La Camargue

One of the adventures that had been promised to the kids was horseback riding in La Camargue.

The area is essentially a delta that runs into the Mediterranean and floods in the wet season, attracting thousands of water birds. In the dry season (i.e. now), there isn’t much bird activity, but there are still dozens of places offering horseback riding on the distinctive white horses.

 

We didn’t see too many birds, but the ride was fun, especially when we actually rode along the beach beside the azure blue Mediterranean Sea. Vicki and Kate eagerly seized the opportunity to gallop across the beach.

The whole experience of horses and beach reminded the Gagnons of their visits to Chincoteague, Virginia.

We were all walking a little funny afterward (except for Alan and Michael who went for a hike instead), but it was definitely less painful than our 28 km canoe trip!

In and around Grambois

Our little town of Grambois offered us some lovely views – both within the town limits and as we approached it. Although it only had one grocery store, one boulangerie and a café, we were able to find much of what we needed there.

We got into the habit of going to the boulangerie right at 7:30 am, when the delightful proprietor, Christine, opened her doors. Even at that hour, there was always a line-up to get the best pick of her daily offerings – baguette, olive bread, croissants, pain au chocolat and a variety of other delicious breads. We got the feeling that some of the natives may have been a little miffed that these tourists were snatching up all of Christine’s best goodies before they had a chance to make their regular purchases.

There were even a few interesting pieces of modern art to decorate the little town.

Along with the local baked goods, we couldn’t get enough of all the fresh fruits and veggies available at the markets we discovered in the little towns within fifteen to thirty minutes from our home. Each was a little different, and we made good use of them all.

The marché in St. Martin de Brasque had a group of elders doing a demonstration of Belle Époque dancing.

The one in La Tour D'Aigues didn’t have the best selection, but we all agreed it had the best view. Besides, this is where Vicki found the table cloth she was looking for.

 

And the biggest of all, Lourmarin, was not only massive, it also brought together the highest quality products and several street entertainers.

Every day brought a different and delicious assortment of foods to our breakfast, lunch and dinner table.

From Dordogne to Provence

As difficult as it was to leave Le Bugue and the Dordogne, the fact that we were heading for Provence kept us from feeling too blue. So Saturday morning – Bastille Day – we packed ourselves into our two vans and headed east.

Our route took us to Toulouse, where we dropped Maggie off at the airport – but no tears for her. She’s joining her sister in Spain for some R&R from all this exhaustive French travel.

On the way, Mario took us on a detour through Cahors to view Pont de Valentré, a spectacular fortified bridge that has remained intact since it was built in the 1300s.

The lush rolling hills of the Dordogne gave way to the dry scrubby rugged topography of Provence. It was hard to believe we were in the same country.

Because we were traveling on a holiday, the highways were very busy and the long drive was made even longer.  We were getting hungry, so when we saw this restaurant sign in a tiny town outside Carcassonne, we were thrilled – they seemed to have something for everyone!

But when we went in, they said the chef had gone home. After some pathetic pleading, they relented, but they could serve only pizza. Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers.

For some inexplicable reason, there were statues of the Blues Brothers outside the restaurant. For a brief moment, they morphed into the Blues Brothers plus a Sister.

We finally arrived in our Provence home, on the outskirts of a tiny town called Grambois. Don’t bother looking for it on a map. But it’s near Pertuis, which you can find on a map - if you have a magnifying glass. Alan exclaimed, "If you wook carefuwwy, you might find a partwidge in Pertuis!"

We were tired and hungry, but our spirits were buoyed when we saw the place we were going to call home for a whole week. It was hard to decide what was more stunning, the house or the views.

We think we’ll be able to suffer through.

On Sunday, Michael H. joined us. So we are once again eight. He was supposed to come with Dorcas, but sadly she had to stay home to tend to her ailing father. We all miss her, wish her father well and regret that she is not with us .