Cathy takes over lunch

Still in Grignon, doing some loose shopping before lunch

On the heights of Grignon

looking at the rooftops

and alleyways

Some flowers

and finally to lunch

and then Cathy grabbed the camera. This is her lunch ....

... and my entre (raw beef with truffles!)

... and more of Cathy's lunch

....and my main (lamb cooked for 7 hours)

... then Cathy's dessert (fine detail)

... and the full Cathy's dessert

John's dessert - ice cream and toffee with truffles (?)

The world seen through Cathy's eyes on the way home. The rose level seems to have reached her glasses

Lunches

Lunch at the Bistro in Vinsobres

Still there, with Claire and John

Lavender fields. The colours are really getting intense as the days get hotter. Nowadays you see the lavende, the grapevines and the tournasols.

We drove to St Paul-aux-Trois-Chateaux which will be the start point for Stage 16 of the Tour this year. The Tour actually goes down the road past Vinsobres, along the section that I ride each day.
I

The roundabouts near St Paul-Aux ... are covered with Tour things

Cathy, of couirse, has eyes for other things

and these are for you, Anne

Lance Armstrong signed this!!!

Another rond-point

Lunch in a little village where the Order of Templars was formed.

Pretty flowers

Cathy checking our car before we gave it back.

Claire cleaning Val's pool

Off to ride around (but not up) Le Ventoux

That's the mountain in the background

On the way to lunch at Grignon.

Le Hotel de Ville a Grignon

Some answers

1. The Pont d'Avignon is shown in the blog. Nowadays (since about 1600 and something) it only goes half-way across the Rhone. See the blog on Avignon.

2. Cycling is pretty safe on French roads. Any motorist hitting a bike rider gets a mandatory goal sentence.

3. Claire and I cycled about 25 km. With round the bay coming up, I'm now doing about 25 km each day, while the others play tennis. Fantastic rides around the village, and the only decision to make is whether to climb the mountain at the beginning or the end of the ride. All the rides are through vineyards and lavender fields, and Le Ventoux looms around every corner.

4. Didn't get to play with the band as they didn't have a keyboard. The very nice leader promised that next time we returned, they would get one.

5. Major French gaffe. We had to pick up the hire car at the railway station in Orange. In the car park, I asked a very surprised French lady "Il y a une guerre pres d'ici?

En Provence

Coffee, half-way through an amazing ride.

The roads are very narrow, and French drivers go fast, but it is hard not to keep looking at the view. The lavender is now at full colour.

Vinsobres from the top of the hill.

Locals competing.

The road we pedalled

Dinner at a restaurant near Vinsobres. We went with another couple, and everyone had to guess the exact time of sunset.

Val won, but that's just local knowledge and the fact that we had to use her watch

After dropping Adam off in Avignon, we went to Rousillon, the ochre centre of France. The whole town is built with bricks and cement which use this pigment.

Coffee a Rousillon

Cathy

Ochre cliffs

Rousillon

We drove back through the Dentelles, a striking mountain range.

A musical night in the village. The brass band recital was followed by a bring-your-own-food feast. Got home about 1 a.m. having conversed with the locals all night. They were very confused, but I think it was just their accent.

Just like Hollywood

Ready for the concert