A BIENTOT

We are currently in the final stage of our visit to France. The heat wave we've been in the middle of is setting temperature records across France. In Cairanne we hit 41 yesterday but elsewhere, they expected 45, a temperature never seen in mainland France. To celebrate our last night in Cairanne, we walked down the hill with Peter and Margaret to The Tourne au Verre. They were very happy with their meals which is very positive given the mixed reviews they have gotten from others in the past about this place. When we came back to the house we were once again greeted by the Chat perche - that's the kitchen fan from which he is surveying the room. This morning we did our final packing and actually got in one more market visit, as Margaret wanted some goodies at Ste. Cecile. Then it was off to the Marseille Airport and we booked into the Ibis so we were here without stress for tomorrow morning's flight back to Toronto via Paris. We've had a great almost month in the land of great scenery, wine, food and weather but with the current heat, we are happy to escape to Canada. A Bientot!!

Return Hone

Not much to report today, We picked up P & M from the airport today. We had Sarah Chase’s pork with prunes and apricots along with, potentially, way too much wine. The temperature topped 40 today and I guess the heat is closing schools and disrupting train schedules.

Mas Olivette and Aigueze

The first part of today was spent preping for Peter and Margaret's arrival tomorrow. We didn't actually set out until late in the afternoon. We - thanks to Dawn - had made arrangements to visit the Mas owned by Vivian, of market fame. After passing a car that had buried itself in one of France's famous roadside ditches - it will never be the same - we were greeted by Vivian and her husband Didier. Didier, as it turns out is a Captain in the Gendarmes, thus explaining their relocation to Guadeloupe. Located along the Ardeche gorge, they have some nice views, even of Mt. Ventoux when it presents itself. Their mas which sleeps 10 is furnished with Bali artifacts. In fact, they brought two containers of stuff from Bali to accomplish their home decor. We got the royal tour and had a nice visit with them. Her son will continue the market work, which is good news for tomato access. Mind you, she did promise to give us her recipe. On their recommendation, when asked for a good place to have dinner this evening, they sent us off to the Plus Beaux Village of Aigueze. This village is perched on the edge of the Ardeche Gorge and on a hot day like today - we almost hit 40 - the river was the place to be. The reason we were sent here however, was for the restaurant Le Bouchon. After our walkabout and nearly melting, we settled down for dinner - beef and foie gras for me and veal for Dawn. It was excellent and a nice place to visit and not far from Pont St. Esprit. By the time we got back to Cairanne, we had one of those great late day views of the village. Unfortunately, due to heat and haze - translated as smog - Mt. Ventoux did not factor in to the setting. They are recommending reducing speed limits by 20 kph on the autoroute because of pollution. For those not accustomed to this view, Chez Pigeon is visible on the right side below and to the right of the clock tower and nestled among some impressive cyprus trees.

Last market

Today, with the temperature still rising, we headed to Vaison la Romaine for our last Provencal market. The next photos exemplify what is typical in these markets: bunches of garlic and nothing else for this vendor; we know about le parking, le camping and le weekend and now apparently it's le T shirt; and the inevitable French mime. There were a couple of good posters today as well as some T towels with French expressions. One said, translated, "When bullshit fell from the sky, there was a shortage of umbrellas" - perfect for Trump. Dawn had a hankering for moules frites, so we drove up to Villedieu and the Cafe du Centre, one of our favourite lunch spots. As it turned out mussels are not in season for another few weeks and in any case we were lucky to get a seat since it was so crowded. Neverthless, we had a nice lunch, with mushroom ravioli for me and a varied tomato plate for Dawn. Back at Chez Pigeon we settled down in the comfort of AC while the cicadas serenaded in the heat. After dinner we actually spent some time outside and the warmth was wonderful, of course, with the potential of cooling off inside later.

