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.