Provence 28th of September - 5th of October 24

Thursday 3rd of October

More exploring.

We had another relaxed start to the day, with breakfast on the upper terrace and lots of coffee. We decided to explore a couple of towns that sounded interesting -  Pernes-les-Fontaines, and Bédoin at the foot of Mont Ventoux.

It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies but strong winds were forecast for later, so I didn't fancy attempting the drive up Mont Ventoux! We drove through vineyards and small towns to Perne-les-Fontaines and found a parking space in a car park on the outskirts. The town is famous for its fountains, and there are forty of them dotted about.

We hadn't a clue where we were going, but we walked up a steep hill, turned left and found ourselves in a maze of narrow streets with pretty shuttered buildings and a large, imposing church.

Not much was open (as usual!) but when we rounded a corner, we found a lovely bar/restaurant serving food and drinks. We sat on high chairs on the bar side and ordered a beer and two glasses of Rosé. When the waitress brought our wine it looked like a white, but she assured us it was a very pale Rosé!

It was heaven to sit and chat for an hour with our drinks. People came and went and some had lunch in the restaurant. It was windy, but sunny and warm.

We decided to head back to the car and drive on to Bédoin to see what was there. On the way, we saw stunningly beautiful houses.

The town was very quiet as we made our way back to the car. Where was everyone? We put instructions into Trish and headed towards the imposing hulk of Mont Ventoux. The summit, at about 6000 feet (or 1910 metres) had a band of white clouds flowing over it, and the top was white with limestone.

Stumbling upon a funeral...

We parked easily in Bédoin and walked into the town, spotting a restaurant called Pizza Phil which was advertising non-stop service, always a good sign if you're a little late for the sacred 12pm-2pm lunchtime period!

We took an empty table right on the edge of the restaurant but we were told to choose another as just up from the eaterie there was what looked like a funeral gathering taking place. We'd seen some people dressed sombrely when we parked, but now we saw them massing next to the Town Hall. They just kept on arriving until there was a huge crowd of mourners.

We ordered lunch and I noticed Pizza Phil wearing a dusky pink top hat. Sophie and Keith decided to share a pizza while I chose a potato and onion omelette. People who had been having a drink at the restaurant joined the throng and more and more people arrived. It seemed that the whole town had turned out to mourn whoever it was that had died.

Our food arrived and just as we started to eat, a hush fell on the crowd. The road was closed and it was eerily silent. There was just us, a woman seated in front of us and a couple of cyclists eating. Pizza Phil took off his hat and joined the crowd but our waitress continued to dash about with drinks.

The hearse arrived (it was just a people carrier) and then we heard a man addressing the mourners via a loudspeaker. Some people were carrying flowers, but most were dressed in jeans and dark tops. I don't think the French dress exclusively in black for funerals). After about ten minutes of speech, the crowd moved off up the road and some people left. Shortly afterwards, we heard the church bell tolling.

Our food was very good and the portions plentiful. It had been a great choice of restaurant but we were put off slightly by the sad event in the background!

Sophie and I naturally found room for dessert! She chose a Baileys Tiramisu while I indulged in a chocolate fondant again. It wasn't as gooey as the one I enjoyed yesterday, but it was still good! I asked the waitress, who spoke good English, who had died as there had been so many people at the funeral. She said it was someone who worked at the Town Hall (we thought it had been the mayor) but he was 59 years old and it had been very quick, so we presumed it may have been cancer. It was quite sobering.

Teeny, tiny roads...

After paying the bill, we walked back to the car and got rid of more recycling. Trish then took us back to Sablet on the tiniest roads she could find. I have to say, though, that the scenery was stunning and we saw some gorgeous villages and towns, including Crillon-Le-Brave, which was perched on a hill. Stunning! All the way back, we had views of Les Dentelles de Montmirail and acres of vineyards. We passed through Beaumes de Venise and Vacqueyras before arriving back in Sablet.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent relaxing and packing for the off tomorrow. It was still windy but the sky was a bright blue and it was sunny. It was a shame it was too cold to do anything other than dip our toes in the pool!

Our hosts called on us in the early evening and we had a great chat with them. We said we would be setting off quite early in the morning so they arranged to pop in before we left.

Keith and I played cards for most of the evening while Sophie read her book. We then had some snacks to tide us over and Sophie and I watched the last two episodes of the documentary about Monique Olivier and her husband who had preyed on young girls in France and Belgium in the 1980s. They were certainly an evil couple, but the husband has since died and Monique will be free in 2032, if she gets parole. Let's hope she doesn't!

