2018 Bike Trip - the Barbecue

Since Tom’s wife Christine had come over from England and Tom and Christine were staying with the Micallefs, Roger volunteered to host a ‘Celebratory Barbeque’ the Thursday after we returned.  We had done this once before, after one of our Loire bike trips, but since Tom comes over from England for these trips, and Christine is not always in Lyon, the timing does not always allow us to do this.

Unfortunately the weather was windy and threatening so we were unable to enjoy lunch on the terasse.  We still managed to have a very convivial time, with a variety of barbecued meats, vegies, starches, and cheeses. 

Photo taken by Anna

Photo taken by Christine

We spent some time discussing ideas for next year’s trip.  Roger suggested us ‘junior members’ [Tom & me] as  candidates for taking on the responsibility of finding a suitable destination and planning some of the itinerary.  One problem that cropped up – Gérard’s car is already heavily loaded with four bikes, four people, and luggage.  Since we had discussed the idea of ‘graduating’ to electric bikes, we needed to look at whether the added weight of electric bikes could be managed.

A solution will be found and the adventure will continue!

2018 Bike Trip - Day 7

We had breakfast at the hotel in Avignon – juice, bread, croissants, jam, tea/coffee.  We then took a short tour - about 3km- around the walled town on our bikes, and took a few photos at the square where the Palais des Papes is located.

Palais des Papes - Avignon

Roger at the Palais des Papes

The rest of the crew at the Palais des Papes

I drove leaving Avignon, which turned out to be a bit of an ordeal as they are putting in a tramway system outside the walls and traffic was backed up everywhere.  It took us about 40 minutes just to get through town and on the way to the A7.  

We somehow missed the turn for the A7 north and wound up heading northeast on a smaller road.  We were going in the right general direction so we headed in a direction we hoped would take us eventually to the Autoroute. 

We stopped in a small town for lunch on the square then Tom drove.  Roger wanted to find a winery so we could get some rosés for Dominique, so we found one and pulled in.  A very nice woman met us and poured some roses for us to sample.  Roger selected two different wines – one for drinking on the terasse, and one a more serious wine.  I bought a red Vayqueras, which is a Cote du Rhone appellation. 

We finally found the A7, and headed for Lyon, arriving in the evening.  We stopped at Roger’s place and unloaded our stuff.  I rode my bike from Roger’s place as driving to our apartment would take longer than riding my bike and Gérard still had to take his car to his place.  I left my six bottles with Roger until our semi-traditional BBQ get-together on Thursday at Roger’s.  I managed to hang a couple of bags from my handlebars with the honey and the Vayqueras.

2018 Bike Trip - Day 6

I woke up after a restless night with a bit of a sore throat, dizziness, etc.  No doubt because of my overdoing the sightseeing rather than taking an opportunity to rest in the afternoon.  It’s difficult not to explore and learn when this is probably your only visit to a particular town or area.  So - no biking for me this day.

Roger and Gérard biked to Cavaillon by an alternate, easier route to pick up the car.  Tom and I had café au lait, wandered around Apt, then had crêpes for lunch.  Roger and Gérard appeared with the car shortly after lunch, we loaded our bikes and headed for Avignon. 

On the way we stopped at the village of Ménerbes, a touristy perched village that was the actual location of “A Year in Provence”.  We did a bit of exploring and I discovered a cellar where there was wine tasting, presided over by an extremely knowledgeable woman.  There was only me and French couple tasting so we were able to converse a good deal about the wines.  A waiter from the restaurant above the cellar would appear occasionally with glasses of wine for the woman to taste, so she was apparently quite the expert. 

I bought six bottles – a really nice rose and two different red blends based mostly on syrah and grenache.  I also bought a couple of jars of local honey to take home.  The French couple asked which wines I had purchased and said they were good choices.  Always nice to be validated by your fellow-tasters!

Photo of Ménerbes from the web

Scene in Ménerbes - Tom and Roger

View from Ménerbes

Another view from Ménerbes

Yet another shot from Ménerbes

Unfortunately the weather was a bit hazy so the sky was not as blue as in the photo from the web!

It was just a short drive from Ménerbes to Avignon.  We stayed at what looked like a non-descript hotel just outside the old walled portion of Avignon.  The hotel turned out to have a nice inner courtyard and garden that our rooms opened out onto.

