13. BONNIEUX REDUX

I had such a perfect day riding yesterday, using Bonnieux as my cycling destination, that Lynn and I decided to drive there so she could see the awesome scenery. We wanted to go through all the little scenic towns along the way. This is Monday, when most businesses are closed, so we figured no traffic, and hoped for the best on finding food on the way!

As a bonus, we stopped at the ancient village of Oppede le Vieux which I explored September 3 on a different bike ride. This time we crawled all over the old ruin, and discovered it is actually home to a number of residents - what vistas they have from the restored villas and houses up there. We took pics, and left nothing but footprints!

The other towns we visited, and description of the sights, are pretty much the same as yesterday’s blog entry…no reason to make you endure all that again here. Suffice it to say, Lynn was as blown away by the sights today as I was yesterday. Highlight of today’s jaunt was a prolonged late-lunch stop at the little cafe I biked to yesterday in Bonnieux. We got a table right on the edge of the cliff above the town, so had the greatest panoramic view of the valleys below while we ate. Looking across the valley we could easily see the hill-top town of LaCoste in one direction…and of course Mount Ventoux was wayyyyy across the valley in the other direction. Many pics were taken, but photos are always disappointing compared to the actual scene.

I’ll try to upload lots of pics to this blog entry, and more to the link below. Trouble using our internet in the apartment today. If no success, we’ll find a cafe or bar with free WiFi and upload there tomorrow…good excuse for trying a nice local beer or wine! Our hope is to remember the beauty and wonder we feel toward this place years from now…no telling if or when we’ll get to come back.