Monday, October 20, 2014

Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014: Saignon and Bonnieux

Another restful day, compared with our busy day in Lyon yesterday anyway.  We slept in, did some laundry, and drove up to the village of Saignon, about 10  km. south of Apt.  Drove UP, because these little villages are almost all on steep hills and the roads to them feature hairpin turns uphill and down.  Saignon was known as a rich town in the past, but today it looked rather sad to us - it needs some TLC and the powers that be are in the process of renewing infrastructure and doing some restoration work.  Nevertheless, it has an impressive situation with several limestone karsts at the top of the hill, and the narrow streets clearly show the geology of the area.  Many interesting doors in this village, so that's what today's photos will focus on.  

There were no restaurants open in Saignon after 2 pm, so we went on to Bonnieux, banking on the guess that more tourists meant more restaurants.  And our hunch was correct.  We took a detour through the little village of Buoux though limestone-lined roads with overhanging rock walls that reminded us of the Black Hills of South Dakota.  The traffic was heavy in Bonnieux, and we found Restaurant Ste. Andre open, so we had lunch.  Then it was back to Apt, McDonald's, and home for a very light supper.  We are hoping the good weather continues so that we can get to Moustiers-Ste.-Marie tomorrow, about 85 km east of Apt, and the nearby Gorges du Verdon - the Grand Canyon of France.


Sent from my iPad.

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