We walked into old Avignon to find a beer and then a restaurant for dinner.  Tom came up with a good place using his phone to search for recommendations.  We ate outside on one of the narrow streets, under umbrellas.  We had a nice meal although the service was a bit spotty as the restaurant was packed and the staff was continually setting up more tables outside.

We then headed back for a well-deserved night's sleep after another of our annual adventures.

2018 Bike Trip - Day 4

We all four rode for a while after leaving Manosque, then we once again split into pairs so that Tom and I could avoid some of the steeper hills.  We passed through farming areas with very green hills and fields.  One village we passed was setting up for a sort of Renaissance Fair, something the French love to participate in. The odd thing is that Roger and Gérard, on their route, also passed through a village with a Renaissance fair.

Heading up the hill after splitting up

 We had to backtrack a mile or so at one point as we had missed our turn.  We then found ourselves on a road that had once been a railroad right-of-way, so there were no hills for a while.  As it got towards noon we looked around for a town to have lunch in.  The nearest one was St-Michel L’Observatoire, which was actually on our original route.  We headed for it and discovered we had a 3km uphill climb to reach it.  I managed to bike a large portion of it, so got ahead of Tom.

Near the town, which is atop a hill, is a government astronomical observatory on an adjacent hill, hence the name.  As I waited for Tom just below the town, a man came by carrying several baguettes.  I asked him if there was a restaurant up in the town, and he said there was.  I then watched a large tour bus disgorge about 40 people who headed up to the town, presumably for lunch. Tom then appeared, and we headed up to the town square.   I was a bit worried that the restaurant would not have room for us, but they found us a table.

We apologetically were asked to change tables after we arrived as they had a big family group they wanted to set up for.  No problem – we moved to nearby table and ordered lunch.  Really excellent pork that had been cooked for several hours with a delicious honey-mustard sauce.  Also had a nice bit of rosé to go with it.  We spent a very leisurely lunch, about 2 hours and 40 minutes!  Below are pictures of our plats - note the fabulous presentation in this very small village!

 

David's Plat

 

Tom's Plat

 Two charming efficient women, along with one man appeared to be handling all the tables with 60+ people. 

After lunch, we walked around the square with its World War I monument inscribed with the names of the village’s many dead.  We noticed that the buildings around the square all appeared to be in excellent repair so the village is apparently very prosperous – tourists and the observatory.  There is a great view over the surrounding countryside from the edge of the square.

Most of the rest of our ride to Céreste was easy, much of it downhill - at one point my speedometer recorded 46km/hour!  On arrival in Céreste we were surprised to find Gérard and Roger already there.  It turned out they had also taken a shortcut after leaving Forcalquier, which Tom and I had bypassed before lunch.  Tom and I had covered 42km, Roger and Gérard a bit more.

I thought the hotel was a nice little place – a bit warm with no A/C – but found out later that Roger and company’s room smelled of cigarette smoke.  When they talked to the manager about it, they did not receive a very service-oriented response.

Hotel in Céreste

I did my usual exploration of the town with the help of a map from the nice lady at the tourist office.  The town was a Roman town, on the Via Domitia that linked several Roman towns in the area.  A flood in the river through town a few years ago uncovered the foundations of an original Roman bridge.  There are also several old buildings from the Middle Ages.

Information about the Roman Road

Close-up of the map

Old Town Gate in Céreste

Medieval House in Céreste

For dinner we went to nearby restaurant.  I was not very hungry after all that food at lunch but had a great entrée of a mushroom-ravioli soup that was delicious.  Tom and I split a fish dish for the plat that was quite good, with another excellent rosé chosen by our serveur.  For dessert – always necessary, I had a very nice moelleux au chocolat with vanilla ice cream.

Dinner in Céreste

Excellent local rosé

Next door was a jazz venue with a small combo – two saxes and a drummer - that we adjourned to after dinner, along with wine and beer while we listened. 

2018 Bike Trip - Day 5

The next segment was fairly short – about 23km – and relatively easy.  It had been planned that way on purpose as we had had a quite strenuous last few days.  Gérard and Roger are much more experienced bikers than Tom and I, but even they admitted to being very fatigued.

We started out with an uphill climb, then into a series of ups and downs, luckily trending mostly down, through fields and vineyards.

