Provence – the final week

Days 32 to 35

Day 32, Provence day 10, Tuesday 11 September

After the efforts of conquering Mont Ventou today was a rest day. That meant sleeping in and a long petit déjeuner to start the day. We headed off to Rousillon as we had not had an opportunity to go there earlier.
There is a lot of bauxite in the soils around Rousillon and it gives the area a distinctive red hue to everything they build. We cruised into town mid afternoon to find it pretty relaxed and a wedding going on at the the local Chateau de Ville. While it is another hillside town it has a very distinctive personality from the other hill-top tourist towns. We had a very relaxed time there buying ice-creams and coffees and watching the locals celebrate the wedding.

Rousillon is the red coloured town of Provence due to the bauxite in the soil of the area.

The villages still rely on the ringing of the church bell (but no moon dial here).

using the local soils adds a a red tint to all things, other than the modern no-parking sign.

The houses in the town have a real character.

Day 33, Provence day 11, Avignon and Pont de Gard

While the rest of the group headed off to subjugate the Verdon Gorge we took the easier option and drove into Avignon to visit the Palais-des-Papes and the Pont Avignon and follow that up with a visit to the Roman Pont-du-Gard just West of Avignon.

Palais-des-Papes and the Pont Avignon

Basically the Popes of the Roman Catholic church moved to Avignon in the 14th century to avoid the conflicts going on in Italy. The French enjoyed having them there and over a period of 100 years the Roman Catholic Church was ruled from Avignon by nine Popes. While the building created by the Popes are still there, very little of the artefacts or history of the period remain. Visiting the Palais-des-Papes provides a tour of a lot of empty buildings and brief descriptions of a golden time of French history. Unfortunately most of the substance of the Palais was removed when the Popes moved back to Rome.

It is an interesting place to visit but lacks the atmosphere and content to connect it to the period when the Popes ruled the religious world from Avignon.

The palace and cathedral sit together in the centre of Avignon

The main facade and entrance to the Palais-des-Papes

The main courtyard was being prepared for a music festival. The building on the left was the Pope's tower where his living rooms were.

Pont Avignon

Cath on Pont Avignon

Pont Avignon looking back to the Palais-de-Papes

Pont-du-Gard

Pont-du-Gard is an amazing Roman built aquaduct completed in 55 AD. It spans a 500 metre course over a river using three levels of arches. Over two thousand years years after it was completed it still provides a solid link back to the period when the Romans managed this part of France. The stone to build the Pont was sourced locally and cut so that each of the massive stone blocks fitted together without the need for any concrete to assist the joins.

A foot bridge runs beside the Pont to provide pedestrian access to both banks of the river.

The Pont is 274 metres long in spanning the river valley.

The cutting of the massive stones to fit flush with each other is amazing.

The Pont is 49 metres above the river with the water flowing across at an angle of just 1 in 3000.

The scale of the aquaduct is just amazing and it was just one aquaduct on a 50km canal to deliver water to Nimes.

As the others were staying at the Verdon Gorge for the night we had dinner at a restaurant on the river at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Another hard day in Provence!

Day 34, Provence day 12

We were allocated tomorrow night for our turn to prepare dinner so we went into L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to buy food. Thursday is a market day there but it is a smaller market than on a Sunday and has more food stalls. We bought chicken, vegetables, cheeses and terrine and also went to a patisserie and ordered a large crème brȗlée for dessert. That filled in the morning very easily.
In the afternoon we headed back to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse to visit the Resistance Museum. The Luberon area had a very strong resistance force and a lot of information and material was collected for the museum. Unfortunately a lot of the information about the displays was lost in the very limited information provided in English. A lot of the material related more to how the French coped with the German occupation and the restrictions they placed on the population.
Having done the museum Cath headed off to the shops while I went to the small Petrarch Museum. It had an interesting collection of old books and prints as well as some contemporary pieces including works by Picasso, Chagall and Miro. Well worth the visit.

Day 35, Provence day 13

Plenty of movement in the morning as the girls prepared for a trip to the market at Carpentas.

The guys (except for John Locke) were heading off for a ride along the top of the Luberon range. Setting off from the house we rode to Lacoste and up to Bonnieux for a coffee and to buy some baguettes, jambon, fromage, avocado, tomatoes and lemon tarts for lunch. Climbing to the top of the range we followed the road up to a picnic area that was as far as the cars could go.

