Our last day of riding took us east towards the Alpilles
massif. Although there are no high peaks, the jagged
ridge gives the impression of being higher than it is.
Riding out of Arles along tiny back roads, where meeting
a car is an event, we tackled a short stiff climb to the
hill-top village of Les Baux.
The bottom gear effort was richly rewarded by the
sublime views and the town itself, which is dramatically
perched on a rocky outcrop.
Then it was on via a stunningly twisty descent (ok, I lie
slightly, after a 'bit more of the freaken hill') to the pretty
little town of St-Remy-de-Provence for lunch.
St Remy the birthplace of Nostradamus, is also celebrated
as the subject for many of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings.
After lunch, we visited the hospital of St Paul-de-
la-Mauseole, the sanitorium where Van Gogh committed himself
after his argument with his best friend Paul Gauguin.
Our final stretch of riding took us on on flat, quiet lanes through
orchards and melon fields to cross the River Durance at
Cavaillon, and from there its a short hop back to the
Mas de Cure Bourse outside L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for the
final night's celebration dinner. We were all very glad to make it
back to base camp after 72.97km, according the the ride notes,
today was a 65.2km ride (the gps was turned on for the walking
through the 'sanitorium', and when I had to 'play sheep dog'
and round up some strays in the group who were lagging behind,
while our ride guide fetched yet another lagger....
Its off to Paris tomorrow, but my heart's not really in it.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Day Six - Friday (1)
Last cycling day today - if there are no further posts, assume
I didnt make it up a granny gear hill they have indicated, that strikes
fear into us lowly cyclists - plus, while the temp has dropped
below 20, yay, there is also a wind to contend with now - oh well,
I guess we'll keep cool ....
I didnt make it up a granny gear hill they have indicated, that strikes
fear into us lowly cyclists - plus, while the temp has dropped
below 20, yay, there is also a wind to contend with now - oh well,
I guess we'll keep cool ....
Day Five - Thursday
Heading south from Uzes, and skirting the city of Nimes,
we found more dramatic, rugged scenery before sweeping
out into the plains which reach the Camargue and the
Mediterranean. On the way we crossed the Pomt Du Gard,
this time on two wheels, as in over and not under
From here we had easy cycling through a series of
villages, each with a church and wrought ironwork
belfries so characteristic of the area (it would have
been much easier if a low speed rear end collision
with my 'canoe wife' Rebecca hadnt gravelled my
knee and slightly bent the deraillier arm, but a liberal
dose of betadine after my shower has fixed the knee,
and hopefully David had applied some pressure
to the deraillier arm on the bike - the betadine hurt
more than the fall, although apparently there's an
interesting set of photo's going around showing the
aftermath and of me being hauled back to my feet)
A picnic lunch was followed by a wine tasting at the
Chateau Morgue du Gres, a prestigous winery of the
Costieres de Nimes appelation.
After lunch, we rode back through the northern fringes
of the Camargue, through paddies growing the red rice
of the region, and fields of the black bulls which are bred
for the bullrings of Arles and Nimes (didnt actually see
any bulls, but smelt evidence aplenty that they were there)
We then crossed the Rhone to our hotel in the heart of Arles.
Arles has an immaculately preserved Roman ampitheatre, or
next doors's equally impressive Roman Theatre, or a short
walk to the Alyscamps Roman Cemetary or the 15th Century
St Trophime Cathedral, with its shaded cloister.
Elsewhere in Arles there's a Van Gogh museum, but, I felt
like a beer, so it was back to the hotel for pre-dinner drinks
for this little black duck.
Total distance 56km, gps said we did 56.99
we found more dramatic, rugged scenery before sweeping
out into the plains which reach the Camargue and the
Mediterranean. On the way we crossed the Pomt Du Gard,
this time on two wheels, as in over and not under
From here we had easy cycling through a series of
villages, each with a church and wrought ironwork
belfries so characteristic of the area (it would have
been much easier if a low speed rear end collision
with my 'canoe wife' Rebecca hadnt gravelled my
knee and slightly bent the deraillier arm, but a liberal
dose of betadine after my shower has fixed the knee,
and hopefully David had applied some pressure
to the deraillier arm on the bike - the betadine hurt
more than the fall, although apparently there's an
interesting set of photo's going around showing the
aftermath and of me being hauled back to my feet)
A picnic lunch was followed by a wine tasting at the
Chateau Morgue du Gres, a prestigous winery of the
Costieres de Nimes appelation.
After lunch, we rode back through the northern fringes
of the Camargue, through paddies growing the red rice
of the region, and fields of the black bulls which are bred
for the bullrings of Arles and Nimes (didnt actually see
any bulls, but smelt evidence aplenty that they were there)
We then crossed the Rhone to our hotel in the heart of Arles.
