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!
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