After a gourmet lunch we continued along the ridge through the cedar forests and some spectacular views of the valleys on both sides of the range. We eventually had to make our way down to the valley on a very rough road through some very windy, rocky country. Once off the mountain we headed back to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for a cleansing ale and then back to the house with a total of about 80 kilometres covered.

Lacoste sits on its rocky outcrop as we make our way across to Bonnieux

Bonnieux was a coffee and lunch purchasing stop

The views from the top of the Luberon range towards Mont Ventou were spectacular

Riding through the cedar forests on the range was very nice

The gourmet lunch was washed down by a fine Gigondas grenache

The descent from the top of the range took us over some rough roads and stoney country with a very strong gusty wind blowing

Cath and I were on dinner duty and Cath had already done the hard work of preparing the coq-au-vin and the vegetables and getting them in the oven before I arrived back. After setting the table and organising the serving of the food my main job was keeping the drinks up to the table and then clearing and doing the dishes. The evening went really well and we all agreed that it had been a great two weeks spent in Provence.

Day 36, Saturday 15 September, back to Paris

John and Shirley Locke were keeping one of the hire cars and heading West to visit sites in Southern France and offered to drop us at the TGV station in Avignon. We said our goodbyes and left the house at about 10am and arrived at the Avignon TGV station about 11am.

Our train arrived on time and we were in Paris at 3pm to find that there were no taxi's available. It was down into the Metro with suitcases and bags to get over to Les Halles. Not fun!

Eventually met the agent at the apartment and collected the keys. It was great to be back in Paris so we just sorted ourselves out at the apartment and then headed down to Le Bouledougue restaurant for dinner. It is just up the street in Rue Rambuteau and had been recommended to us by the agent for the apartment but had been closed for holidays during our earlier visit. We both had great meals and we never fail to be amazed at the number of places in France that offer great food at incredible prices.

It feels very comfortable and familiar to be back in Paris.

Provence – the middle days

Days 27 to 30

Provence day five

Today was a rest day for us. The others went off for a ride in the morning and did not get back to the house until mid afternoon. We rode our bikes down to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue late morning and had a wander around the centre of the town. It is a lovely little town with narrow streets and the canals and river add a very calm effect to the place.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the river and then went up to the supermarket to organise the hire of a car. We had not planned to hire a car but we were feeling restricted by not having one available so after not finding any local places on the internet we asked at the local tourism office and they said it could be done at the SuperU supermarket. It took some time to organise (with my broken French and her broken English) but arrangements were made to collect the car that evening.

We then headed back to the house. Cath walked up the hill to the house and was very tired and hot by the time she reached the top.

Provence day six – another market, another ride

Cath headed off to Bonnieux with some of the girls for the market. Bernie and the guys headed off for a ride. We had a great ride which took us up to the mid levels of the Luberon range and then back along the canals serving the Luberon valley.

Provence day seven – 

We did not ride today and spent the morning at the house. In the afternoon we headed out to Fontiane-de-Vaucluse and Lagnes but they were very busy (the Sunday visitors problem) so we came back to the house. Provence is very busy during the weekend, much better to visit places during the week (preferably non-market days) to get a real feel for the place.

Great weather is holding out so no problems with spending some relaxing time by the pool at the house.

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a very restful spot even on a day that is busy with visitors. Looking up the La Sorgue river with the chateau at the top of the escarpment. The water from the spring is so clear and clean.

Provence day eight – Mont Ventou

Big ride day with the target being the summit of Mont Ventou (1912 metres), the Giant of Provence. Three cars were heading off with Bernie, Ross Foster and Bill Melbourne in the first car which arrived at Sault at the foot of Ventou at 7:15am. The other cars left at 6:30 to arrive at the starting point at 7:30am.

Bernie and Ross set off on their climb and reached the summit (about 21km riding) at 9:20, took some quick photos and did the descent to Malaucéne, arriving there about 10am. After some food and water we started the climb back up to the summit of Ventou. The climb from Malaucéne is much steeper and Bernie chucked it in about 11km into the climb when long sections of the climb were around the 12% gradient. He descended down to Malaucéne while Ross continued to the summit (it is a great fast descent to Malaucéne on smooth roads).

The summit of Mont Ventou is in a bare limestone, windswept landscape. Looks close but this is about five kilometres from the summit.

Pressing on to the summit of Ventou, Ross in front and Bernie taking the pic. It is a bare landscape because the trees were stripped to build warships for the French Navy in the 14th century and the forests never recovered.

Finally at the summit

Meanwhile all of the others except Cath had started the climb from Sault. John and Shirley Locke and the Mebourne's made it to the summit. Marg and Mike Kermode stopped short of the summit but proved that recent falls would not necessarily stop them.