Arles has an immaculately preserved Roman ampitheatre, or
next doors's equally impressive Roman Theatre, or a short
walk to the Alyscamps Roman Cemetary or the 15th Century
St Trophime Cathedral, with its shaded cloister.
Elsewhere in Arles there's a Van Gogh museum, but, I felt
like a beer, so it was back to the hotel for pre-dinner drinks
for this little black duck.
Total distance 56km, gps said we did 56.99
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Day Four - Wednesday
Today, we Headed out on a circular route bringing us
back to Uzes, so we made the best of the morning organic
markets before setting off around 10am. The morning market
also provided the bases for our picnic linch.
Our main destination for the day of the Pont Du Gard, an aqueduct
built by the romans as part of a system to carry water from
Uzes to Nimes. An awe inspiring feat of engineering, and
in harmony with its setting over the River Gard. Getting
there involved a few technical spots of riding, providing
me with no great issue - rather enjoyed it.
Rather than cycling the whole way, we took to to canoes, taking
in the splendour of the Gard gorges, and the Pont itself, from
the water (luckily, on top of and not under) We canoed 12km
in all, 8 to get to the lunch spot, then another 4 to the
pick up point - I was seriously doubting my abilities to
hang onto a bike on the way back, my arms were knackered,
but had a flyingly good trip back - will sleep well tonight.
The countryside on the way back is known as the garrigue,
a rugged beautiful country of the department of Gard, cant say
I took in the supposed scent of wild thyme and basil, or
spotted a wild boar (just as well for the boar, but then
again, after the Italian experience, maybe not)
ps.. canoeing can be fun - out of some of the couples who
teamed up, my 'canoe wife' Rebecca wasnt threatening
divorce after the first 8km, so we stuck at it - go Team
Australia.
The gps reports 21km travelled on the bike.
pps : Lucas PawPaw ointment - magic stuff !!!!
back to Uzes, so we made the best of the morning organic
markets before setting off around 10am. The morning market
also provided the bases for our picnic linch.
Our main destination for the day of the Pont Du Gard, an aqueduct
built by the romans as part of a system to carry water from
Uzes to Nimes. An awe inspiring feat of engineering, and
in harmony with its setting over the River Gard. Getting
there involved a few technical spots of riding, providing
me with no great issue - rather enjoyed it.
Rather than cycling the whole way, we took to to canoes, taking
in the splendour of the Gard gorges, and the Pont itself, from
the water (luckily, on top of and not under) We canoed 12km
in all, 8 to get to the lunch spot, then another 4 to the
pick up point - I was seriously doubting my abilities to
hang onto a bike on the way back, my arms were knackered,
but had a flyingly good trip back - will sleep well tonight.
The countryside on the way back is known as the garrigue,
a rugged beautiful country of the department of Gard, cant say
I took in the supposed scent of wild thyme and basil, or
spotted a wild boar (just as well for the boar, but then
again, after the Italian experience, maybe not)
ps.. canoeing can be fun - out of some of the couples who
teamed up, my 'canoe wife' Rebecca wasnt threatening
divorce after the first 8km, so we stuck at it - go Team
Australia.
The gps reports 21km travelled on the bike.
pps : Lucas PawPaw ointment - magic stuff !!!!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Day Three - Tuesday
Today we set out across flatlands of Rhone River, which we
crossed at Coustellet - we were told to expect (and wernt
dissapointed then) whence crossing the river, we ran into a
bit of a breeze - luckily, we arnt talking about 90knot head-
winds here, so all was well.
We have now entered vineyards of Cotes du Rhone
villages, where every hamlet has its own take on how wine
should be made. Our rout took us to bustling town of Bagnois-
sur-Creze, where the hall houses early works by Picasso, and
works by Monet, Renoir and Gauguin in its low-key art gallery
Back on the bikes, we traced our way through a landscape of
vineyards and cherry trees, and then after an interesting climb
of say 3-4% for 8km, we hd a picnic lunch, at a lovely spot.
The climb wasnt hard er say, but the heat means one needs to be
careful to control breathing and fluid intake. After lunch, another
approx 4km of the same grade, and perhaps a slightly lesser grade
for another 2-3km, and for some reason I flew up this one like
I had wings/was possessed, we descended to St Quentin-la-Poterie,
which as name suggests is as historic centre for ceramics, with
artisan workshops selling their beautiful work directly to the public.
