Tuesday evening we packed up and drove over to another friend's apartment.  Karine 
 was my cousin in French host-family terms.  She and her husband Jean-Michel have an adorable
 son.  
<P>
<A HREF="france077.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france077.jpg" ALT="Karine, Jean-Michel and Yoann"></A>
<A HREF="france078.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france078.jpg" ALT="Karine, Jean-Michel and Yoann with Benita and cat JoeBar"></A>
<P>
Wednesday morning, July 14 (French national holiday)
 we headed for the south of France.  Our big shocks en route were the cost of 
 gas (about a dollar per liter, which is just over a quarter of a gallon.  Yes, this translates to nearly
 $4 per gallon) and also the cost of the autoroute (toll highways).  I think we paid $60 or more in tolls to 
 go some 600 miles.  We arrived at Argeles Sur Mer, a small town on the Mediterranean coast about 
 15 miles north of the Spanish border.  Here a good friend of mine works at a 
 camping resort where families come from all over Europe to spend weeks every summer.  There are tons of 
 activities, shows, sports, etc.  We found it a delightful international environment.
 My friend Jean-Luc is in charge of entertainment (can you tell?).
<P>
<A HREF="france116.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france116.jpg" ALT="Party Bus with Jean-Luc Behind"></A>
<A HREF="france145.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france145.jpg" ALT="Jean-Luc as Hoola-Hooping Nun"></A>
<A HREF="france146.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france146.jpg" ALT="Jean-Luc as Bingo Nun"></A>

<P>
 
 We spent about 5 days enjoying the tennis, sea kayaking, mountain biking and swimming pools.  There were
  characteristically long French meals most every evening.  One night we went to Spain for dinner.  We started the meal around 10pm and finished about
   12:30am or so when the owners kicked us out.  This was Bill's first experience eating escargot (snails).  
   We found things to be much cheaper in Spain than France (which is significantly more expensive than the US despite the 
   relatively strong dollar).
   
<P>
<A HREF="france131.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france131.jpg" ALT="Eating in Spain"></A>
<A HREF="france132.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france132.jpg" ALT="Eating in Spain"></A>
<A HREF="france134.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france134.jpg" ALT="Jean-Luc and Lisa"></A>
<A HREF="france135.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france135.jpg" ALT="Bill Eats Escargot"></A>

<P>
   
   We took a difficult but beautiful downhill mountain bike ride along the French/Spanish border in the Pyrenees foothills.
The border was a rickety fence, falling down in spots, with free range cattle grazing at will on either side.
    It was incredibly scenic.  We started at about 4000' and ended back at the resort at sea level about 15 miles later.
	
	<P>
<A HREF="france096.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france096.jpg" ALT="Planning out the Route"></A>
<A HREF="france097.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france097.jpg" ALT="The Ridge We Traversed"></A>
<A HREF="france099.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france099.jpg" ALT="Bill Looking Into Spain"></A>
<A HREF="france106.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france106.jpg" ALT="On Top of the World"></A>
<A HREF="france107.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france107.jpg" ALT="Bill with View of Mediterranean Sea"></A>
<A HREF="france108.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france108.jpg" ALT="Benita After a Bumpy Descent Through Cow Pasture"></A>
<A HREF="france109.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france109.jpg" ALT="Mean Fellow We Met Along the Way"></A>
<A HREF="france110.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france110.jpg" ALT="Rest Stop"></A>
<A HREF="france111.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france111.jpg" ALT="Another Incredible View"></A>
<A HREF="france112.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france112.jpg" ALT="Another Incredible View"></A>
<A HREF="france114.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france114.jpg" ALT="Chateau Near the End of the Ride"></A>

<P>
	
	Here are some photos from our sea-kayaking experience.
	
	<P>
<A HREF="france118.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france118.jpg" ALT="Going into Shore"></A>
<A HREF="france119.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france119.jpg" ALT="Relaxing"></A>
<A HREF="france123.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france123.jpg" ALT="In a Cave"></A>
<A HREF="france124.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france124.jpg" ALT="Water so Clear You Could See Fish"></A>

<P>

	
	We met some very friendly folks from Denmark who ended up being our doubles opponents in tennis.
	
	<P>
<A HREF="france142.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france142.jpg" ALT="Frank and Danny"></A>
<A HREF="france143.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france143.jpg" ALT="Jean-Luc, Bill and Benita"></A>
<A HREF="france144.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france144.jpg" ALT="Frank, Benita and Bill"></A>

<P>
	
	The pool was the centerpiece of the resort -- rock cliffs, waterfalls, slides, etc. Plenty of topless sunbathers, much to 
	Bill's delight. Sorry, no photos of them :-)  We also made it out to the beach to see the Mediterranean Sea. Bill kept trying to see
 to Africa, but alas, it was too far.
	
	<P>
<A HREF="france087.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france087.jpg" ALT="Bill on Beach"></A>
<A HREF="france089.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france089.jpg" ALT="Bill in Sea"></A>
<A HREF="france091.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france091.jpg" ALT="Pool at La Sirene Resort"></A>
<A HREF="france093.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france093.jpg" ALT="Pool at La Sirene Resort"></A>


<P>
	
	We visited a quaint village called Banyuls sur Mer where we ate at a terrasse on the beach.
	
	<P>
<A HREF="france130.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france130.jpg" ALT="St. Cyprien"></A>
<A HREF="france136.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france136.jpg" ALT="Bill and Jean-Luc at Banyuls"></A>
<A HREF="france137.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france137.jpg" ALT="Terasse Cafe at Banyuls"></A>
<A HREF="france138.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france138.jpg" ALT="Terasse Cafe at Banyuls"></A>
<A HREF="france139.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france139.jpg" ALT="Bill With Giant Sandwich"></A>
<A HREF="france140.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france140.jpg" ALT="A Toast"></A>
<A HREF="france141.jpg"><IMG border=0 SRC="thumbs/france141.jpg" ALT="Typical Mediterranean Village Street"></A>

<P>
	
	<P>
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