Ross was very happy to have done the two climbs in the morning and after re-grouping at the summit we all headed to Gigondas for lunch, collecting Bernie on the way at Malaucéne. We were too late to get into the restaurant we had booked so went into town and found a restaurant serving degustation meals with wines and we settled in there for a late lunch. Not hard really.

Lunch in Gigondas was a degustation menu

After lunch it was time for some wine tasting and purchasing of the great Gigondas region wines. Then it was back to the house for showers and dips in the pool before enjoying gourmet omelettes cooked by Bill and Bernie for dinner.

Another great day in Provence with magic weather and fantastic achievements for all in the day.

Introduction to Provence

Days 22 to 26

Getting to Provence

Very easy really. Packed and on the street at at 8am and caught a taxi to Gare Lyon. Have not been to Gare Lyon before and it was a larger station than I thought with three groups of platforms. Our train was leaving from the second set and twenty minutes before it was due to leave the platform number was posted and luckily our carriage was at the end of the train. That saved a long rushed walk.

The train trip was two and a half hours to Avignon and Bill Melbourne met us at the station. They had been able to get into the house the day before so we drove straight to the house, picked a room and settled in. The rest of the group arrived through the afternoon and then it was up to Fontaines de Vaucluse for dinner at a restaurant there.

Day one in Provence

The market in the town of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue brings people from all over Provence to the town on a Sunday morning. The central town is located on a island (hence the Isle-sur in the name) surround by the river Sorgue. Being a medieval town all the parking is done outside the town and you walk into a market which spreads itself around the streets of the old central town. The girls took to the market with a vengence while the guys wandered with less purpose.

The market is held on the streets and bridges of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Eventually we all managed to gather at a local coffee shop and then plan the return to the house, no simple matter when the French decide to park crazily close together and drive small cars so that they can fit them into the small gaps you leave to the car in front of you.

We all managed to survive the experience and after a quick lunch it was time to get on with the first ride. Bill had mapped out an strict ride schedule that was dispensed with very quickly. Stating times slipped as adjustments were made to bikes, riding attire, drink bottles and drug plans. The temperature was in the high twenties as we all headed off, except for Cath who had nominated to mind the pool.

Walking across the top of the aquaduct

The view from the aquaduct towards Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

The aquaduct from the road below with the Sorge river flowing underneath

Coffee break in Lagnes

Dinner was at the house

Dinner outside another beautiful evening, overlooking the sunken garden.

A coffee stop was required at Lagnes and then it was an easy ride back to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue before tackling the climb up to the house. Just be assured that Provence is not a flat area of the world but when the house is about four kilometres up a road that varies from 5 to 8 percent gradient after riding for a couple of hours you start to make up visions of rewards at at the top of the hill. This was day one and while it was not a tough climb it does mean you end the day with a steady climb.

After showers and the obligatory swim in the pool it was hamburgers, sausages and salad for dinner outside on a mild summer evening with a few wines to end the first full day in Provence.

Provence day two – Old Oppede, Lacoste and Bonnieux

Keeping to as many back roads as possible we did a loop out to Old Oppede and back down the valley to Lacoste and Bonnieux. Old Oppede was almost a ghost town but a few locals keep it going. It is perched up on the side of a rocky outcrop and maintains a tenuous existence as the uninhabited buildings on the upper slopes fall into disrepair.

A cafe at Old Oppede

Some of the old part of Old Oppede

From Old Oppede we rode on to the hilltop town on Lacoste. Bill and Cath were driving the car and found some baguettes, cheese and tomatoes for a lunch in Lacoste (Elizabeth managed to supply the tablecloth!). Lacoste was the home of Marate de Sade and his chateau still dominates the hill. The whole town has been purchased by Pierre Cardin and he has plans for turning it into a fashion design centre. It was a very interesting little town.

Lunch was at Lacoste, with all the trimmings!

It was time then to roll down the hill and then up the climb to Bonnieux on the opposite side of the valley. It certainly won the beautiful village award over Lacoste. Bonnieux was an important thoroughfare for the Romans, travelling from Cadiz to Milan. In the Middle Ages, Bonnieux became a Papal enclave, through a bizarre chain of events. This meant that the town was a tax-free haven in the centre of the French kingdom. Smuggling was rampant and the town prospered. Only the French revolution was able to put a stop to the special privileges of the townspeople.

