The day is sunny and bright but windy. Without the cold wind, the sun felt warmer than the mid-60s temperature predicted for the day. Dave has a brochure for a walk in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and it is agreed that this would be a great morning activity.
So, Dave, Judy, Janis, Alexandrine, and Gérard traveled the short distance to the town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape where they (eventually) found the starting point of the hike just a short distance from the Office de Tourisme. Clark and I stayed behind. Neither of us would do well on a 5 km hike, even in the relative flat of the vineyards of this area.
I don't have a lot of narrative to go with the photos, since I wasn't there, but I was told a few things -
1. The wind was ruthless in trying to knock them over.
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| Wind made Judy's hat useless. |
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| Alexandrine, Janis, and Judy, trying not to get blown away |
2. Walking on "galets" is treacherous. Janis called them "ankle-breakers." (Galets are those round stones that cover the vineyards and protect the vines from the cold)
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| This rocky soil produces full-bodied wines |
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| close up of the galets |
3. The hike offered views in all directions.
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| toward Mt Ventoux |
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| toward les Dentelles de Montmirail |
4. Working vineyards is backbreaking manual labor with only a few workers managing the vines.
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| these 5 men are hoeing around the vines |
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| baby grapes |
4. They'd all do it again.
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| view toward Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
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| view of old vines |
Once home, we had our usual lunch of sandwiches, chips, and fruit. Gérard and Alexandrine left around 2 pm for their three-hour drive back to St. Étienne. We did a bit of tidying up and preparation for Christie and Alex's arrival and then it was time for our "apéro-dinner".
Because we had to leave by about 7:15 to meet Christie and Alex, we combined our typical apéros of cheese, bread, olives, and dried sausages with grilled pork chops and accompaniments.
The TGV train station in Avignon is relatively new, well-organized, bright and spacious. To get to/from the TGV trains, you show your ticket at a gated entrance and then go up to the second floor where your platform is located. You find the space labeled with your car number and wait for the train's arrival. It is important to be ready when embarking or debarking the train as the stops are short (about 5 minutes for this one). And trains are on time with both arrival and departure.
Christie and Alex appeared with suitcases, backpacks, and Sonna sitting happily in the stroller. She was apparently a wonderful traveler for a one-year old which made the journey a bit easier for the parents, who hadn't had enough sleep in the last 24 hours. Dave went with them to the car rental and after struggling a bit to install the car seat for Sonna, they motored to the other side of the train station where our car was parked.
We were parked in the dépose-minute (the drop off area) - two lanes of one-way traffic with parking spaces all along the road in front of the station. It was fascinating to watch the ebb and flow of traffic as trains arrived and departed. Of most interest was how normal it was to simply stop one's car in the traffic lane (even with parking spaces available) and everyone to get out, gather bags, say fond farewells that lasted a couple of minutes or more without an iota of concern for the cars piling up behind them. An occasional horn would honk, but not too many. If possible, cars would simply drive over the median between the two lanes, avoiding the sturdy black cement posts that separated the lanes, and continue on their way. If not possible, cars would simply wait. And no one seemed bent out of shape by these behaviors.
We've seen that everywhere - people just stop in the middle of the road, put on their flashers and disappear into a building. Cars behind do the on-coming car avoidance dance to pass around the offending car. No one seems to mind. Or in other cases, a car will pull over part-way, park and leave. We even had a time in Vénasque when a car parked us in so we couldn't leave. After a few frustrated minutes, Dave honked the horn and a man appeared in a nearby window telling us "Je viens." (I'm coming) and dangling his keys. He did come out immediately and moved his car ... into the handicapped parking space. We just shake our heads. Many rules in France seem to be optional as long as no one gets hurt.
Anyway, back to the topic. Dave arrived, hopped into our car and our little parade of 2 cars made the 1/2 hour trip home in the twilight hours. There was enough daylight left to see the city walls of Avignon and Mont Ventoux as we drove.
A quick sandwich for the newcomers and a little orientation and settling in and then it was bed-time for all.
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