The last 10 or 11km is on a Voie Vert, in this case a bikes-only route built on a former railroad right-of-way.  As railroads cannot manage steep hills, such paths have very slight gradients.  This one was mostly down which made for easy riding.  Along the way we passed an old abandoned passenger station for the town of Saignon.  Saignon is actually an old perched village some distance away that we could not see as we were in a wooded area.

Abandoned Gare for Saignon - web photo

Saignon from the web

We arrived in Apt in time to have lunch at a restaurant next to our hotel, then did some exploring around town.  Apt is a Cathedral city, but St Anne’s is not terribly impressive as the building is in poor repair and closely hemmed in on all sides.  It’s almost impossible to get an exterior photo of the building as one cannot get far enough away without having one’s view blocked by other buildings.    The interior was more impressive but in dire need of repair.

Interior of Ste Anne's Cathedral in Apt
 

Someone had created a tableau in Apt

We had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel - plain but pleasant.

Waiting for Dinner in Apt.

We had arranged for a hotel stay in Avignon the following night before heading home, but decided to skip that and just drive back to Lyon once we picked up the car in Cavaillon.  Unfortunately we were not able to cancel our reservations, so decided to stay a night in Avignon as planned.

2018 Bike Trip - Day 3

The next day, Friday, we headed out towards Manosque, the biggest town in the Department – about 25,000 people.

Lots of hills, several downs.  Hot 75-80- little shade.  After 24 km, we stopped for sandwiches.  After lunch, Gérard suggested that Tom and I stay on main road to Manosque while he and Roger took marked cycle route on smaller, more hilly roads.  16km vs 28km so we had a shorter route also.  Our route had several nice descents, and relatively easy ups.  Tom and I arrived in Manosque about 3:10PM and went to a small square for a well-earned beer.  Gérard and Roger appeared at the square about 4:55PM after getting a bit lost.  Roger and Gérard were definitely ready for a beer – it had been a long day, and Tom and I were starting to get concerned but figured they would call if there had been a real problem.

Manosque just outside the old wall

Old Church in Manosque on the square where we had beers

 We went a short distance to our hotel where we were met by our charming hostess, stored our bikes, and checked in to the hotel.  Our hostess had recommended some restaurants in the area.  We all went to our rooms to clean up, change, and planned to meet in the lobby and go look at restaurants.  I, of course, went out to walk around as soon as possible and noticed that one of the recommended restaurants was located on a square that was completely torn up for renovation – not an attractive setting for dinner as we always ate outside when we could.  At seven when the others appeared, we decided to look at the other restaurant that had been recommended.  It was a distance away, but thanks to the wonders of cell phones and GPS, we soon found it.

The restaurant was called the L’Antidote, which we hoped we would not need after the meal!  It turned out to be an interesting place, almost next door to the local Communist Party headquarters.  The proprietor is a woman who talked to us a great deal about her history-she had worked at a number of different jobs- and who had other small businesses going beside the restaurant.

L'Antidote in Manosque

The Crew at dinner in Manosque

Our Dinner View - Party Headquarters

We had a good meal, but the bottle of Bandol Rosé we had turned out to have different flavors than I was used to.  I did not detect off-flavors that one might get from a corked or oxidized wine.  Roger took a photo of the label, and after we returned to Lyon I researched the wine online thinking maybe there was an unfamiliar grape in the blend.  My research did not indicate a different grape so I have to conclude that it was a bad bottle or a bad wine.

After dinner we did a short walk around part of Manosque.

Manosque town gate

Manosque Town Gate Plaque

Tom and I did 40km for the day, Roger and Gérard about 60km.

2018 Bike Trip - Day 2

The next morning, after coffee at the hotel, we set off east in a counter-clockwise direction for our tour around Luberon.  It is possible to go either direction around the area, and both directions set out from Cavaillon on the same route, then split.  The result was that we got going in the wrong direction and had to do some map-reading and cross-country biking to get on the route we wanted.

We had a light lunch at a food truck near the viage of Merindol.

The weather was pleasant, with minimal winds – we were fortunate during the whole week – no rain while we were biking, and little of the wind that the area can have, so we still managed to reach Cucuron, our first day’s destination, without too much trouble. 

Cucuron is in the hills, so we had a bit of climbing to do.  Tom and I both did some walking, but the weather was not too hot.