Provence 28th of September - 5th of October 24

Wednesday 2nd of October

Exploring the wine villages of the Cotes du Rhone, part 2

Since arriving at this French house on Sunday, I have managed to trip the electrics three times and flood a large part of the bedroom, but this morning, when I went into the living room, I opened the curtains to look at the view and managed to pull the curtain pole out of its socket... 

There are no cubicles in the shower rooms, so the water sprays everywhere if you're not careful. I do wonder whether Airbnb owners actually stay in their own accommodation? They really should!

We had a very lazy start to the day, which was cloudy and a little chilly. Sophie and I sat on the upper terrace with our coffee and toast, so we didn't leave the house until 11am. The plan was to explore Sablet properly today, move onto Séguret, and perhaps wind our way slowly up Mont Ventoux. The last time we drove up, I had to get Keith to take over as I was terrified!

We parked in Sablet and walked into the centre. It was a disappointment. Le Café des Sports had a few people drinking, but renovation works were going on inside, and the noise was deafening. We walked on, and most of the shops were closed, including a bakery and butcher. In fact, the bakery looked like it had been closed for some time, which was surprising as I thought the village boulangerie was the staple of any French village.

There was nowhere to eat except the Café des Sports, which didn't look very inviting, so not a choice for a future evening meal! It was strange because there was a very smart hotel on the outskirts with no restaurant, and Sablet is quite a large village with several places selling the wine produced in the area. Where do people eat out? We decided to head back to the car and carry on to Séguret and see what this wine village offered.

View of the church, Sablet

Sophie put directions into her phone and sent me off down a narrow road, that was full of potholes and weeds growing everywhere. I was not pleased. The thought of meeting a tractor and having to back up did not appeal!

Séguret is situated on a hill and you have to park and then climb steeply upwards to get to the village itself. Keith was not keen, so we gave up on Séguret! This triggered a small bicker-fest, where we argued about where to go next. I didn't fancy Mont Ventoux so we agreed to head for Chateauneuf-du-Pape instead and have a light lunch there. All the food we'd bought on Monday was still languishing in the fridge, so we were going to try and use most of it up this evening.

It took us about half an hour to get to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and it was obvious that the grapes were still being harvested as we saw workers toiling away in the fields and numerous tractors on the roads. We reached the famous wine village and I pulled up so Sophie could photograph the vines. I'd told her that they're planted on stony soil and large pebbles (or pudding stones) are placed around the roots, which soak up the heat of the sun through the day and then let it out at night, maintaining a constant temperature. 

In fact, vines do best on poor soil, the roots going deep down to reach nutrients and water.

We parked on the outskirts of the village and walking in, we came across places where you could try, and then buy the wine.

We reached the centre of the village and chose a café for a drink. I chose what I thought was a glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape for Sophie and me, while Keith had a beer. There were several restaurants close by offering formal meals, but we only wanted a sandwich or snack.

The wine was delicious and good value (I thought) at 6 euros for a small glass. The French do not go in for the sizes we serve in the UK; their measures are about 125ml, with 250ml being unheard of! When we'd finished our drinks, Sophie and I went in search of another restaurant and to look for wine.

We stumbled upon a lovely little shop selling local produce and I treated myself to a lavender soap in a pretty tin, hand cream and chocolates for my Mum. They sold bottles of local wine as well, but we'd spotted another shop opposite the café and we were going to have a look there.

Further on the street were more restaurants and it would have been great if we were looking to have a proper lunch today instead of a snack. We returned to the wine shop we'd seen only for it to be closed for lunch!

Back in the café, we re-joined Keith and we ordered another glass of wine. It was then that Sophie noticed it wasn't Chateauneuf-du-Pape at all,  but a Cotes du Rhone... I thought it was good value! Glasses of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape were double the price!

We then tried to order something to eat. Our waitress, a real character, rattled off what they had to offer and it seemed like they only had goat's cheese salad. I said yes, and received a filthy look from Sophie who hates goat's cheese. This triggered a short, sharp argument with Keith trying to referee the two warring factions. Both of them had earlier screamed at me like banshees when I'd taken a wrong turn, and in that moment, I was fed up with having to do all the talking and the driving!

Our waitress returned and said she had camembert rather than goat's cheese so Sophie was mollified (I loathe camembert but refrained from saying so). Our lunch was very good - the plates were covered in different hams, a round pot of melted camembert and salad with a delicious dressing. We were given a small basket of bread. Voila!

Sophie and I also indulged in one of the most delicious desserts we've ever had, a perfect chocolate fondant that would make Gregg and John on Masterchef weep! Served with cream, it was fantastic!

