Last day in L’Isle sur la Sorgue today, so we spent a lot of time organizing for the remaining days of the trip, and I got in one last bike ride out in the beautiful Luberon countryside. It was a grey, windy, rainy-looking day this morning, but I remembered my own old saying “Riders get on the bike and RIDE, posers just talk about riding” … so I got on my bike and RODE ... the weather would take care of itself!
Heavy headwinds, spitting rain, and mostly uphill riding made it a two hour ride to my favorite destination: the overlook brassiere/cafe at the hilltop town of Bonnieux. This was my third trip through that town, and third stop at the cafe. My waiter-buddy even recognized me, and we talked some with his English and my awful French. Wonderful place for a sandwich lunch, selfie picture with a view, then back on the bike to return to L’Isle. Wow, what a difference! It took me only one hour to make the return ride!!! Mostly downhill, strong tailwind, light traffic, fully sunny, no rain, and no stops for direction-finding made this a super ride. I took a couple of pics, then just nailed it for home. Pretty proud of my one hour trip back! What a great way to end the biking part of our trip.
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| Heading for home outside Bonnieux |
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| Tear the bike apart and pack into suitcase by the waterwheel |
I spent an hour disassembling my bike and packing it into its suitcase. We found a shady spot by the river, across from one of the waterwheels, and did the job. Lynn had already packed up all her stuff while I was gone. We are ready to clear out of here tomorrow and see something new before flying home in a few days!
Here's LYNN'S take on the day: Today is our last day in the beautiful little town of Isle sur la Sorgue, but NOT the last day of our trip. I thought it would be nice to record some of the typical scenes of the town …. known for its water wheels and antique shops. One of the cars that you often see here in the South of France is the Deux Chevaux ( Citroen 2CV) and someday I would love to drive around in one in the States, LOL , well maybe, cause I have never actually ridden in one!
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| Last waterwheel pic, with Lynn's favorite car, a white Citroen 2CV way in the background |
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| colorful, unique artist shops on one of the side streets - we love the colors and design |
There is a beautiful square in the center of town that circles, as so many towns here do, a church. This one is truly noteworthy and I’m embarrassed that we waited until the end of our time here to go inside. It is lovely - Notre Dame des Anges - angels are everywhere and it is gorgeous.
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| Young students on field trip being led by teachers |
Today we had a group of students all following their teachers walking through town. I’m not sure how they do it, but French students are very well behaved…our apartment overlooks a primary school and just a little ways down is the elementary. We have loved the sounds of children playing and being in the middle of an old village…but have to admit we are ready to get a good night’s sleep without street cleaners very early in the morning, one set of neighbors who have pretty loud arguments often, etc…
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| One last river-in-town pic |
Our next two nights will be spent in much higher altitudes in a French home in an area that comes highly recommended for not only the Gorge du Verdon, but a beautiful lake nearby….stay tuned for pics :-). Our last night in France will be in a beautiful little village, St. Paul de Vence, near Nice….and our last night of the trip will be in Rome….only one day but when the airline was trying to work out our frequent flyer tickets they said they could fly us direct from Rome to Miami if we didn't mind spending the night in Rome…well throw me in that briar patch!!
LINK TO all the photos we took so far, if you'd like to see more:
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