Rental cars

As our loyal blog readers know, this fall we bought a friend for our TomTom, a 1993 Ford Fiesta. However, every now and then, we need a rental car. It may be because we have visitors and need a bigger car, or I’m travelling and need to leave the Ford at the airport, or we are travelling outside the know safe perimeter of the old car, or Jean and the girls have just gotten tired of the Fiesta’s rattling and their fillings are starting to come out of their teeth. Whatever the reason, we get a rental car.

Generally speaking, I enjoy the comfort of a new car as well. What I don’t like about rental cars is that they eat things – usually MY things. They eat maps, insurance papers, books and cell phones. Usually I can retrieve these before they are fully digested; sometimes not. The latest meal from a recent rental was my iPod. Fortunately, it was found. Not by the cracker-jack Avis cleaning crew, but by the renter who had the car after we did.

It was discovered by Katie, a college professor from the Midwest who comes to Avignon with her boyfriend every spring to lead a series of French language/culture workshops. She found me after listening to my music for a couple of weeks and then noticing I had my contacts saved. She searched for “Home” and gave me a call.

We made plans to meet Katie in Avignon and retrieve my iPod. On the phone she had mentioned that she and her boyfriend really liked my older music, so I burned her a copy of the Nifty Fifty as a reward.


Katie with my iPod and her Nifty Fifty reward.