We biked through the town of Lauris, and I noticed several signs of interest.  One was on a florist shop that apparently used to be a music-performance venue as witness the sign and the musical instrument on the front of the building.  Tino Rossi [1907-1983], originally from Corsica, was a very popular French singer and movie actor from the 1930’s to the 1980’s.  The sign commemorates his first public performance outside of Corsica on September 14 and 15, 1930.

Tino Rossi Sign and Building where he performed

The other sign commemorates the introduction of asparagus as a crop to the area - the French love their cultural history..

The introduction of asparagus

I reached Cucuron before the others, so had time to get a beer and alert the hotel-owner to our arrival.  The town has a very large ‘etang’ or basin instead of a central paved square that apparently had originally been constructed to provide water power for a mill.  Around the basin, now containing carp, are 200-year old sycamores that have been pruned to cause them to provide a canopy over the whole area.

Our Hotel and the pond with trees

Apparently, the area is a great place for vacation homes as there are many businesses in town, and several restaurants, including a one-star Michelin restaurant!  I have yet to eat in a Michelin-starred restaurant.  I need to put it on my list.

The town was also used in the filming of “A Good Year” starring Russell Crowe and the gorgeous French actress Marion Cotillard.

Before dinner, I spent some time exploring the town, including old town walls and gates, and an old donjon on top of the hill, the remnant of a fortified chateau.  At the top of the hill was one of the best views I have ever seen – no haze, just vineyards and hills as far as the eye can see.  Did I bring a camera – No!!  The photo here, from the web, is hazy and only vaguely shows what I could see.

Two views of an old town gate in Cucuron

Beer and wine in Cucuron

 

No Haze when I saw the view!

We had a nice dinner with a really excellent local rosé wine that was picked for us by our Serveuse..  [I always try to sample local wines on these excursions.]  We covered 58km this day.

2018 Bike Trip - Day 1

This year’s bike trip was going to be different.  For the first time, our route did not follow a river or a canal.  We were going to do a circuit of Luberon, a hilly part of Provence just east of Avignon. 

 

The area is extremely photogenic and renowned for its ‘Perched Villages’. The so-called 'villages-perchés' are found in various parts of Provence, especially in the Luberon region but also in several other regions / departments, and are instantly recognisable because of the distinguishing features of these villages:

- they are located high up on a rocky crag. As a result the perched villages in Provence all have very impressive views across the surrounding countryside

- they are usually in a historically important defensive position e.g. on the edge of a steep valley or high an a hilltop. Most of the villages were originally built around castles and surrounded by fortifications, although these are often no longer apparent.

- the entrance to the town was through a narrow, easily defended, doorway in the defences. In many villages you will still see these original entrances.

- they have narrow steep streets winding steeply up through medieval houses

- they often have arcaded narrow passageways

- they have traditional Provencal architecture, with the houses (often tall) built of the local rock, and having stone or canal tile rooves

- there are frequently decorative features on the houses e.g. carvings, decorated lintels


Perched Village of Gordes - photo by Jean-Marc Rosier

Roger and Gérard developed our itinerary based on an established bike route around the area.  This route, unlike in the past, was almost exclusively on roads in the area; there were very few stretches of dedicated bike paths. Roger and Gérard, much more accomplished cyclists than either Tom or I, had done some portions of the route in the past. 

Roger had given me some pamphlets about the trip so I could develop some information about the area, what to see, what some of the towns had to offer, potential problems on the route, etc.  While researching, I noticed that this is a very hilly area, with a lot of ups-and-downs.  So, I decided I had better put in a bit of extra practice before we left Lyon.  I went out several times a week and rode around Parc Tete d’Or near our apartment, trying to push myself as much as practicable.  After a few weeks of this, plus a few trips of 30-60 km with a group that Roger and Gérard lead, I felt I was in reasonable shape for the trip.

What I did not factor in was my proclivity to avoid the short naps the others would take after a day of riding, when I would run around the towns we would stop in so I could see as much of the sights as possible during our visit.  After a few days of this, I came down with a bit of a respiratory problem, and was unable to complete the last 50km of the trip.  Roger and Gérard finished the trip, picked up the car, and returned to pick me up, along with Tom who had generously volunteered to remain with me.

