Long time no type

Who would have thought that after going through the body-wrenching experience of grape-picking last September and swearing we would never ever put outselves through that again, we went and did it, again!
Clara and I just got back from 2 fantastic weeks in Beaujeu, a small village in the Mâcon region of France, near Lyon. We worked in 2 different farms and have 2 completely different experiences, one good and one bad - but now they sum up to a great "holiday". The work was not as excruciating as last year - I don't know if it was because our bodies were slightly immune to last year's constant back bending or if it was due to the copious amounts of ibuprofen we took and the daily Tiger Balm massages, a miraculous substance. It must be said, the boss this year was les strict and we had plenty of breaks and sitting down was allowed, that must have contributed too. Still, because the other grape-pickers were all foreigners (all Appellation Controlee applicants ( a Dutch agency)) and not French locals, we found ourselves being some of the quickest workers. It was a very pleasant surprise.
We had a great group of Brits, Germans, Dutchies and an Australian, who sure livened up our evenings, drinking 5 euro 5 litre "bidons" of wine. They each had their own story and their own traveling ambitions and you can't help but it rubbing off and soon I was more than happy to ignore my flights back home and stay for an extra week of work.
A group of us stayed in Lyon for a couple of days after the work ended. It was great spending time with them in a non-working environment, although a bit weird. We were sad to leave them, and let them carry on with their disorganised travel plans and feel slightly unhinged back at home now. All I want to do is set off again. The idea of settling back into a routine is not particularly attractive at the moment.
However much I might complain about not having enough clothes when I travel, it sure feels good to live out of a suitcase.