July 14, 1996
Sunday
Bastille Day
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Rode some of yesterday's route again (which was nice again) and then through Cavaillon (an ugly little town) where the two sisters decided to bag it and jumped on a train bound for Amsterdam. That was a shock. Zap, they're gone.
Continued on to Oppede-Le-Vieux where I wisely decided to hop on the van before the big hill into town. I offered to make sure the bikes on top of the van would clear some low branches and accidentally jumped into a bunch of nettles. We don't have these in the States, they STING! It's like being stuck with a bunch of poison tipped darts. At first I thought I'd walked into a beehive.
Onto Menerbes (of Peter Mayle fame) where, it turned out, they were having a Bastille day celebration of arts, crafts and music on the main street. Stopped to have a drink at an outdoor cafe with one of the group (from NY). Later I found out that she was pretty much heat-stroked out.
After lunch I decided to do the rest of the day at my own pace which, surprisingly, seemed to be ahead of the pack.
Cycled into Lacoste (location of the Marquis de Sade's ruined castle) through the Luberon Valley. There was a weird patch of road on the way. It looked like a downhill stretch but I was working way too hard. Got off my bike and checked gears, tires, etc. Got back on shaking my head. Later I found out that it was an optical illusion - it's really uphill.
(around here my pen ran out, and I had to reconstruct a couple of days...)
The hotel was in Lacoste, a 3 star deal which was very nice but some of the rooms aren't finished. The town is being referred to as "Sadville" by some of the group who seem freaked out by the proximity to the Marquis de Sade's castle at the top of the hill. Fortunately for me there's an extra room at the hotel (because the group is now smaller) so I get a large room to myself (free of the night choker). I have a view of Bonnieux through a circular window.
Dinner in Bonnieux at a restaurant with outdoor seating. Higher up in the hill-town a man is belting out 80s tunes with a Karaoke machine.
Copyright © 1996 by Lisa H. Weinberg
Revised 08/19/98