Day 2 in Cairanne

Day two in Cairanne and we seem to have adjusted quite nicely to jet lag. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do to put you on the right track!
I don’t think I mentioned that it was hot here yesterday. Oh, it’s hot all right and humid to boot! Today was in the low 30’s with the humidex adding sufficiently to the feel. It’s safe to say that after you’ve experienced regular daily temperatures like this, that you totally understand the mid-day shutdown you experience everywhere in France. Nobody wants to do anything in these temperatures.
Fairly early this morning, we headed to the Auchan on the outskirts of Avignon. This is easily one of the biggest stores I’ve ever been in and they sell literally everything. So, we bought literally everything and had fun doing it. From amazing cheese to diverse wines to scrumptious desserts to unique cuts of meat, we came home with a cartload. We found it interesting that when paying with our MC that we not only were told the amount in Canadian funds but that the exchange rate was better than what we could get back home. This is clearly a good reason to use the magic card when abroad. The new chip card has also given us freedom previously denied to us. We can finally go to 24/7 gas stations! This is actually a big deal, because hitting a gas station that’s open can be a challenge in France.
After you shop for groceries in these temperatures, you don’t tarry too long, so we headed back to Cairanne, where after unpacking and having a lunch of baguette and cheese, we closed up the house and did the siesta thing.
We had arranged to Skype with Jessie & Chris at 6:00 and that turned out fairly well. We’ve now discovered that a bad connection means hang up and try again. We have to remind ourselves that Skype is free and it’s a fabulous service.

Before dinner, which was later, because we’re understanding why no-one wants to cook earlier, we did a walkabout Cairanne. The old town or vieux village as they call it is quite small and can be covered by foot in a short period. Part of the village is edged by the

original castle keep – donjon - with a few towers and you can walk along its base. The vineyards come right up to and into the village, reinforcing that the prime commerce here, other than tourism, is wine. In any panorama from the highest points of the village, like our house, all you see is vines.

Pictures for today include some more shots of the village and the Pigeon house, including the new kitchen shown above, which is located on a uniquely pie-shaped lot right near the top of the village and affording fabulous views of the Rhone valley.