The odd thing was that I had actually done pretty well at coping with the hills and the traffic of our route.  I did a minimal amount of pushing the bike on foot up the hills, as I have tended to do in the past.

Our plan was to leave Lyon on Wednesday morning, May 23, and drive to the town of Cavaillon, just east of Avignon.  We would spend the night there and set out the next morning on our adventure.  As we often do, we met at Gérard’s apartment building and loaded our bikes and equipment onto his car.  The three of us shared a set amount for the use of the car so we could minimize any out-of-pocket cost Gérard might have.  We then returned to Lyon on Tuesday May 29.

Unless otherwise noted, all photographs have been taken by the four of us.

Happy Bikers about to Leave Lyon
David, Gérard, Roger,Tom

We were able to leave Lyon at about 9:30, stopped for coffee on the A7 Autoroute, and arrived at Cavaillon in time for lunch.  We ate at a café across from our hotel; I had fish à la Provencal, with a nice rosé.

Lunch in Cavaillon

The weather was pleasant, about 23-25 degrees [72-77F], so beer or white or rosé wine seemed like the appropriate drinks for most of this trip.

We checked into our hotel, locked our bikes in a garage, and did a bit of sight-seeing around Cavaillon.  The entire area was once a Roman province, so there is lots of history.  Currently, Cavaillon is famous for melons, which are not my favorite fruit, so this did not interest me very much.  Otherwise, we checked in at the tourist office, where a very helpful lady provided us with a map of the town along with information about two restored Roman-era arches nearby. 

Square in Cavaillon

David and Roger in the hotel bar before dinner

We had dinner at the Fin-de-Siècle café, which appeared to have authentic décor, as you can see from the photo.  Tom and Gérard had pizza, Roger a big salad; I had hamburger steak with frites and sauce béarnaise.  We then headed back to our hotel to get ready for the start of our adventure the next day.

Fin-de-Siècle café

La Fin de l'Année avec AVF (the end of the year with AVF)

We have continued to enjoy our membership in AVF while in Lyon.  The end of year is always festive, and this year was no exception.

It started with a boat cruise along the Saone River the evening of June 11^th. 

Our boat awaiting us

Over 100 of us boarded the boat to be greeted with glasses of champagne and a variety of finger foods.  It wasn’t long before a four-piece jazz combo started playing a variety of “standards.”  In spite of a downpour during part of the cruise, a very fun time was had by all. 

Anna and other passengers - band is in the back on the right

It was great to greet old friends and meet new ones.  The food kept coming and the band kept playing (sometimes with people singing along).  Too soon we were back at the dock and ready to be on our separate ways home.

End of the cruise

Then on June 17^th, we celebrated the end of the year again at lunch at a restaurant in the country.  We were blessed with lovely weather.  Our friends, Roger and Dominique, gave us a ride which also gave us an opportunity to catch up and converse as we traveled to and from the restaurant.  We began with glasses of Rosé and light appetizers on a terrace by the bar.  Then we moved to the open dining area for more wine and paella. 

Looking towards the dining area from the terrace

After lunch there was time for lots of conversation and even a few games of boules before it was time to head home.

And, last was our “La Fin de l'Année” soirée at Andrée Anne’s on June 26^th.  Andrée Anne is the fearless leader of Découverte de la France, a wonderful class where we have learned so much about France, its history, its architecture, its regions, its music, its geography, etc., etc.  At the end of each year, she hosts a pot luck lunch party at her home.  This year the class included people from Brazil, China, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, England, and, of course, the U.S.  (Could be forgetting someone.) 

Getting ready to dig into all that yummy food! (That's Andrée Anne on the left.) 

So you can imagine how interesting our lunches are!  And, the setting couldn’t be more picturesque, Andrée Anne’s lovely patio and garden at her 1^st floor (2^nd floor in the US) apartment. 

Andrée Anne’s lovely garden

This year she told us all to be prepared to sing a song from our home country.  We chose “Oh! Susannah!” and brought copies of the words to the first two verses so everyone could sing along after we sang it once.  We were amazed to find out that everyone knew the chorus of the song and was very happy to sing along.  Who would have thought that that song would be universally known and loved?


So another year with AVF ends as everyone plans vacations and other summer activities.  We have already paid our dues for next year and look forward to more events, soirées, and discoveries when, as Andrée Anne says, nous revenons comme les hirondelles (we return like the swallows).