As we were sitting digesting our meal, a fascinating couple entered the café. I couldn't take my eyes off the woman, who was stick thin and had obviously had work done on her face. It was hard to guess her age (her husband was in his 60s) but her legs were thinner than my arms, and covered in both bruises and tattoos. They sat at the bar and ordered drinks and I just couldn't stop staring! She had thick hair that tumbled over her shoulders and almost cartoonish make-up with exaggerated lashes and lipstick. Fascinating! I wanted to know all about them!

Some serious shopping

We paid the bill (90 euros) and strolled across the road to a posh wine shop. It was stacked full of local Chateauneuf-du-Pape and other wines from the region. Sophie took umbrage at a German woman who wouldn't let her stroke her dog (my daughter was in a very feisty mood today). She was asking the woman serving loads of questions, but left empty-handed much to Sophie's glee!

It was no wonder she left empty-handed as the prices were not cheap! Keith had given us 60 euros to buy two bottles and I came in at just under that with two local examples. Sophie already owed me a bottle of expensive wine (originally a Cote Rotie from further north in the Rhone) after our bet over who would win Wimbledon, I let her off the Cote Rotie and she bought a lovely bottle of C-du-P instead. 

When Keith and I visited last time (I'm sure it was 1993) we tracked down a producer that had been recommended by Hugh Johnson. He mentioned Vieux Télégraphe which is still going strong today. Back then, thirty years ago, we paid about 8 francs a bottle and bought a case. I doubt we could justify spending hundreds of euros on a case today! We saw a magnum of Vieux Télégraphe for 173 euros!

We staggered back to the car, an uphill walk that got our hearts pumping. When we arrived back at the car park, Sophie noticed the German woman with the dog reversing out of a space and let off a few more expletives! She really had taken a dislike to her!

We drove towards the chateau, the ruined castle that gives the village its name. It was the summer residence of the Popes who must have loved the stunning views of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail.

We drove through an imposing entrance and managed to park right next to the ruined castle.

I think the feistiness was down to the alien tee-shirt...

Keith stayed in the car while we wandered around the ruins and gazed out over the gorgeous landscape. We saw numerous fighter jets flying about; was it anything to do with the troubles in the Middle East, I wonder?

Sophie had a great video chat with Vikesh, telling him all about the grapes and how they're cultivated. I don't think he had ever heard of the village and its wines, and we sometimes take it for granted that everyone knows about these things!

Mont Ventoux

From Chateauneuf-du-Pape, we drove to the outskirts of Orange and one of the biggest Carrefours I've ever been to. We needed some more milk, beer and bread, but I was in search of Cracksters, the little savoury biscuits I'd discovered in Normandy in January!

The area was a large retail park and reminded us of Cité Europe. We wandered around the huge store and bought a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape to enjoy tonight (more reasonably priced) and lots of other treats, including some chocolates for my communal tub at work, and five boxes of Cracksters! The store was hot and it was a relief to get our purchases back into the air-conditioned car and head back to Sablet. The weather was beautiful now, with the earlier cloud gone. 

We had a lovely journey back to the house, and then it was time to relax and snooze until the evening. Sophie and I opened the bottle of C-du-P and we both found it a bit dry at first. However, as the wine opened up Sophie said she could detect wine gums on the nose! Ooh!

We played Scrabble (Sophie narrowly beat me) and then we prepared dinner, which was pizza, slices of chicken, salad, tabbouleh and bread. After we'd eaten, we bickered a bit over what to watch, and we finally decided to log onto Amazon Prime and watch the last Grand Tour, which took place in Zimbabwe. Sophie didn't fancy the serial killer documentary tonight... we'll leave that until we're home!

Provence 28th of September - 5th of October

Tuesday 1st of October 

Exploring the wine villages of the Cotes du Rhone, Part 1

After breakfast and coffee, showers and small chores, we set off at 10am for Vaison-La-Romaine. We'd forgotten it was market day so the town was a lot busier than yesterday! We wanted to fill up with petrol at the Super U garage before exploring Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras and Gigondas.

Once this chore was complete we headed through endless fields of vineyards to Beaumes de Venise, where I was hoping to have a coffee. The French car following me today wasn't aware of the law and British cars... she hung onto my bumper for most of the route and refused to overtake. I just wanted to pootle along and admire the scenery (especially the imposing outlines of the Dentelles de Montmirail) but every time I looked in my rearview mirror, there she was, so close I could see the colour of her eyes...

We finally threw her off near Beaumes de Venise and crawled into the pretty town through roadworks. Spotting a sign for parking, we turned right and found ourselves in a melée of cars all trying to find a space. We sat for ages until angry locals started sounding their horns, getting out of their cars, shouting and gesticulating wildly. We had no idea who was causing the fuss, but it was clear that spaces were at a premium. We did one circuit of the car park and decided to give Beaumes de Venise a miss!

