Out of Spain across France and into Italy

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September 25, 26 and 27



We enjoyed dinner at El Moli out on the patio. Maria's meals are good, basic Spanish (Catalonian) food. We had a tomato and onion salad, bread, chicken soup, fried fish and potatoes and chocolate flan. We slept well and enjoyed the absence of any barking dogs in the night. Breakfast was a wonderful spread that included chocolate croissants, figs, apples, fresh squeezed orange juice, eggs, cheeses and meats and various homemade jams on toasted bread. Maria came and visited with us and told us that she wanted to give us the night and dinner and breakfast as her gift to us! We were surprised by such a generous gift, but she said this way she will be more comfortable asking to come and stay with us in Oregon. We hope she really does that some day. She wanted to know if we live in a village or outside of a village. How do you answer that question when you live on the edge of Salem's sprawl? We said that we sort of live outside of the village.



We found our way back to the Autovia and headed towards France. The weather today started out with light mist and so the views were limited. We went along the Mediterranean for a bit but really couldn't see much. As we turned north in France we started to notice castles and manor houses scattered across the landscape. Grapes are the prevalent crop. Sam decided to learn some French so he got out the Rick Steves book of useful French words and expressions. Soon we were both laughing so hard I could barely see to drive through my tears. I am not sure what exactly got us laughing - maybe that we were two hours into France and now we were studying the language, but I think it was Rick's observation that "French is tricky because the spelling and pronunciation seem to have little to do with each other." Well said Rick. Regardless, it was fun to cruise along laughing while practicing our guttural and nasal sounds.



We stopped at Pont du Gard - a spot we had wanted to see in 2004 but did not manage to fit in to that trip. This was our second touristy-experience of the trip, but well worth it. The Pont du Gard is the tallest aqueduct in the Roman world and it was built in only 5 years - 2000 years ago. It is hard to describe the magnitude and grandeur of this UNESCO site. This structure provided water to the citizens of nearby Nimes for over 5 centuries. It is 360 meters long, 50 meters high and has three different levels. The entire site is lovely with paths to walk on and places to sit and relax, and take photos. Afterwards we went into the museum without expecting much, but we could have spent several hours there. The exhibition tells the history of the Roman world through the story of the Nimes aqueduct and included reproductions, full scale models, and multimedia demonstrations. Unfortunately we needed to move on so after a few hours at the site we got ice cream cones and climbed back into the car.



We ended our day in Saillans, France, a town that barely appears on the map and does not appear on road signs until nearly there. After several attempts we found our B&B. Salome and Frederic were not there but arrived soon after, so we only had a few minutes of wondering what we should do. Their place is amazing. I think I am using "amazing" lots in this journal, but it continues to apply. The building was once a silk mill and it hangs on the side of the cliff over the river. When they bought it is was a ruin but together they have created a place of wonder. Frederic is an architect and Salome an artist and the entire B&B really is a work of art. Each of the bedrooms has an artist-related theme; ours was Picasso. Sam was fascinated with the details of the reconstruction.



Frederic made a reservation at a restaurant for us where he said we would have the best French food possible. He told us to take jackets because it was a 900 meter climb up the mountain from where we were and it would be chilly. We followed his instructions and climbed up and up on a single car "road." Several times we wondered what sort of restaurant could be up there. We finally bumped along a side road and I kept wanting to turn back, but at Sam's encouragement kept on. Finally we came to a gathering of several buildings that have recently been restored. We got out and followed our noses until we came around a corner and there was the restaurant - and it was lovely! There were three couples while we were there and the chef was also the waiter so he was quite busy. He had a menu of three courses with 4 options for each course. I had a creamy wild mushroom soup, and for my entree chicken (I think it was a game hen of some sort but it was described to me in English as "like a small chicken.") Sam had wild boar and pork loin. For dessert I had cheesecake and he had creme brulee. It really was a stunning meal. It was rich, as we expected, with no shortage of cream and butter in the ingredients, but at one point Sam declared it the best meal he has ever had.



Walking back to our car we looked up at the sky full of stars and right then we each saw a shooting star. The drive back down the mountain was slow as we were warned about wildlife - we saw something wolf-like off to the side and then later a fawn, but fortunately no other cars. If you are ever in Saillans you need to stay at this B&B and you MUST eat at the restaurant on the mountainside.



We slept well with only the sound of the river outside our window and after a simple French-like breakfast and a tour of the art studio, we were off for a long day of driving. The length of the drive was because of the route we chose. We could have used toll roads and made it a shorter day, but I looked at the map before we left home and picked a route that would wind us through as many mountains as possible. Sam asked why we were taking that route and I said "because no on else would." It was a great day. The long day grew longer because of the number of times we stopped for photos. We were in the Alps and it was majestic.

