In the land of Dionysus. Beaujolais...

Back to Lyon... I am still tired so I'll just try to give an overall account of what grape picking felt like.... The first days where exhausting.

The vines where very small and we had to bend all day long to reach and cut them. The muscles in my back were very weak so they suffered.

I had an internal nagging which I was trying to stop. I told myself I should enjoy the moments and not complain.

The food was... More than enough! Breakfast with fresh bread and homemade jam and coffee. 9.30 food on the field, bread and different kinds of salami and a glass of rose wine. 12.00 lunch. Salad, main meal, dessert, cheese, coffee. Oh and more wine! 7.00 dinner. Soup, main course, dessert, cheese, coffee. Oh and yes more wine! The food needed more salt and pepper, but it was good. Really good. I do admit that Jim's food in Italy was much better....

Last but not least the people. Beautiful, adventurous, strong, smiling.... Especially the ladies were the bravest ladies I met! If it weren't for them the experience would not be the same..


I am so thankful I decided to have this experience...

In the end they threw us in a truck full of grapes and we had grape juice everywhere! Laughing like crazy till our bellies ached, eyes shining... Us and God Dionysus. It was a feelinf beyond words, a very ancient feeling...

This is life, this is freedom, this is absolute happiness. I forgot all about my pain and aching back! And then they were waiting with the buckets! All wet, laughing under the sun. It was over. I could not believe it...

And then it was dinner time... Wine tasting, nice food, smiles and beauty everywhere. Everybody had a shine on them, they were polished by nature, working under the sun...

In the end, I felt full. Alive. Rich. Able. Loved. All this and more that words cannot describe.

P.S. Νow I have to choose from 1200 photos that everyone took. Good luck. If you see a picture you took,please let me know so I can quote you! Merci!