Sorry about the delay between posts. It's been a little difficult to find cheap and/or reliable wifi internet in France. Everything is going great so far. I left Paris on Saturday and took the train south to Lyon. Paris was an amazing town with so much history, great art and things to do. However, I was definitely ready to leave the city for something a bit more low key. From Paris I went south to Lyon, Frances third largest city. Lyon is a beautiful city located in a valley where the Rhone and Soane rivers almost meet. Unfortunately my hostel did not lie in this valley, it was straight up a steep hill. Luckily I was only there one night because I had found someone to stay with through a web site called Couch Surfing. (Imagine Facebook for travelers.) I had a great time with Marion and her 2 roommates and they taught me a lot about their city. While Lyon was beautiful it really didn't have much to offer for sightseeing.

On Tuesday I took the morning train to Avignon, located an hour south of Lyon in the heart of Provence. That is my current location until Friday morning. This place is incredible. It lies right on the Rhone river and is enclosed by walls dating back 700 years. Avignon is the home of the Papal Palace used when the Pope decided to move the Vatican from Rome to Avignon in the 1300's for more protection. While modern in some aspects, Avignon is filled with old churches, stone streets and amazing architecture. With it's prime location in Provence it allows me to make several day trips to old Roman ruins in nearby towns. And that is exactly what I plan to do today and tomorrow. I'm currently staying in a hostel right on the river, directly across from the Papal Palace. It's a little rustic but it's cheap and the location is good.

I miss you all and hope everyone is doing okay.

Sorry, no pics this time. The internet here is too slow and it would take me forever to load them. I'll post some as soon as I find a half decent internet connection.