Provence 28th of September - 5th of October 24

Sunday 29th of September

Season of mists

I was awake at about 6am this morning after a fitful night's sleep. It gave me a chance to catch up with the blog and have a coffee before the rest of my family awoke.

We were showered, dressed and breakfasted by 10am. Sophie had been outside several times to see the local cats, some of whom had been yowling earlier. One cat, mostly white with black patches, seemed friendly and wanted to come inside!

We loaded our bags into the car and set off for Chablis where we wanted to fill up with petrol. The prices on the autoroute are much higher, so we drove out of Tonnerre and back the way we'd driven yesterday. As the road wound up above the town, we could see mist hanging over the buildings. It was beautiful!

The fields were also covered in mist and we could see more wind turbines in the distance. Before we reached Chablis, we encountered two tractors that looked like they were designed for picking grapes. As we passed by we could see that the vines had been stripped of their fruit, but there were obviously still bushes that needed picking as the fields were a hive of activity.

We had to take a detour in Chablis because of a Sunday market, but we eventually found the petrol station and filled up. We then had a short while on empty country roads before we reached the A6. There's a law only known to the French that they must, and I mean must, overtake a British car. No matter how fast the car is travelling, the law says a French person must overtake. This obviously does not apply to tractors.

Heading south

We were travelling on the "Autoroute du Soleil", a busy motorway carrying traffic to the south of France and sunshine! There were hardly any lorries but the road was busy with cars, caravans and camper vans of all nationalities. We saw nine different countries represented today, including Sweden and Denmark. Northern Europe was in search of the sun!

We stopped at an aire to use the facilities, but I missed the car park and we ended up at the back of the area which had a small toilet block. Keith and Sophie went to use the loos but Sophie discovered that the female toilets were of the hole-in-the-floor variety, so she refused to use them! I don't blame her, and they were pretty disgusting!

We drove back onto the autoroute and stopped at the next aire which was much bigger and had a hotel, restaurants and a shop. Keith bought himself a baguette while Sophie and I went in search of MacDonalds, for a treat! We had a pleasant lunch in the huge restaurant, which sat over the autoroute so we had good views of the traffic streaming past.

Lyon conquered!

After our lunch stop, we made good time to the city of Lyon. We followed Trish's expert instructions (she was behaving herself today) and we were through very easily and quickly, passing over the River Rhone several times. The opposite carriageway was at a standstill, and we remembered getting held up last year as we drove through.

Once past Lyon, the traffic became a lot heavier and less pleasant. Some of the cars were travelling very fast indeed, and I commented to Keith that we don't see that so much any more on the British motorways, as we have so many cameras and average speed checks. It meant I had to concentrate even more than usual and I couldn't wait to turn off, twenty miles before our destination.

Sablet 

It was great to leave the autoroute and turn off onto quiet country roads. We followed the same route we'd taken last year when we left Vacqueyras, travelling through beautiful fields of vines with the imposing Mont Ventoux in the distance.

We came across one tractor that was designed for picking grapes in narrow vineyard rows and it looked like it had been squashed, it was so concertinaed! The countryside and small villages were stunning and we saw several places that merited a closer look, perhaps!

The last half hour of a journey is always the worst, and today was no exception. We followed Sophie's phone directions and I ended up first in the driveway of a logis. Our turnoff was the next one and the road was narrow with houses dotted along it. We came to our Airbnb and I had to turn around, which triggered a bicker-fest as I tried to manoeuvre the car and not scrape it along a stone wall!

Our hosts met us, and they were delightful. The one thing that annoys me when we arrive at an Airbnb (when it's not a lockbox entry) is the owners describing everything in great detail, not realising that we have just travelled four hundred miles, we're tired and in need of the loo! This was not the case with our hosts in Sablet, thank goodness! They'd been gardening and welcomed us to the house, letting us explore ourselves. We also met Truffe, their cat, who was friendly and at one point got into the boot of the car to sniff our suitcase!

Truffe

The house is typical French with blue shutters, big old wardrobes in every room, wooden furniture and tiled worktops in the kitchen. We have a pool, which I doubt we will use, a gravelled terrace with outdoor furniture, a barbecue and pizza oven and views across to Les Dentelles de Montmirail (jagged mountains) and vineyards. Heaven!

In search of grub!

Of course, today was Sunday and most places in France have little in the way of eateries open in the evening. All the supermarkets were closed and outlets such as petrol stations with Waitrose or M&S attached (where you can buy a three-course meal) are unknown here. After unpacking and getting to know the house a little, we decided to explore Sablet to see what was on offer. Narrow streets abound and it's very much a working wine village. Nothing was open, so we decided to head for Vaison-La-Romaine, about nine kilometres away. On the way, we looked out for restaurants or even petrol stations where we could have bought a salad and sandwiches. 

Vaison-la-Romaine was bigger and had several supermarkets (closed) and a maze of narrow streets. We found a little shop that was open and selling tinned foods, drinks and snacks. We also saw several restaurants. At the end of the road was a large car park, so perfect for having a stroll around in the evening.

We decided to buy two large tins of beef ravioli, a pack of grated cheese, bread, beer and wine and have supper back at the house this evening. The restaurant nearby was opening at 7pm, but the thought of driving back, getting showered and then returning did not appeal. We were tired and just wanted to relax with a drink and something simple.

Back at the house, we opened a bottle of Cotes du Rhone red, Keith had a beer, and we sat on the terrace with nibbles enjoying the early evening sunshine.

It was heavenly - our hosts said there were still mosquitoes about and I think I've been bitten on my foot, but it was lovely to sit out so late in the season.

Sophie prepared a delicious dinner of ravioli with melted cheese on top and it went well with our local bottle of red wine. We made the living room/dining area/kitchen cosy with candles and borrowed a lamp from one of the bedrooms.

After eating, clearing away and stacking the dishwasher, we managed to log onto Netflix and picked a documentary about a serial killer murdering young women in the Ardennes. Auxerre was featured, as was Dinant in Belgium. It was very interesting, and of course, topical!