The long and winding road (Part 1)

Today we had the biggest ride of the week, just short of 70kms, including a very steep 5km climb to the top of a mountain; more on that a little later. Micky had to tweak the route slightly because of the rising water levels on the Rhône.

We headed off through the village of Vallabrègues, passing through Tarascon again and stopping for a quick coffee and toilet break in Saint-Étienne-du-Grès, which is located on the “La Via Domitia”. This is the ancient Roman route that passed through southern France linking Rome to Spain.

Our first major destination was Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the birthplace of Michel de Nostradame (aka Nostradamus), and we passed through some beautiful countryside along lovely roads and laneways to get there. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was absolutely jumping when we arrived. It was market day and every man and his dog was there. It was a wonderful market, spread across the town square and parking lot, extending out down narrow and winding lanes. You could buy just about anything there. We got some nougat, a delicious Pistou Rouge, some lovely olive wood boards, an apron, a couple of bracelets and a gorgeous scarf. The atmosphere in the town was very welcoming and we had a ball discovering and tasting delicious foods.

We had only an hour or so at the market and it wasn’t nearly enough, plus the town itself warranted more exploring. We will definitely be back, and would probably spend a week there.Read more