Early in the day we were cruising along in first gear and a car coming towards us flashed its lights. Sam said there was probably radar ahead. I was fairly certain that there was not radar on this road, but if there was, surely I wasn't exceeding the limit in first gear. In about 1 km we came to a man in the middle of the road dressed all in florescent orange. On the side of the road, well, in the narrow grassy area between the upper and lower part of the switchback, there were sheep grazing. It seemed like an odd place to graze sheep, but what do I know, so I said, "If you are going to graze your sheep on a switchback, orange is a good color to wear." As we slowed we could see that the man was on a phone and as we started into the switchback another man gestured for us to stay on the inside of the curve. That is when we noticed the semi truck on its side! There was diesel fuel all over the road and two more men were standing and staring at the truck wondering what the heck to do. It was a sheep transport truck that had clearly been going too quickly for the curve. All I could think about was the fate of the poor sheep. Imagine. We don't know if they all survived; there were no obvious fatalities. About 30 minutes later there was finally a rescue vehicle that passed us with its lights flashing. I wonder how they ever got the truck up-righted and the sheep loaded onto another truck on such a steep and narrow road.

Further along we made a wrong turn and so relied on the GPS to get us back on track. There have been stories of people who follow the GPS and end up driving off cliffs or getting stuck in snow drifts and I always wonder what kind of fool would just keep driving if the route seemed like a bad idea. I now apologize to all of those fools because we allowed Penelope to take us on a route that was ridiculous. But the route was the high point of an excellent day! The views just went on and on. I rarely came out of first gear the entire time and thankfully did not encounter another vehicle, but there was the possibility of ending up as a headline story; if anyone could have ever found us. I'd do it again.



As we crested one mountain pass a sign on the side welcomed us to Italia - yay! Immediately we noticed that things were not as well kept as they had been in France. That's just a fact. We came down from the mountains and went through a series of large towns until finally getting back to the countryside. This area is all about agriculture and especially wine. Everywhere we look there are vineyards on the sides of the many hills. On the flat there are other crops and they also grow hazelnuts here, much like our part of Oregon but more expansive. We were trying to find the village of Vinchio where we are staying for 3 nights. It is a small village on the top of a hill surrounded by vineyards in every direction. As we came into the village the narrow road narrowed even more and a tractor was coming towards me causing me to back up to a slightly wider spot. We could not find the B&B so pulled into a parking space to consider what to do. (Have I mentioned that our phone is not working?) After a minute of pondering, a woman knocked on my window and asked if I was "Laura." Maria had been watching for us and came down the street to find us. I suspect we were the only car all day that she did not recognize! We came back to the B&B and met Maria's husband Mario and moved into our comfortable room.



For dinner Maria made a reservation in the next village and Mario told us how to get there. It sounded simple enough, and really was if you have nerves of steal. Just more of the narrow roads and then steep climbs that are typical of visiting European villages.



We were delighted with the restaurant. We both felt a little more confident with our Italian than we had with either Spanish or French. We ordered a bottle of one of the wines made from grapes grown right outside our window. It was spectacular. The waiter delivered us each a small chunk of sausage made of beef from Bra (where the slow food movement started, and very nearby). He explained that is was pure beef and no pork. It was raw. I don't eat beef and I especially don't eat raw beef, but I jumped in and it was delicious. The small morsel was plenty for me, but I'm glad I tried it. For dinner I had a salad and tagliatelli with lamb ragu and Sam had ravioli and a local dish that included beef. I asked Sam what he thought and he said, "I am happy to be back in Italy!" Dessert was a sensual experience. I had tiramisu and the first bite was magical. The texture alone would have been a delight but to combine the flavor and the texture was almost cruel. Sam had a chocolate torte with a warm liquid center. He saw my expression after the first bite of tiramisu and insisted that I try his - oh my! Oh my goodness, they managed to make two desserts that were almost obscene in their wonderfulness!



Today has been a slow day. Every trip has at least one day where our rhythm is off and we don't really get going. This trip is long so we may have several of those days and this was the first. Much of what got us off track has to do with electronics. We have access to information that in the old days of travel would just go unknown; and then the phone issue. We bought a SIM in the Madrid airport. It was about $100 but seemed like it would provide enough minutes and data access for our needs. Well it didn't do that. We have only had one successful phone call and now we are out of minutes. So we aren't sure what to do - why add more if it goes so quickly, but do we want to start with something else all together? Our first two trips to Europe we relied on pay phones and phone cards and it was simple. Since 2008 we have tried to make cell phones work and it has been nothing but a hassle.



Enough of that...we finally got ourselves together and out the door. Maria made a nice breakfast for us that included croissants and yogurt and muesli. We told her that we mostly wanted to walk today after several days of driving so she directed us to the Natural Park nearby. It took us an hour to find it since we went the wrong way right out of the driveway, but we saw some lovely country along the way. We walked for a couple hours through woods and past vineyards and then started back to Vinchio. We made a stop in the village where we ate dinner last night and wandered into the small cathedral there. Back in Vinchio we had a glass of wine at the only bar in town and used the ATM to get our first cash infusion for the trip. We had Euros when we arrived that have gotten us this far.



This afternoon we are resting and re-grouping. Tomorrow will be more adventurous and tonight we are eating at the only restaurant in Vinchio - one that was closed last night because the grape harvest is going on and everyone was doing that instead of running the restaurant. We look forward to another wonderful Italian meal.

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