Well that freaking sucks! Sorry to hear that really…

I’d say option one is you could just use the time to sit back and relax a little bit; a “vacation from your vacation” perhaps. But if there’s not some other cool things to do in town, it might get a little boring in a hurry. Option two is of course you can get out for a day or two. Since you’ll be in the general area, I’d really recommend Arles and/or the Camargue region. I’m guessing it’d be about a 2 or 3 hours train ride so you wouldn’t want to day trip it, but Arles is a beautiful old town that is cool to stay in. And the Camargue region…I didn’t go there when I was in the area and I’m still kicking myself for it. It’s basically a beautiful natural area on the Med with flocks of flamingoes and wild horses and bulls. You can take horseback tours of the place and whatnot, and IIRC you can book that kind of stuff at the tourist office in Arles. It’s worth a thought, especially if you’re at all interested in history, as Arles was a big Roman city, and its amphitheatre is still intact for the most part, along with the regular theatre and scores of other Roman bits scattered throughout the city. Also they have an absolutely amazing antiquities museum at the butt end of what used to be the town’s hippodrome.

So yeah, it’s just one suggestion, but since you’re kind of stuck…

My wife and I were considering changing up our itinerary and heading to the riviera for a couple of days. Antibes and Cassis were both high on my list as bases for our stay. Since you’re headed to Italy after this leg of your trip, maybe spend a couple of days in one of the many cute towns on between Nice and the Italian border. Here are some links related to the Cote d’‘Azure (written mostly by/for the more well-heeled crowd):
http://rwapplewannab…

http://www.guardian….

http://www.fodors.co…

http://www.fodors.co…

I’d just go stay with your friend (assuming she’s willing to have a 4 day house guest when she’s working). Buy a Michelin guide to the area and figure it out when you get there. There will be some sort of bus service to somewhere that will get you to a few of the hundreds of interesting places you’ll find in the Michelin guide.

Besides, I think you’ll find just “living there” absolutely intriguing. I spent 13 days in La Gaude, a tiny town in the Alpes Maritime. We visited a few “sights” and a few day trips, but just the daily business of walking to the butcher, the baker, the green grocer and le tabac filled a lot of days. Today’s special at the butcher is tomorrow’s special at the restaurant. A little fractured French got me a bottle from the butcher’s private winery. The bakery had a new delight every day. There were also marked trails to other towns which was a great way to find some other hidden treasures.

Arles does look nice. I’ll keep it in mind. And the Camargue sounds beautiful. I chatted with Emmanuelle this morning and told her I’d wait a week or so before making any definite decisions so she has time to find out what her work schedule might be. She also said she can get her mother or a friend to show me around while she’s at work. And I suppose it might be nice to spend at least a day doing nothing by a pool in France after four days in Paris. So, we’ll see. (That “we’ll see” sounds a lot more casual than I actually feel about it, but I’m trying to grow as a person here.)

P.S.

A couple of suddenly unscheduled days in the middle of your trip is nothing to freak out over. Even at the height of the tourist season you can almost always find a seat on the train and a place to stay. May will be not be a problem

Use the ideas from here and a regional travel guide as reference information so you’ll have some ideas if things don’t work out the way you expected. Then just go with the flow. Something will turn up and it will probably be the thing/place/event/person you remember most.

You know, I was just vacuuming my apartment and that very thought occurred to me. One of the things that always frustrates me about myself is that I have such a hard time just relaxing and trusting in the magic of the moment. This is a small chance to let go a little.

I’ve been so worried that I’m going to waste a single moment of this trip and I’ve been so intent on filling up all the space and time, that I haven’t really left room for things to just happen.

Thanks for putting it into perspective for me. It is, after all, just a couple of days.

Couldn’t agree more Trust me I know how hard it can be to just kind of “sit back” and let things fall as they may, but it’s true, these times can be the best times on a trip. Hell, my usual plan of attack is to “plan” on doing 2x as much stuff as I’ll actually get to, that way I am prepared for everything, but also go in with the knowledge that if I want a “day off” to just chill in my hotel/hostel I can do that too

You’d be surprised too the great memories you can get from the mundane. Probably one of my top-5 moments o’ nostalgia from this past summer is when I was sitting in my hotel room in Ulm, Germany at around 10pm (though admittedly, after a pretty full day) sitting in my boxers eating a pizza, sipping on a Coke out of a glass bottle, with the window open and a slight breeze filling the room, being serenaded by a Pink Floyd cover band which, unbeknownst to me in advance, was playing down the street. Still makes me smile every time I think of it actually And it’s funny to think about too, because I did/saw some really awesome stuff over the summer…but the feeling from that evening has stuck with me almost as much as the other stuff

I like Augustin’s suggestions, but Oldlady’s right, just hanging out there could be enchanting. Moo, you are going to have an awesome trip.

Love that image!

Thanks! I’ve worked really hard on the planning, but it’s been so much fun. It almost feels like I’ve been traveling already, so I guess it’s been a way to stretch the experience a little.

I think it is a very nice area, I woudld’t mind to spend a few days there. You could rent a bicycle and bike thru neighboring towns. Or do a day trip to St. Tropez (maybe spend one night there).

Hello Moomagoo,

It sounds like you’re sorting things out, even if that means that you’ve decided not to sort things out! I am travelling around Switzerland at the moment (5 days, not long!) but I’ve had a really nice time just having a few plans and then seeing how things go. I think the most worrying thing is always where you will sleep, but you pretty much have that sorted so I think you will have a nice time!

I don’t go much for the Cote D’Azur (Nice etc.) so if you were thinking of staying in France I would surely do a day trip or two (or an overnighter) to Provence. Aix is lovely, but I would say that since I just moved there Avignon is a beautiful town and well worth the train trip I should think. The Palais des Papes is quite amazing, one of the biggest in Europe I think! And I have had friends tell me that Arles is wonderful. Also, the beaches aroung Marseille (Les Calanque and Cassis) are amazingly beautiful if not a bit hard to get to without a car. I think you could spend a good 3 days site seeing and then you will still have 1 day to laze about in Draguigan.

Otherwise, my friend just got back from Italy (for the 2nd or 3rd time). He said Cinque Terra is very nice but there aren’t many Italians! There are lots of Americans, Australians and Germans for some reason! That may or may not be a good thing for you, depends what you’re looking for. However I have to say that my friend is IN LOVE with Liguria, and that Genoa looks and sounds beautiful. Perhaps you could go there?!

Maybe stay 2 days with your friend – and one day do a trip into Avignon and stop off at Aix on the way back to her house. Then go early to Italy and spend 2 days around Genoa on the way to Florence…

Really, you could do anything couldn’t you?! Good luck

I think I’m just going to play it by ear. This now seems like such a small thing next to a volcano.