Marseille on Friday. However, when we got there, they said the boat wasn't stopping at the Chateau d'If that day because the winds & waves were too strong. Instead, we took the boat out to the next island outside the main harbor, called Iles du Frioul.
We walked around the island, which has several old fortresses, a lighthouse or two, etc.
It was really windy, and gave Nash "80's hair."
A view of Chateau d'If and behind it, Marseille.
Relaxing, back at the villa -- a small patio outside Grant's bedroom.
Nash and I went up into the village of Barbentane, near the villa where we stayed.
13th century tower in Barbentane.
Back at the villa, playing petanque.
Our last meal at the villa, Friday night before we left. We were sad to leave it.
Saturday morning we drove to Arles -- on the way we saw this abbey, and stopped for a few quick photos.
We went back to Arles for the Saturday morning market. Lots of good things to eat...
...and pottery.
We then drove along the Mediterranean coast to Monaco.
This is the cathedral in Monaco, where Grace Kelly is buried.
Inside the cathedral.
Mallory, Nash, and I in the shade in front of the palace of the Prince of Monaco.
More shade, sorry -- Nash, overlooking Monaco from Monaco-ville.
We also went to the Musée Océanographique de Monaco.
Downstairs was the aquarium, and upstairs was more like a museum.
That day we woke up in France, stopped in Monaco in the afternoon, then kept driving along the coast and had a piece of pizza for dinner in Italy, then drove up and through the alps, and spent the night in Switzerland. Our only regret was that it was dark by the time we got to the alps, so we couldn't see any of the scenery. All in all, it was a good trip, and we are already starting to think about going back to the villa in Provence.
