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Published: June 16th 2017
Chris at the village of Roussillon
Village in the distance. We walked all over. Very steep. I think my calves will be burning tomorrow.Geo: 42.5, 2.5
Today was fun filled and nonstop.
We had a nice breakfast at our hotel and then headed out quickly to start our adventures.
The plan was to drive (eeck) to Roussillan where we would:
Hike the Ochre Cliffs
Tour the quaint hill town
Shop the galleries and cute little shops
Check out the church
Have our other planned gourmet lunch at Chez David – Rick recommendation
After lunch we had other villages to visit. But back to our morning.
Our 3 GPSes said we should arrive in Roussillan by 10:38. Hah! They don't understand the French country road system. Thank God for our tiny car. Many supposedly 2 lane roads, but as soon as you lose the line down the middle of the road, you know you are in trouble. Plus, we had to drive through the town of Cavaillon, which we had to wind through downtown. One intersection had 5 different options. We had no idea which way to go. Of course we picked the wrong one. But our GPSes recalculated and it seems like no matter which direction you go in this countryside you can still end up in the same place.
Roussillan
We made it to Roussillan intact, but View of the Ochre cliffs
Used to be a quarry, and millions of years ago was underwater. Fascinating landscape. Felt like super silky sand. couldn't find the parking lot that Rick recommends. We accidently drove through at the heart of the City square – again little tiny steep roads. Turned around several times and finally found the Parking lot (with a WC). We hiked Cliffs of Ochre which was fascinating and gorgeous. This area was once quarried and was an industry for this small village. Now it is turned over to tourism.
After our hike we explored the village and did some shopping. I now understand what they mean by "hill town". We were constantly going up and down steep streets. We got our exercise today.
One big difference in the Provence area: hardly anyone speaks English. In Carcassonne, there was much more English spoken. Here in the Luberon area it is a challenge.
During our wanderings we met a group of Italians who “love America” They have been to NY, LA, Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco. Very well travelled. We saw another guy wandering around in a Chevy Chase like “beret.” Not sure what he was going for. We also met 2 sisters from LA travelling together.
Then, it was time for our gourmet lunch at Chez David. We were very excited. They had a
lovely terrace and seated us near everyone else – not in a dark corner reserved for Americans. There wasn't the swarm of waiters we had at our Michelin experience, and they spoke a lot less English. Dot had the fixed price menu and I went a la carte, because I really wanted the chocolate dessert, of course. I will save the descriptions for the pictures below but it was very much an adventures. Most of the time we weren't sure what we were eating and they weren't able to explain it in English. Although good, we have become rather jaded and it couldn't compare to our Carcassonne restaurant with the Michelin star. Honestly the waiters seem puzzled every time they came to our table. I don't think they quite knew what to make of us, but I am not sure why?? Of course, there was a dog there. This French lady came strolling out to the terrace for lunch with her miniature greyhound walking right through the restaurant with her. I kind of wanted to give her my leftover steak, but I thought of Mary Ash and held back.
Julien Bridge
After lunch we headed for a nearby Roman Bridge (Julien Bridge) a delicate 3-arched bridge that was named for Julius Caesar. It has been standing for 2,000 years. Construction was completed in 14 A.D. 215 feet long. In 2005 they closed it to motor vehicles and now it is used for pedestrians and bicycles. They didn't have mortar then, so it is all stone fitted together. I have no idea how it is still standing. There are holes in it so that when the river floods, it flows right through. Ingenious.
Lacoste
We moved on to the village of Lacoste. Another “hill” town – VERY steep. We had to park at the base and walk up the cobblestones. At the very top is a ruined castle where the Marquis de Sade lived for 30 years. This is where he hosted all his orgies. Fashion designer Pierre Cardin has restored the main level of the castle and he lives there now. I have pictures of the sculptures he has in his front yard. He also has a shop in the village, but we were afraid to go in. Pretty freaky. Picture of the window below.
Drive back to our little apartment. We stopped for gas on the way home. We are experts now and were able to get gas without incident. Some of you have heard the stories from our last trip to France. Baguette, goat cheese and gouda for dinner. Perfect.
We did so much today and I have so many pictures. I uploaded a lot, but the wifi is so slow here it is only a few compared to what we have. Hope you enjoy.
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Kenney
non-member comment
Is that where the Yellow Ochre paint originated from?