3 Days in Cancun, Mexico

In July, I took a trip to Mexico with my best friend from high school, Laurel! We have an annual Laurel-Laurel Summit, and this year, we wanted to hit an international destination. So, we decided to try out an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. Laurel had actually been to the resort as a child when her aunt had gotten married, so we felt comfortable booking the stay knowing at least somewhat what to expect. So, without further ado, here’s the Mexico trip in a nutshell!

Friday, July 7, 2023

Hello from Mexico! It’s been a whirlwind of a day. Laurel and I arrived in Cancun on schedule, and we made it through immigration and customs no problem at all. Laurel quickly navigated us to the shuttle service she’d booked, and we were escorted to a vehicle with a driver, who drove us right to the resort. He had limited English but asked us where we were from and whether we’d like a beer. (He literally pulled out an ice cold mini-Corona from the front seat!) I felt embarrassed when I couldn’t speak to the driver at all, and I wished I’d studied up more on Spanish for the trip.

When we turned into our resort, we were stopped by security guards who asked for our names, and once we were able to drive into the space, it was a whole new world. There was lush landscaping, bright and colorful buildings, and a sense of opulence and order. We were dropped off at the main lobby, which was open air and stylish with bright colors and a mosaic/tiki aesthetic. 

We were checked in, constantly being upsold things at every turn. Are you sure you’re happy with your room? Why not one closer to the beach? It’s your first time here? Come to a one and a half hour breakfast at our fanciest resort on the property so you can see if you want to stay there next time – and we’ll give you a free coupon for a service! (Laurel told me these breakfasts were just sales pitches for a resort time share.)

7 Days in Provence: Part 4 (Final)

Monday, August 16, 2021

Coffee and COVID-19 Testing

This morning, Ben and I slept in for a change before going out for our morning coffee and croissants. The cafe in the city square was booming with bleary-eyed tourists, but we found a table and enjoyed the pleasant morning breeze and cool temperatures as we munched on breakfast. Afterwards, we drove over to a nearby town to get my COVID-19 test. A negative result is mandatory before I’m allowed on a flight back to the U.S., and even though I had no symptoms, there was a part of me that was afraid I’d test positive through some twist of fate.

Despite my worries, the lab visit was incredibly smooth. We found easy parking and entered a quiet and clean laboratory building where we checked in at a counter and were immediately escorted to the testing room. I sat down in a chair, the nurse asked for my birthdate, and after producing the correct answer, she indicated for me to remove my mask and promptly shoved a swab farther up my nose than any swab had ever gone before. She repeated the procedure on the other side and voila, I was all done with testing. Painful but efficient. 

In the afternoon, we called our parents, and I finished Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence, which I started during our stay in Menerbes. I especially loved reading chapters aloud to Ben and chuckling over the anecdotes together.

7 Days in Provence: Part 3

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Hidden Beaches in Calanques National Park

This morning, Ben and I set out for Cassis, a seaside town on the French Riviera. We were excited to get going and were on the road at 8am expecting an easy two-hour drive. But our first mistake was following my maps.me directions rather than Ben’s Google Maps directions. As we learned on the trip, maps.me gave us outdated routes, underestimated arrival times, and generally got us into pickles.

The first leg of the trip went smoothly. Driving through the winding country roads, Ben and I were in high spirits and there was little traffic. But as we approached the coast, we wound through narrow mountainside roads, and while the scenery was beautiful, my stress levels increased. Then the app took us into the heart of downtown Marseilles, which is the second largest city in France! I clutched the steering wheel as I navigated around pedestrians and had to figure out routes bypassing road blocks. 

And when we were finally able to enter Cassis, we found that our route was blocked due to a lack of parking. At that point, I was winding my way through steep streets in a beachside town with tourists, scooters and motorcycles darting in and out of traffic. And I was just done. Pulling off the road, Ben took the wheel and found a parking space. We paid the parking fee and decided to stick to our original plan, which was to go hiking in the nearby national park. And soon enough, once I was out of the car and walking, I felt much better. 

7 Days in Provence: Part 2

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Hiking Sainte-Victorie

This morning, Ben and I struggled to wake up early at 7am so we could go hiking at Sainte-Victorie, a mountain just outside of Aix en Provence about an hour and a half away from Ménerbes. Today I suggested that I take a turn driving, and right from the start I was nervous to be behind the wheel in a foreign country. But it was no problem at all to drive the twisty, turn-y roads and navigate the city traffic with Ben to help guide me.

When we finally arrived at Sainte-Victorie, it was nearly 9:30am, and we immediately took off on a long journey on the Sentier Imoucha trail, which was said to be a four hour round trip and “rather difficult.” When we headed out, we oohed and aah-ed over the bright blue water of the Bimont reservoir. We also got a little bit turned around and had to double back to find the correct entrance for the trail.

Over the course of the long and difficult ascent, I was reminded of my many hikes in Albania because the terrain was very similar. Like the mountains surrounding Permet, Sainte-Victorie was surrounded by a coniferous forest and its peaks were covered in scrubby Mediterranean bushes and pale, slate-like rocks that were slippery underfoot. 

7 Days in Provence: Part 1

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

From Paris to Ménerbes

This morning, Ben and I woke up around 10am and hit the road for Provence around 11am, stopping for some coffee and croissants before heading to the train station. Thankfully we checked which station we were heading to before taking the subway because we almost went to the wrong one! 

Once we arrived at the train station, we found ourselves surrounded by a sea of people – angry tourists, harried families, and French nationals on holiday. Everyone had somewhere to be, and everyone was impatient and had to get their way before anyone else got theirs. 

Ben and I had two seats together facing backwards rather than forwards. So for the majority of the trip, I turned sideways to see out the window and get a glimpse of the passing countryside. We sped along flat farmland and then journeyed into rolling hills. The colors of the scenery turned from lush green to more scrubby Mediterranean brown as we ventured farther south. Disembarking from the train, we headed outside into the surprisingly warm air of Provence! After the chilly weather in Paris, it felt amazing to be warm.