Wednesday 4th
Take your pick - Canned Heat or Willie Nelson....even a touch of John Denver as we'll be on country roads.
We’re up very early. There’s a sense of disbelief that we are leaving Provence and may never see it again….yet also excitement because we are Paris bound, and Paris is our favourite place in the entire world.
Tony hurriedly grabs coffee and bread and takes off once again for Avignon, poor baby…… in the four weeks we’ve been over here he has driven nearly 4,000 kms and it’s another 800 to Paris….add to that the 2,000 miles we did round Britain and it’s small wonder he is tired and stressed.
Pip and I strip beds, do washing, sweep floors and pack, using up nervous energy and hoping that everything is alright with the car. When Tony returns - a little after 1pm…there is NO Michelin tyre…. Nowhere has one. Go figure. Instead there are TWO new front tyres but at least Europcar has agreed to pay for one. A hurried lunch and we pack the car. Tony is already looking exhausted….he is so eternally young that I forget hios chronological age until his body screams out…”I’m 73, give me a break!” I doubt we’ll get far tonight but at least it’s daylight until 9.30. Hurried goodbyes to Robert - a note in the Guest book for mal and Cristina ( we have left the electric fan as our contribution to the house and we are finally on our way.
Random thoughts fill my head with pictures…. The first time we saw the swallows diving in a whole flock; a little black scorpion on the wall of the terrace, springing for a gecko that was too fast for it…. An old rusted plough/tiller with lethal looking spikes sticking out….. The friendly dog who liked to rub against us…AFTER he’d rolled in the cow pats….a herd of deer in a paddock far away following a lone girl with feed for them…The arrogant little shit in the internet shop….who saw me every other day for 4 weeks and never once remembered me…. The smell of the Roquefort cheese as you spread it and cover it in fig jam …the bread, still hot, from the Boulangerie in Uzes ( they bake fresh every two hours) The first taste of Kir in Provence. The silly blow up kids paddling pool which Tony had to empty before we left. The pate and terrine - always a fridge full of it for snacking day and night. All of these things I take with me - knowing they will never be lost.
It’s 2.45 by the time we leave Uzes and hit the open road. We avoiding the Paeage motorways. They’re expensive and boring. Instead we’re using mostly the route National…with some D roads thrown in for good measure. Tony has plotted the trip and I am navigating….I enjoy that part and keep an eye out for likely places to visit. It isn’t long before Provence is behind us and we are travelling through the ardeche - a district that is rockier and more traditionally French. The architecture is changing….the pitch of the roof is different and the baked clay tiles are giving way to slate. We partially follow the Rhone but, while the river itself is lovely, the banks have been ruined by the endless power stations belching steam. We turn off and head for the mountains…looking for somewhere to stay. Toulon Sur Rhone is a picturesque little town and we would love to stop there, but it will put too much extra mileage on the trip tomorrow so we press on. Up, up we climb, thinking what a great leg of The Tour de France this would make as we reach the summit of the Col de Republic. There are so many little towns…but many of them are deserted, closed up for the summer. It seems we will not find another Toulon sur Rhone….and we make instead for the mining town of St Etienne.
It’s unappealing but we find a little 2 star hotel and book in. We just want a place to sleep…but Phillipa is very picky about the rooms and luckily she gets the best one. The building is very old but with a new façade. Inside though it is all stonework and I have to climb a spiral stone staircase. Ouch! There’s a little bar and a breakfast room and our rooms have modern bathrooms ( except the shower door is so tiny I can’t get in.) For 45 Euros a night it’s more than we expected. In the little square next door we find a great restaurant - Le Carre Soft. The 23 Euros 3 course menu is spectacular and eat a great dinner. The bed is okay but the pillows are the crumbed rubber type….an abomination from 30 years ago. I don’t sleep much, but I’m not sure if it’s the pillow or the fact that Paris is drawing ever closer.
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