From Bordeaux we headed directly east, into the regional centre of France. Once we left the highway we drove through many many beautiful little villages (I know I have said that zillions of times, but it is just so true!) and saw for ourselves the everyday life of rural France, where tourists are not the focus and therefore very little English is spoken. Guided by the GPS we wondered where we were being taken as often the lanes and streets were so small and narrow they could have been driveways. Despite often exclaiming to one another that we must be going the wrong way, we always got there in the end. We now appreciate this as we are seeing many sights 'off the beaten track'. We passed many paddocks of cute donkeys and wondered what they are used for now, or maybe they are just pets? What also amazed us is the pride that the French take in their villages and homes. Colourful flowerpots decorate every lamp-post and window in even the smallest of villages. The further inland we drove, the more interesting the food became. Entrees were usually raw ham (or possibly slightly smoked, but not enough for me) with rockmelon on the side (!) or very tasty pate or a slice of fried goats cheese. Duck was everywhere (alive, stewed in tins or served at every restaurant) so Malcolm was in his element. All meals were served with crispy thinkly sliced potatoes cooked in goose fat. Desserts were always creme brulee or an apple tarte tartin. Mostly very nice, but quite rich. Spending a few nights in the beautiful medieval town of Sarlat with its many stone buildings and walls was the highlight of this region. The English host of our B&B was Basil Faulty in disguise! From Sarlat we headed south to Avignon via the Millau Viaduct, an increduible bridge that spans 2km over a great valley and rises 300m high. The further south we drove the more arid the landscape became. Lush green countryside turned into thick pine forest and then rugged mountains and deep gorges scattered with dry purple brush. Avignon is a nice, walled city on the Rhone River. However, it was the provincial area around Avignon that was the highlight of this region. We visited the tiny village of Fountaine-de-Vaucluse set on a river in a deep ravine followed by the hilltop town of Gordes. Both incredibly picturesque in completely different ways, despite being only half an hour from each other. Seafood dominated the menus and Mal enjoyed the local speciality, a sort of seafood stew called Marmitte. From Avignon we headed south east towards the French Riveria. Not having booked accomodation proved a little challenging as it was the weekend and there was a big football game on. Not to mention that this is a very pricey area and we have a budget! After driving around all afternoon we eventually came across a basic hotel in a town called Cagnes-sur-Mur, about half-way between Cannes and Nice. Here we spent some much needed rest time as Malcolm came down with a cold despite the sweltering heat. We did, however, take a day trip to Monaco, which turned out to be a highlight. Difficult to describe, we have never seen anything so extravagant. Huge boats lined the harbour and expensive cars were in prime position outside the casino for tourists like Mal to oogle. Every street was beautifully paved and lined with manicured gardens. As Shannon said "You know when you are in Monaco!" Many shop windows featured a photo of Prince Albert, and we laughed at the thought of Sydney shops featuring John Howard in their windows! So France has been quite an experience. We have seen and enjoyed many things in this beautiful country. What struck us the most is the contrast between the beauty of the landscape and architecture and their constant desire to create beautiful surrounds; despite the huge presence of homeless refugees and beggers in every city and town. Apparently the result of the open travel brought about by the European Union, this is sadly an increasing problem that the locals seem to turn a blind eye to. As we head into other parts of Europe over the next month we are keen to see the differences in culture and landscape, and still cannot get over the fact that we can drive between countries so easily and quickly. So unlike home!!