FONTAINE DE VAUCLUSE

The well named village was next on my rounds.  This is where the river Sorgue gushes to the surface and forms the might spring.  Up to 200 cubic m. of water sprout out every second forming a powerful spring.  An unmanned sub managed to reach the bottom in 1985 and measured it at 315 m deep.  It is a tiny area and beautiful with nice walks all around the river and cliffs.

VILLAGES OF THE VAUCLUSE

SEGURET has the distinction of being named one of France's loveliest villages, a title given to several villages in this region.  Unlike other countries I've visited these villages are very very quiet with few, if any, people on the streets.  Houses are built of local stone, often creamy colour, ranging from that to cafe au lait with those distinctive shutters that are often a lovely shade of blue and sometimes dramatic red.  There are few cafes, mainly restaurants that close after lunch until 7.30 pm   I suppose it is different in high season but right now all is closed so no afternoon coffee or gelato except in cities of course.  I'd certainly love something sitting right here at this secluded house.  What a place to start the day with a cuppa and later a before dinner aperitive.  Lovely

VAISON LA ROMAINE, VAUCLUSE

I've been here for a few days after Avignon.  It's a lovely region in Provence with Mont Montoux being the highest mountain around.  The sun is shining and the weather warm.  I always meet so many really interesting people in the campsites although here I am staying at a halting camp really.  I just go to a commercial camp every 3 days or so and otherwise I stay at the municiple parking places - have bad a lovely few days here.  I got out my new folding bike (named Molly) and explored the region a bit.  It's a wine region so dropped in and tried some of Caves around.

old medieval city

 

love that blue

AVIGNON

Now in that lovely city where the Popes took refuge when things in Rome became too difficult for them.  I could see the now incomplete Pont dAvignon from my camping spot.  The city is dominated by the enormous Palais des Papes.  They certainly believed in building with each one adding on yet more towers, bridges and gardens.

built on a rock

beautiful roses

enormous kitchen chimney

one of the entrances

THE Pont d'Avignon

LYONS

I went to Lyon to meet up with Rose and her husband Graham.  They are in France for one month having done a home exchange so I came to visit them.  They spend four or five weeks each year on the Continent.  Rose is my best friend since schooldays and we shared most of our teenage years and later our years in nursing school together.
Lyon is a beautiful city although at first it was raining really heavily and it was cold but that picked up and off we all went to explore the Beaujolais area which is full of very quiet villages.  We tried out the wines of course and also the famous dishes of Lyon in a "Bouchon" which is a traditional restaurant in the old part of Lyon.

Lyon has great bridges spanning both large rivers

I'm having a very traditional pork dish in a black pot with many unusual parts sticking up

A Beaujolais village so very quiet.  We couldn't find anywhere to eat

Rose and Graham at the James Joyce pub.

CHATEAUX ON THE LOIRE

Angers Castle.

Unfortunately the weather was dark and rainy daily while in the Loire area.  I passed through on my way to Lyon.  The grandeur of these Chateaux with the lavish decorations and gardens are unbelievable.  The first one is relatively small.  I loved the Chateau of Chenonceau, that is the one that King Henri 11 gave to his favourite mistress Diane de Poitiers with 70 hectares of lovely grounds.  After he died in combat, his widow, Catherine de Medici caused Diane to leave and took it over herself so on one side of the Chateau are the gardens of Diane and on the other the gardens of Catherine.

UPDATE

Life has been so busy and I've been very neglectful about keeping up on the Blog but now I'm on the road again in my VW camper Brandy.  I left Kenmare, Ireland last week on the overnight ferry from Rosslare to Roscoff in Brittany.  I'm hoping to wander around La Belle France for about five months if all goes well.  I have no itinerary at all except to head south to tourist areas before high season arrives and try to be in quiet areas during July and August.

Goodbye to Ireland for a while.  The receding coastline and sunset on the ocean.  My first impression of Brittany was all those cream stone houses with full, old fashioned roses all around the doors.  Unfortunately in rather heavy traffic I couldn't get a picture of them.