Driving back the way we'd come, we headed for a car park in Vacqueyras, the same one we'd used last year on our way to the autoroute. It was a short stroll to the beautiful centre and a coffee at a small bar.

I love these French Plane trees - so gnarled and beautiful!

I ordered a café creme, Sophie chose a hot chocolate while Keith had a small beer. It was great to sit and watch the locals gather. One man arrived and kissed a woman once on her cheek, then kissed a man three times on the cheeks... why was that? Mwah, mwah, mwah! I love this greeting!

After our drinks, we wandered back to the car and headed for Rhonea, where we'd bought wine last year. Sophie bought three bottles of local red while I went for local whites, one of which was a Vacqueyras. The wine emporium helpfully lists the grapes in the wine and which foods it goes well with.

From Vacqueyras, we headed to Gigondas, which was close by. Keith and I had visited before in either 1993 or 1994 (we can't remember) but at the time the wine was hardly known in the UK. Now, it rivals Chateauneuf-du-Pape and is much more expensive than it was 30 years ago.

We noticed that the sign for the village was upside down, and we'd seen this several times in Burgundy on Sunday. I had a feeling it was some kind of protest, and after Googling it, we learnt that it was. Farmers were protesting about the challenges they were facing and said that they keep getting contrasting information so it feels like their world has been turned upside down.

We parked in a spacious free car park, got rid of two bags of recycling and popped into the Tourism office where Sophie bought a tee shirt and a postcard. The very helpful woman also gave us a map and showed us where we could find lunch.

Lunch with a side of flies...

Gigondas was much the same as we remembered - a beautiful medieval village with narrow streets, shuttered houses and wine shops. There were stunning views over the countryside, and we saw several groups of people with walking poles who had been rambling over the Dentelles de Montmirail. They looked very hot as the sun was out and the temperature was almost 24c.

We wandered about and came across a pretty restaurant with a small terrace and a larger one a bit further up the street. We enquired about a table and were given one on the terrace next to the restaurant. Keith ordered a beer and Sophie and I chose a glass of Gigondas Rosé each. 

As we studied the menu, I became aware of the flies who were constantly bombarding us. I hate flies and they kept trying to land on my face, which was horrible! We chose our meals and settled back to watch the people wandering past while trying to bat away the pesky little creatures.

An Engish couple took a seat behind us, and what an irritating pair they were! I couldn't see them as I had my back to them but the woman droned on and on with a nasally, whiny voice that was as annoying as the flies! We never did establish their relationship but we think they may have been brother and sister. I'm sure that, knowing we were English as well, they did their best to show off and we couldn't help but overhear their conversation, peppered with places they'd been to, and an in-depth discussion about Israel and Lebanon...

The food at Carré Gourmand was delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. We all enjoyed gooey cheese with local ham to start, accompanied by bread, followed by pork for Sophie and me, and beef for Keith. We actually had potatoes and salad! Yay! Our pork was tender and was accompanied by a delicious mustard sauce.

We indulged in desserts - hazelnut chocolate brownies with ice-cream for Soph and me, and cheesecake for Keith. The bill came to 137 euros, which seems to be the norm for three-course meals.

As we strolled back to the car we noticed a fine dining establishment, L'Oustalet, where several smug couples were parting with vast sums for their lunches! Three courses were 75 euros each, and the five-course choice was 120 euros. I think it had one Michelin star. We looked at the menu and none of it appealed to me!

We popped into a wine shop before leaving and Sophie bought a bottle of Gigondas. The woman in the shop was friendly and we'd seen her earlier when we went into the Tourist office. Her lovely little dog had welcomed us enthusiastically so it was great to chat with her for a while.

Relaxing by the pool

It was a short drive back to the house and the three of us sat with our legs in the cold water of the pool. We've all been bitten so the water was lovely and soothing! We then read or napped the afternoon away. Bliss!

When the sun was out it felt hot, but as the afternoon wore on, it became cloudier and a wind started up. Sophie and I sat on the upper terrace and enjoyed a glass of Rosé and it was lovely to sit and gaze out over the view. We moved down to the large table on the lower terrace for an hour and chatted about the next couple of days. It seems incredible, but we only have two days left here!

As it was getting chillier, we moved inside and Keith and I played cards while Sophie read her latest novel. We lit the candles to add some atmosphere and at about 9pm, snacked on little toasts with tapenade and spicy sausage.

We watched another episode of the Netflix documentary which, in hindsight, wasn't the best idea as Sophie freaked out about hearing footsteps on the gravel outside!