Bernie and Cath in Europe 2012: 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.