Short summary: pleasant and warm.
Of course, that's perhaps not how Suzi would summarize it. But having had the experiences of the first week, that's how it seemed to me.
I'll back up a bit.... Spent a nice five days in England (Madeleine's graduation, cousin Emma's engagement party, a hilarious play called "Noises Off" by Michael Frayn, and various meals and conversations with my mother, niece Maya, various other relations, Bonnie & Kissi, and so on.
Flew back to Provence yesterday (Monday) arriving at the Mas around 6PM. My brother Russell and Thomas and Suzi Gößl were already there. At 6:02 my friend and colleague Micah Adler arrived, followed at 7PM by our friends Jean-Paul and Françoise, and 7:45PM our friend François. After showing Micah around (his first time there), I, helped by various people, cooked dinner, signed checks, wired money to pay bills, answered emails, petted the dog, unpacked and packed, and various other things. Early the following morning I drove off (with Russell and the Gößls) to Forcalquier, met up with Reinhard and Valentin Sattinger, and resumed the hike.
Frankly, not hiking is more tiring than hiking.
It was a nice walk, some up and down, but not too hot (other than in the late afternoon, which got a little toasty). 5.5 hours hiking time. Lovely views. Nice hotel. Good restaurant for dinner. And now Russell is snoring on the other side of our room and I can't concentrate on much more than restraining myself from murdering him. I can't stand snorers. Oh, and wait, in the room above me is Thomas, who has one of the loudest snores I have ever heard (experienced, to my everlasting regret, on the H2H training hike), and whose voice I can now hear talking with Suzi... which means that once he goes to sleep I'm going to hear his snoring too.
Sigh.
Looks like it is going to be an earplugs night.
Either that or multiple murders....
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