We were up, packed, showered and dressed by 9.30am. We said goodbye to our home for the last ten days and called at the supermarket before leaving to buy some pains au chocolat for breakfast later in the morning.
We had a very easy and pleasant journey to the motorway, passing through farmland where they had started harvesting the apples. Once in France, we stopped at the Catalan Village aire for coffee and pastries. It was still warm and muggy, and we hoped it would cool down a little the further north we travelled.
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| A welcome break! |
The motorway was far busier than I expected today, with the far right lane almost totally given over to huge lorries. As usual, the French cars were zipping in and out of the traffic like mad things, and I found it quite unpleasant to drive today. There were lots of German and Dutch caravans and camper vans travelling north, and when they pulled out to overtake a lorry, everything was pushed into the fast lane. I hadn't had a brilliant night's sleep, so I don't think that helped!
We turned off the autoroute towards Avignon and the weather was cloudy and dull. Avignon was busy and chaotic with numerous bus lanes that I had to be wary of! We followed the road which skirted the old town walls, and I remarked that it would have been great to be able to stay and visit but we wanted to get to the hotel. Keith and I had visited the city back in 1993 and I'm sure it wasn't as busy then!
We followed Trish's instructions and headed for the town of Carpentras where we'd booked a hotel for the night. It was situated on a busy road out of the town and I had to turn around further up the road when we passed it. I pulled onto the hard shoulder of the road, and Sophie walked to where the gates were. We were very early - check-in was 5pm - and I was hesitant about asking if we could get into our rooms early, but Sophie and Keith were insistent. This led to the first bickering of a stressful afternoon...
A little disappointed...
We had booked Mas Solige on Booking.com and it was completely different to what I had visualised. Sophie had her own room, while Keith and I were booked into a suite. I had imagined it would be very smart with a sparkling blue swimming pool, beautiful gardens and quite luxurious...
The reality was somewhat different. The pool was an "above-the-ground" type that looked green and smelled unpleasant on closer inspection. There was no way I'd have swum in it! The main house itself was pretty and our rooms comfortable and clean, but the hotel definitely didn't live up to my expectations! Having said that, the couple who owned it were charming, friendly and hospitable and were fine about us arriving so early.
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| Our kitchen/diner/living room |
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| The main house |
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| Our suite |
We unpacked and decided to head into Carpentras to find somewhere to eat. We'd already talked about having a late lunch, and then staying at the hotel in the evening, having a glass of wine and playing Scrabble or cards. I didn't fancy having to drive out in the evening and find our way back to the hotel in the dark!
We tuned left out of the driveway (hairy!) and headed into the gorgeous countryside of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The first village was came to, Mazan, looked lovely but we thought there would be more choices of somewhere to eat in Carpentras, so we drove there. Carpentras was hectic with lots of narrow streets and no parking to be found anywhere. By now, I was hot and tired and quite frankly, fed up with driving! We were arguing about where to go and what to do and this was definitely the low point of the whole holiday.
We tried to park in the centre by a cluster of bars and shops, but there were no spaces, so we got back onto the road and I inadvertently managed to get into a bus lane... I very nearly burst into tears, I felt so fed up! There was a bus ahead of me so I had to turn around in the road and get back onto the main circuit around the town. We then spotted a large car park so I dived into it and miraculously found a space.
We crossed the road and walked into the town following signs for the centre. We all wanted a drink and something to eat, and above all, to relax! In the distance, we could see a bar but it was very clear they weren't serving food. Restaurants in France tend to stop serving food at about 1.30pm and it was now well past 3pm. We ordered three beers and attempted to relax for half an hour whilst planning what to do next.
Sitting in the bar with a cold beer, I now understood why most people fly to a hotel and stay there for two weeks. Today had been hard work, and now we were faced with a dilemma about where to eat. The pastries of this morning were a long time ago! Sophie and I Googled restaurants in the area but most were closed and wouldn't re-open until the evening. One place looked promising so we decided to walk there and see if we could get a late lunch.
We did manage to enjoy our drink, and it was lovely to sit underneath the huge Plane trees and relax for half an hour. These trees are a feature of southern French towns and have beautiful trunks which shed their bark. They provide welcome shade in the heat of the day.
After our drinks, we followed instructions to get to the café that was open. We trudged through the streets, looking at restaurant menus that were opening in the evening. I really didn't fancy driving back here tonight and trying to find a space!
We eventually located the only café that seemed to be open, but it didn't look very inviting, prompting more bickering and arguing! It really had been a lovely afternoon!
We do it ourselves!
By now, we were all thoroughly fed up and it was obvious that nothing was open so we decided to buy some food in a small Carrefour Express we'd seen and eat at the hotel. Our room had a kitchen and a dining table and chairs, and there really was no other option.
We bought salad, cold meats, bread, beer and wine and returned to the car. As meals go, it was one of the cheapest at about 38 euros! By now, the schools were emptying out and the car park was a mass of people trying to find a space. We gingerly backed out and managed to find our way back to Mas Solige without any further mishap, thank goodness!
Our room had its own outdoor table and chairs so we sat on these and chatted for a while. Keith had a beer and we nibbled on some snacks we'd bought in Spain. It was too early to tuck into our bottle of red wine so Sophie and I sipped some water. The road nearby was very noisy, but it didn't spoil our enjoyment of finally being able to relax!
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| Keith and his last bottle of McEwans Champion |
At around 6pm, I opened the bottle of a local red we'd bought, and we sat and enjoyed a couple of glasses before eating.
The wine was a whopping 15% and was very drinkable! It went very well with the cold meats and salad we'd bought and our evening meal was delicious! We were just very glad we'd booked a room with such a well-equipped kitchen!
The plan was to play Scrabble or cards after our meal but we were too tired. I was shattered, to be honest, and it was decided that Sophie would sleep with me and Keith have her room as it was on the other side of the house. She was reading a book about the Manson murders and was feeling a little nervous!
We were in bed by 9pm. It had been a long, tiring and somewhat stressful day!
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