Je suis rouge comme un homard (I am red like a lobster)

I never thought I would be saying this on the 13th of March. There aren't even leaves on the trees yet. I have yet to wear anything besides jeans with my coat to class. Le Mistral, the strong northern wind native to Provence, has been tunneling through the streets of Aix this week, banishing all thoughts of spring and warm weather from my mind. But-- I'm saying it.

I'm sunburned.

Karinne, Haley, and I went to the park this afternoon with pizza, Ipods, and books in tow, planning to spend the perfect Friday afternoon lounging on a blanket and soaking up the 70 degree rays.

After about 2.5 hours, Haley and Karinne were feeling crispy. They awoke me from my sun-induced slumber and began to pack up. I wasn't quite ready to leave, as I felt I could stand an hour or so more glorying in God's best gift to earth, but I acquiesed and began to pack up as well.

Thank goodness for friends who are more in touch with their skin than I am with mine.

It isn't a bad sunburn, but it is a burn with strange tanlines (can you say farmer's tan!?).

Oh well, it was completely and utterly worth it. I'll take pink cheeks with sunshine and balmy Spring breezes over snow, ice, or biting wind any day of the week.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again (although I might be entering into a continuous cycle of jinxes)-- it is springtime in Provence! I'll let you know if I wear my coat to class on Monday.

Some might say we look pale in this picture. That is no longer the case, I assure you, as this was taken pre-sun bathing.

Pizza Capri, a small stand right off the Cours Mirabeau, has the best and cheapest pizza in town. 7 euros for a full cheese pizza!

I got her mid-bite. You can tell she thinks its yummy.

Tomorrow, the Abroadco group is off bright and early for a day trip to Arles. Lots of pictures and history to come, as Pam, our director here, is always full of great information about the places she takes us.