Today, you find little evidence of this prosperity. The main D36 road that cuts through the village passes by bleak and gray houses of an undetermined age. What does take your breath away is the splendid view over the, often wind swept, valleys of the Luberon below, the fertile plains of Cavaillon and beyond, all the way to Mont Ventoux, on a clear day.

Bonnieux in the distance

After a quick round of drinks it was back on the bikes for the descent to the valley and the Pont Julien – which is the oldest Roman bridge in France. The name Julien refers to Julius, as in Julius Caesar. It is  also one of the best preserved and important Roman bridges in the region.

Pont Julien is over 2000 years old

Leaving Pont Julien it was a flat ride along the rail trail to the cars that had been parked at the end of the trail. Cath did the ride from Bonnieux to the cars and managed it very well.

In the evening it was back up to Bonnieux for dinner to celebrate Di Foster's birthday. The whole night was very funny, very French and a real treat. We haven't been up to one of the old hilltop villages in the night before. They take on a whole new character, you notice smaller things, like glass milk bottles left out on the step for the morning delivery. The waiters at the restaurant spoke no English so just trying to order was a comic experience; eventually we all settled with things we thought might be something vaguely similiar to what the waiters thought as well. Great food arrived, some of it nothing like we thought it was going to be. A risk and a pleasure of travelling.

After dinner it was time to explore some of the streets and lanes of Bonnieux but we all agreed that it was somewhere we had to come back to again.

Provence day three – Gordes

The ride today is to the town of Gordes, another of the most beautiful villages in France but this time it certainly is. It is a long steady climb to the town but well worth the effort. There was some tough climbing to be done before even getting to climb up to Gordes in getting over some of the smaller hills of the Luberon so we were all very relieved to get to the town. Cath and Elizabeth had driven up and the girls attacked the market while the guys attacked a grande beer at the local pub.

There is a reason Gordes is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France

The market was held in the winding streets and squares of the town

We cobbled together a picnic lunch which we ate overlooking the stunning Luberon valley. Not a bad way to spend a day. The views over the Luberon countryside are stunning, and the village itself is a warren of cobbled streets and ancient houses. All very gorgeous.

The ride back to the house was easier and even fun on some of the descents. The climb back up to the house from Isle-sur-la-Sorgue had us all in the pool when we were back at the house as the temperature was around the 30 degrees mark.

We had a great dinner at the house with chicken, rice and salad before night-caps and collapsing into bed.

Provence day four – St Remy and beyond

Rest day from riding today and the plan was for the girls to visit the market at Saint Rémy-de-Provence. The guys got to sleep in before heading into Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to search for a good wifi connection, some more wine and a good bottle of Scotch Whisky.

The market in St Rémy spreads across parking areas and squares around the boulevards ringing the old town. If you like markets, crowds, and an active experience, Wednesday is a great day to visit. Les femmes knew this was not an occasion to be missed and so suggested that le dans (men), had been doing a sturdy job over the last few days and could have a well earned rest. Saint Rémy market lived up to its reputation as being a premier regional market; less food focussed and more craft focus, just what les femmes were looking for.

The St Remy market has fresh produce as well as the usual clothing stalls.

The village of St. Rémy is pretty and picturesque, and the old Gallo-Roman interior is circled by the remnants of the circular 14th-century wall and the protective circle of buildings. Located 20 km south of Avignon, this is where Van Gogh painted Starry Night, Nostradamus was born and Dr Albert Schweitzer was prisoner.

Some hours later, shopping urges satiated, we rendezvoused with the guys at Les Baux for lunch.

Les Baux sits above the valley on a limestone outcrop.

As one of the main world-famous locations in Provence, and one of the places most steeped in regional memories, Les Baux de Provence combines its outstanding mediaeval and Renaissance heritage with a sense of hospitality and a spread of culture that make it the ‘Flagship of Provence’.

This is a place steeped in history but it has much more to offer. Traditional hospitality is a way of life here, thanks to gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels. We had lunch at a café overhanging the striking white cliffs of Les Baux.

Les Baux is a collection of ancient buildings on narrow paved streets.

On the West to town overlooks a rugged limestone valley.

Once lunch was done we had a very quick drive around to the Carrières de Lumières display. The display takes place in an old limestone and bauxite mine. The limestone and bauxite were taken out as square blocks which has left large spaces and pillars 14 metres high with flat faces. Images of paintings by Gauguin and van Gogh are projected by 30 projectors around the caverns and create a great visual effect.

The images are projected onto 14 metre high limestone pillars in the former mine.

The projections create some interesting visual effects

Dinner was at the house.