France - Melbourne to Mazan

Bikes, backpacks, sleeping bags and whatever else we can carry have been packed...hopefully this will be enough to get us through the next 12 months!

Final leg: Train from Nice - Avignon (France)

The first week of our adventure flew by but it honestly could not have kicked off in any better fashion!

We started with a weekend down in Melbourne for the Melbourne marathon. For the marathon, we were greeted with perfect conditions. Fortunately Aurelie's ongoing knee soreness leading up to the race had no impact and she subsequently she ran a Personal Best time for the marathon of 3 hrs 8 mins.

The afternoon was spent celebrating at the Belgium Beer Cafe with the sun still shining brightly, a quality crew turned out for the afternoon....happy days!

After a couple of days catching up with family and scrambling to get organised, we were on our way.

First stop - Dubai.

Throwing on the suit and tie and drinking Veuve Cliquot champagne ($30 a glass) at the top of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa (829m or 123 Levels) was not exactly how we pictured our initiation to 'back packing', but this was how things turned out!

Base of the Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE)

For anyone thinking of a trip to Dubai, make a reservation well in advance (we managed to scam our way up - no real surprise to most I'm sure!) at the rooftop bar called Atmosphere for the opportunity to feel like you're sitting on top of the world.

Second stop - France.

As it is commonly known and of which Aurelie has no hesitation in reminding all and sundry, the South of France is 'God's country'. Given it's been just over 2 years since we were here, it is great to  be back!

After landing in Nice, and spending a couple of hours on the train to Avignon, Aurelie's parents greeted us and wasted no time spoiling us with some local hospitality, quality food, beer and wine made for a grand 'welcome home' welcoming.

After sleeping till 9, we awoke to a breakfast of croissants, brioche and coffee. We then headed out on the bikes for a couple of hours to blow out the cobwebs of the long flight the previous day.

Summit of the Col de la Madeleine (Bedoin, France)

As Aurelie proudly displays, our ride included our first Col (Mountain climb) of the trip. 448m is a mini climb over here but don't tell anyone, we were still happy with our efforts! Unfortunately after descending we lost our bearings so we had to climb it again on our return home. The smile wasn't quite so large second time around!

We arrived home just in time for a typically provencale lunch (2 hours of food, beer & wine), followed by a customary afternoon siesta. It was here when we realised, it is not going to take long to get out of the 9 to 5 routine! Our holiday is officially under way!!

A great weekend was then spent catching up with Aurelie's parents, Jean-Paul & Annick, and sister Claire, in the little Provencale village of Mazan.

Before we know it's time to re-pack the back packs and we're off again. This time we're definitely travelling light!

Click on the link for a map of where we've been.

Next Stop - Peru, South America - Monday 22nd Oct.