Last evening (Wed.) we were invited by our hosts for dinner, and so joined them for a vegetarian meal - our apartment is part of their house. Their daughters, both pre-schoolers, were supposed to have gone to bed, but they soon appeared at the table, and amused us for half an hour or so with their antics. Our meal was different to those we've had in France before, but was very enjoyable and not so heavy as to make us uncomfortable during the night. Our hosts are about the age of Alisa and Tim, and have had interesting lives. Laurence visited China in the late 1990's, so we had lots to share with her. Her husband, Gael, is a chef, and both have lived and worked in Ireland, so their English is very good. We talked for at least 2 1/2 hours, mostly about travels and different cultures. Most enjoyable!
This morning we set off around 10 for Rustrel, where we hiked for over an hour to see the red ochre cliffs. Though I was a bit disappointed with what we saw, the colours were outstanding, and the exercise was beneficial! Following a narrow, winding road along a high ridge above a deep valley, we found our way to Viens, a small hilltown with a castle tower and steep, narrow alleyways with beautiful doors, red Virginia creeper on the stone walls, and a simple restaurant, Le Petit Jardin, where we had the Menu du Jour: green salad with tuna, lamb stew, and raspberry tarte - delicious!
Bryant, driver extraordinaire, got behind the wheel again to take us to Simiane-la-Rotonde, where we oohed and aahed again at the stone buildings, colourful shutters and doors, and autumn vines. We don't seem to tire of these villages. The three places we were today are all within 10-15 km. of our rental, though it seems like more when we're driving the curvy narrow roads. We saw Mt. Ventoux today from Simiane, the highest point in Provence, with its rocky white summit. The sun shone all day for us, and as you will see in the photos the sky was an incredible shade of blue.
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