Last Auchan

This was a pretty light day. It's hot and getting hotter, so we got into the air conditioned car and did a last shopping trip to Auchan in Avignon. We went the back way via Carpentras and although not faster, it was a nice drive. When we got back we spent the afternoon enjoying the heat and not the sun (me) and enjoying the AC ( Dawn). I've been having fun working on my music and Dawn is satisfied with a good book. We both had an Henri Bardouin with cards tonight - first time for Dawn. It seemed like the right thing to do with the heat. We finally had the rolled pork preparation that the market guy in Vaison called L'escargot because of the shape, not the ingredients. Not much else to report - the heat might be slowing us down. We had a kitty protector as the sun disappeared.

Lunch at Auberge La Tuilerie

Since this is our last Sunday in Provence and actually the only Sunday without obligations (Rasteau and Marseilles were the other two) we finally got to La Tuilerie for lunch. This farmhouse situated in the heart of Plan de Dieu wine country and only a few kilometres from Chez Pigeon is actually a wine domaine/gite/farmhouse/restaurant. We have been here numerous times in the past for their six course prix fixe, but today under plane trees with the cicadas humming and out of the Provencal sun, it was the place to be. There is a set menu and the food is served country style but we have always enjoyed the experience - it is not haute cuisine in a country where every other restaurant had aspirations of the Michelin star. We started with an amuse bouche of an aperitif white wine and grapefruit juice concoction that hit the spot, accompanied by a tomato gazpacho and olive tapenade. Second course was a zucchini terrine, while third course(not shown) was an eggplant parmesan. Our main course was pork shoulder with polenta and dessert was a chocolate mousse. The servings were not overly large, so we ate most of the menu with the exception of the cheese course, which we generally find superfluous. Upon paying our bill in the "cave" we encountered a Dutch couple - we think - unhappy with their meal and experience. We stuck up for the Madame, saying that the happy larger party of, as it turns out, Belgians about which the Dutch were griping, reminded us of being with family with lots of fun and frivolity. The Dutch couple left with their tail between their legs. Yeah Canadians! One of the constants at this restaurant are the wandering kitties, although in the past there were chickens who came along with them. Escaping to air conditioning was the order of the rest of the day, but as I suggested earlier, this place is just heating up.

Last Ste. Cecile

Today is probably he last time we get to the approachable market of Ste. Cecile. As we departed the kitties were prowling the perimeter. We go to the market a little esrlier today, which meant smaller crowds and better parking. The nougat always looks so enticing, but the reality is that this stuff is crazy expensive and not as tasty as anticipated. After acquiring a short list of goodies, we were back to Chez Pigeon by 10:30 and were greeted by the le Chat perche. After some domestic work, we retreated to the terrace for lunch and vistas.

Across the Rhone

Today we decided to take a short drive to the other side of the Rhone to see if we could find the B&B that Vivian our tomato lady owns. It was a pretty drive over many plane tree lined roads and through the town of Pont St. Esprit, perched on he edge of the Rhone River. Once she has left the country, she will rent this entire property for 10 people with pool and AC. We succeeded in finding her place, The Mas de Olivette, up in the hills on the edge of St. Julien de Peyrolas, a village at the gateway to the Ardeche Gorge. As it turns out, Cairanne is not like Velansole, which is the heart of lavender country, but we have really enjoyed the numerous brilliant fields blooming in the area, many of them brand new and I would say that it is just about harvest time. The previous shot is a photo of Cairanne from 4 km away taken on the outskirts of St. Cecile les Vignes. Once back at Chez Pigeon, we had a terrace lunch and noticed these green beetles swarming the olive trees on the property - they were not of the Liverpoolian variety - haha. The trees are not blooming and the fruit is just barely formed, but they sure like something on the trees. Even though we are thousands of kilometres away, I would like to share some news from home. This is a photo of my grand daughter Ella, graduating from grade 6. She was chosen to give the grad speech on behalf of her classmates. Congrats Ella! We are SO proud!!!