Small driving day today, but we plunged into the heart of Provence.
First, we drove under the Viaduct Millau. To see the morning sun shine on the bridge cables was something special. The gorge made by the Tarn river was spectacular enough. I wish we had enough time to further explore this region, but Provence calls!
We mostly took the autoroute to get here. At one point we were on a toll route and there was a huge backup going in the opposite direction. We felt bad for these poor souls, trapped in an hours-long delay and having to pay for the privilege. We made such good time that we decided to have lunch at Ostau de Beaumaniere in Les Baux.
The countryside here is filled with fantastical rock formations. My soul really responds to this terrain. We passed an old Roman aqueduct, jut drove through its crumbling stones and seeing it stretch off into the distance. The resort where we had lunch is one if those rare places. Ira had spent a night here 30 years ago. Unfortunately, the prices these day out it out of our reach, but lunch was possible!
We sat in the terrace outside and were instantly surrounded by attentive service. Chairs held out, water poured, questions politely answered in either English or French. The staff was perfect. The food might have been better than that. Ira had the ris de veau with the lightest mustard sauce imaginable, combined with apricots and cream. It was divine. (Several annoying wasps thought so too. Even money can't buy your way out of nature's embetises.) I had the Rouget, combined with a citrus sauce and delicate slices of orange and grapefruit.
We both followed that up with a cheese course. I couldn't begin to describe the variety of cheeses, definitely more than 40 varieties to choose from. Ira and I enjoyed each creamy bite. By the way, the bread was unmatched, the small baguettes had thin crusty points in either end. We couldn't imagine what it took to bake them so perfectly.
For dessert, Ira had chocolate ice cream, instantly frozen, with batons of meringue and little balls of dark chocolate, I had a citron combination that combined fresh fruit with meringue and mousse.
Everything was perfectly presented and cooked, but the portions were not huge, so we still felt human after rising from the table. We drove off in the he most interesting direction. Which turned out to be called the Valley of Hell, with amazing rock formations. One bizarre note. There was a group of elderly German tourists in bicycles pedaling up the hill. I checked to see if they had electric motors because they leapt up the first hill like it was a stage in eh Tour de France. These were healthy elderly Germans. But they didn't look sporty. They looked like your average, run of the mill old people. My hat off to them. We then drove onward and made a connection to Saint Remy.
Our hotel, Hotel de l'Image, is terrific. It's right next to the centre ville and has large grounds. Our rooms are in one building, the dining room in another. The pool is up by the bar, and then after the extensive lawn and fountains, there's a hedge maze.
After spending the late afternoon swimming and sunning at the pool, we walked around town, identified some likely restaurants and enjoyed the fading Mediterranean light. We ended up near a little carousel that catered to some delighted children.
Tonight, we had a small meal at the hotel restaurant. I had an amazing vegetable risotto. Imagine a creamy risotto made with brown rice, and then topped by a variety of perfectly cooked vegetables, fennel, thinly sliced beets and some type of radish that was coked plump and delicious. The dish was scattered with flower petals. Ira just had a citrus dessert. We were too full from the satisfactions if lunch.
Tomorrow, we go for a drive in the country!
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