Spending a weekend in Ardèche

Camping and canoeing this weekend! Stay tuned for my own update! Just a short two and a quarter hour drive from Marseille, I hope to find adventure in Ardèche!

Photo: Jay Broek

The Old French Man

In my mind there is a quintessential old french man. I see them everyday and I know them quite well even if I've never met them. They live a simple life and when I see them out, I know exactly what they are doing. My grandfather was that man. Pépé would wake up at the crack of dawn, for the sole reason of getting to the boulangerie for a couple of fresh baguettes. He would put on his slacks tuck in his collared button-up shirt, slip on his loafers, jacket and chapeau (hat) and be on his way. He'd start up the old Citrôen and back out the driveway thru the gate. He'd head down to Plage de L'Estaque where he'd see the normal folk. Bavard (gossip) a little with the other old men and head back in time for everyone to wake up. Newspaper at hand and two baguettes. I can imagine this is what all the old men wearing hats and slacks with baguettes in hand must be doing in their retirement age.

Mousse de Marseille

I am volunteering at a scuba dive (plongée sous-marine) center where 3 organizations work out of. Two dive clubs and one military group. My job should be pretty straight forward. I basically will be handing out material that the divers will need to explore the underwater world.

Basic gear; mask (masque), fins (palmes), snorkels and the fun stuff; BCD (buoyancy compensator device or in french, "stab"), regulator (detendeur), octopus (or alternate air), bottles (bloc or bouteilles), lead or weight (plomb), and wetsuits (combinaison or combi).

Photo Serge Mercier

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