The final stretch for the day (a little more uphill) brought us to
the magnificent medieval cuty of Uzes. Boasting a beautiful
cathedral with its 'Tour Fenestrelle' or windowed tower, and
the Chateau of the Duchy of Uzes, there is a wealth of medieval
sites to visit, as well as boutiques. The Hotel (with character (*1))
is in the ancient quarter nestling under cathedral, including a rooftop
restaurant and terraced swimming pool
total distance was listed at 50km, the gps reported 57.42
(*1) ...hmm, I was rightly suspicious of this description in the
ride notes - as my brother says (paraphrasing), you need a plank
to sleep on, a bucket for your business, and anythings else must
be then luxury - so, I cant complain, but the word 'primitive'
comes to mind
crossed at Coustellet - we were told to expect (and wernt
dissapointed then) whence crossing the river, we ran into a
bit of a breeze - luckily, we arnt talking about 90knot head-
winds here, so all was well.
We have now entered vineyards of Cotes du Rhone
villages, where every hamlet has its own take on how wine
should be made. Our rout took us to bustling town of Bagnois-
sur-Creze, where the hall houses early works by Picasso, and
works by Monet, Renoir and Gauguin in its low-key art gallery
Back on the bikes, we traced our way through a landscape of
vineyards and cherry trees, and then after an interesting climb
of say 3-4% for 8km, we hd a picnic lunch, at a lovely spot.
The climb wasnt hard er say, but the heat means one needs to be
careful to control breathing and fluid intake. After lunch, another
approx 4km of the same grade, and perhaps a slightly lesser grade
for another 2-3km, and for some reason I flew up this one like
I had wings/was possessed, we descended to St Quentin-la-Poterie,
which as name suggests is as historic centre for ceramics, with
artisan workshops selling their beautiful work directly to the public.
The final stretch for the day (a little more uphill) brought us to
the magnificent medieval cuty of Uzes. Boasting a beautiful
cathedral with its 'Tour Fenestrelle' or windowed tower, and
the Chateau of the Duchy of Uzes, there is a wealth of medieval
sites to visit, as well as boutiques. The Hotel (with character (*1))
is in the ancient quarter nestling under cathedral, including a rooftop
restaurant and terraced swimming pool
total distance was listed at 50km, the gps reported 57.42
(*1) ...hmm, I was rightly suspicious of this description in the
ride notes - as my brother says (paraphrasing), you need a plank
to sleep on, a bucket for your business, and anythings else must
be then luxury - so, I cant complain, but the word 'primitive'
comes to mind
Monday, October 3, 2011
Day Two - Monday
A 'cruise' took us along tiny lanes in the shadow
of Mt Ventoux, heading towards Orange. A quick coffee
stop at the town of Bedarrides, alongside River Sorgues,
then to the hightlight for the wine lovers - tasting
at the vineyard of the celebrated Mont Redon winery
of the AOC/Region Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
A lovely picnic amongst vines, then a short hop to
Orange for our overnight stop. The town has superb examples
of roman architecture, including the theatre antique,
built around 10AD. The Theatre Antique is well
preserverd and still in use for concerts, seating over 10,000.
Hotel in pedestrianised area of town, opportunity to explore
before dinner
total cycling distance 49km, gps reports 59.7
addendum to yesterdays notes - 'squirrels' - last time I
was in France I asked the question, 'with all these
chestnut, oak.. trees, why are ther no squirrels ?',
and was told France simply didnt have them. This is in fact
incorrect - I saw several from a distance, yesterday
addendum to today's notes - yep, the eating well from the
last ~2 weeks (plus the extra hot weather), made even the 2
small hills MURDER......
of Mt Ventoux, heading towards Orange. A quick coffee
stop at the town of Bedarrides, alongside River Sorgues,
then to the hightlight for the wine lovers - tasting
at the vineyard of the celebrated Mont Redon winery
of the AOC/Region Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
A lovely picnic amongst vines, then a short hop to
Orange for our overnight stop. The town has superb examples
of roman architecture, including the theatre antique,
built around 10AD. The Theatre Antique is well
preserverd and still in use for concerts, seating over 10,000.
Hotel in pedestrianised area of town, opportunity to explore
before dinner
total cycling distance 49km, gps reports 59.7
addendum to yesterdays notes - 'squirrels' - last time I
was in France I asked the question, 'with all these
chestnut, oak.. trees, why are ther no squirrels ?',
and was told France simply didnt have them. This is in fact
incorrect - I saw several from a distance, yesterday
addendum to today's notes - yep, the eating well from the
last ~2 weeks (plus the extra hot weather), made even the 2
small hills MURDER......
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Day One - Sunday
Today (after pickup), we were fitted for bikes, and went for a
short ride to Isle-sur-la-sorgue, where the earlier group had
already been for lunch, and then onto the Fontain de Vaucluse.
This is a famous resurgent spring, source of the River Sorgue -
the river, gathered from rainfall on the adjacent Luberon plateau,
periodically (read in spring) boils out of a hole in the ground,
at a rate of a thousand cubic metres per minute (but since its not
spring, read 'hole in the ground' at the moment)
Vaucluse, the name of the region, derives from the Roman
'Vallis Clausa' or 'closed valley' (well d'uh !) . The village of
Fontaine de Vaucluse was home to the poet Petrarque
(Petrarch in English) who is held to be the father of
mountaineering after writing a (probably ficticious) account
of his climb of Mt Ventoux.
Distance ~20km
short ride to Isle-sur-la-sorgue, where the earlier group had
already been for lunch, and then onto the Fontain de Vaucluse.
This is a famous resurgent spring, source of the River Sorgue -
the river, gathered from rainfall on the adjacent Luberon plateau,
periodically (read in spring) boils out of a hole in the ground,
at a rate of a thousand cubic metres per minute (but since its not
spring, read 'hole in the ground' at the moment)
Vaucluse, the name of the region, derives from the Roman
'Vallis Clausa' or 'closed valley' (well d'uh !) . The village of
Fontaine de Vaucluse was home to the poet Petrarque
(Petrarch in English) who is held to be the father of
mountaineering after writing a (probably ficticious) account
of his climb of Mt Ventoux.
Distance ~20km
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Thursday
Last day today. On Monday we marinated some lamb
(but it was a dry marinade, the liquid being (some) olive
oil.
Again, the marinade and leftover veges will be used to make
stock. The lamb we will have as main course. As an extra
dessert, we've also been shown how to make a chocolate
mousse - meaning for dessert, we have lemon curd tart,
honey 'wafers' with creme patissiere and fresh fruit,
caramelised apple tarts, chocolate
fondants, and, er, mousse ... I feel stuffed !!!
Weve all been given certificates of completion for the week -
with much 'deliberation' by the boss as to wether we deserve
them or not, but, there were no major stuffups/failures, and
none of the staff eating the left-overs has contracted food
poisoning (so far).....
Entree - Eggplants
Main - lamb with a pistachio crust, and a 'tian' of veges - the veges started out like
this (below) - the tian is the dish they are made in ...
Dessert
and
- le big burp !!!!
(but it was a dry marinade, the liquid being (some) olive
oil.
Again, the marinade and leftover veges will be used to make
stock. The lamb we will have as main course. As an extra
dessert, we've also been shown how to make a chocolate
mousse - meaning for dessert, we have lemon curd tart,
honey 'wafers' with creme patissiere and fresh fruit,
caramelised apple tarts, chocolate
fondants, and, er, mousse ... I feel stuffed !!!
Weve all been given certificates of completion for the week -
with much 'deliberation' by the boss as to wether we deserve
them or not, but, there were no major stuffups/failures, and
none of the staff eating the left-overs has contracted food
poisoning (so far).....
Entree - Eggplants
Main - lamb with a pistachio crust, and a 'tian' of veges - the veges started out like
this (below) - the tian is the dish they are made in ...
Dessert
and
- le big burp !!!!
Wednesday.....
One would think 'vege day' would be 'simple'.
I beg to differ - hollowing out veges - zucchini, tomato,
getting onions ready to 'roll', preparing aubergine caviar,
actually requires pretty tight knife/scoop work. About the
simplest prep for the day was actually the lavender
flavoured creme brulee - go figure !
The tomatoes, zucchinis, and (onions) were filled with a
mixture of ham and veal - interesting to note, instead of
bread with meat mix, we re-used the insides of the aubergine
we had removed for the caviar - there's a lot of re-use - even
the oil after its used to cook things, often being seasoned
with thyme, slat, pepper, is re-used elsewhere. Left-overs
from other veges have been sliced evenly, to make a 'fine'
ratattouile (surprise, there's no rat)
The picture shows the eggplant caviar, the fine ratatouille,
and a rough tomato 'sauce'....
The next picture show's pumpkin veloute (creamy soup),
then the 'stuffed' veges
served with a fine tomato sauce
and a few salad leaves with a hint of balsamic
I made mention before about the chef being 'particular' -
with the creme brulee for example, one could say 'grill
the top to burn the sugar and get the toffee' - but this also
dries out the 'custard', so the blowtorch method is preferred -
he did like a trick I described to him, using brown sugar and
a for example grand marnier set alight to get the toffee layer,
but even acknowledging that it could be done that way and newer
kitchens do for effect, the chef is a man of tradition and
sighs with despair at the newer 'fads'/trends
Since eggplants and mushrooms were available, we've also
made a dish to serve as entree tomorrow
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