I am laughing at the casual way in which you compared Prince albert's ficilities with the Pope's! Please keep on. thanks!

Just love this report. I remember those stairs to Corniglia! I became quite grumpy when finally reaching the town to find that it had "the least payback"!.

t

Terrific. I love how you call the place you are staying "home". We always do that. I guess we're at home anywhere we are.

Day 14. Sept 17th

Well, we were off in our little car today. It was quite an adventure. We got out of Nice OK, Jane driving and Stew navigating. We were trying to make our way to the toll highway out by the airport. We had just about made it when Jane took a wrong turn from which it took us about 15 minutes to recover.

We finally made it onto the fancy highway. It is three lanes in each direction and the speed limit is a pretty respectable 130 kph unless it is raining when it becomes 110. People seem to respect the limits and many were driving at less than 130. Everyone is pretty good at keeping to the right except when passing. Signaling lane changes is rare. It is much easier driving on this, than the smaller local city roads around Nice. There, it is each man for himself. It is common for people to engage in "lane creep", gradually moving part way into your lane, squeezing you over. The tolls were another issue however. There is a transponder system which heavily signed and advertised. There is no advance notice of the toll booth and you have no idea how much you will be paying. The first two tolls, we had to pay in cash E 1.90. The next time we picked up a ticket and eventually, when it was time to pay, you could use a credit card. Except for our credit card! There we were, with a line of traffic behind us, and it didn't like either our (chip and pin) Visa or MC even though the sign said you could use them both. There was no cash option. We finally got someone's attention and paid it in cash after she tried our cards to no avail as well. Well, Jane was feeling pretty nervous about the tolls after that. We got on another toll road and took the ticket. After you had it in your hand and were pulling away there was a list of cards that would be accepted. MC or Visa...nope! We really want to pay in cash anyway, but had never been able to find a manned booth. When it came time to pay, we just picked a lane and went there. It turned out you could put bills and/coins in and it made change. Phew! I finally figured out that the credit card lanes did not seem to have a cash option, but there were some lanes with a picture of small change that would accept cash. The toll roads are very good and have small service centers about every twenty kilometers.

At Avignon, we found ourselves on lesser roads, but our GPS, which had started out to be a bit temperamental, seemed to be quite happy today. We started up a tres scenic route through the Cotes du Rhone. We were driving through picturesque little villages with wineries everywhere. We stopped for a tasting and bought a bottle of red for our evening cocktail hour. There was little traffic and we passed several tractors hauling carts full of red grapes...harvest time. It is spectacularly beautiful here. We drove through rolling hills with views of the mountains. Everything is green and gold. The buildings are stone and have been there forever.

Our destination was Vaison La Romaine where, after a little difficulty, we asked for directions and found our hotel. The GPS couldn't find it because it really doesn't have a proper address. We are in the mediaeval part of the city and there are just little lanes. Our hotel is charming and has walls two feet thick. We have a large room with twin beds and a view out over the restaurant courtyard. There is actually a kitchen of sorts in the room as well so we can keep our drinks cold. We walked around the old city for a while and then came back for a glass of wine. It turns out we make a good choice at the winery.

Well, we did it. We just had a meal that surpassed our favourite dinner in Venice. We decided to eat at the restaurant that is part of this little inn. It was fabulous. We shared a salad with escargots and artichoke hearts, and lamb chops done to perfection. We splurged and shared a tart with seasonal fruits (figs and plums) for dessert. It was a wonderful meal, beautifully presented for a very reasonable price. All in all, we had a lovely day.

Day 15. Sept. 18th

This was market day in Vaison La Romain and one of the reasons we chose this little town. Stew wanted to go to a market in Provence. We got up early and made our way down over the Roman Bridge. The market pretty well takes up the whole town. They were setting up as we arrived. At first we were disappointed because all we saw was T & T. (trinkets and trash!!!) We decided to get our breakfast and headed for the only open restaurant. We went in and ordered petit dejeuner and cafe longue. Then the proprietor went across the street to another closed restaurant and came back with our breakfast! We really don't understand why that happened, but we enjoyed orange juice, pain au chocolate, croissants, and a baguette along with coffee which they made in the original restaurant.

When we emerged we headed down another street, and voila, a "real" market had started. There was baking, olives and tapenades, dried flowers, cheese, meat, fish, herbs, lavender, mushrooms, hot meals, frites, etc, etc. Stew was in heaven, except for the fact he couldn't really go hog wild. We bought some stuff for a picnic and he got some Herbes de Provence. He was such a happy fellow!

We checked out of our hotel and started to drive to Riom. It is not really a destination for us, but rather a stop on the way from here to there. As we left Provence we were driving through rolling hills, past charming little villages. Eventually we worked our way into more mountainous territory. In fact driving was a little painful...slow switchback roads with a soupçon of road construction and detours! After a couple of hours of that we made one long, last climb up and we found ourselves on a high plain of prosperous farms. It looked like a quilt of greens, browns, beiges and golds. The roads got progressively better and we made it to our destination around three as planned. We didn't hit a toll road until we were in the last 5 kms. It was the kind where you took a ticket and paid as you exited. We were able to put coins into a machine, phew! We had had some light rain for the last two hours of the trip.

Once we were checked in to our hotel, we got directions to the laundromat and did our chores. Luckily, it wasn't too busy and we were all done in about an hour. Just in time for a glass of wine before dinner. Stew is watching a French cooking show on TV as we speak. Secretly, I hope he learns how to make baguettes. Maybe not, or I'll weigh 400 pounds.

We are staying at a Campanile hotel which is a chain of small hotels. I think we are booked into one more near Vimy. It is sort of like a Comfort or Holiday Inn, only smaller. I picked it because it was just off the thruway and on the outskirts of town. We were pleasantly surprised. This is a newer hotel with their "new" decor. We decided to eat here rather than drive into to the city in the rain. It was certainly not the meal of last evening, but reasonably good for hotel fare. We had veal patties, grilled veggies, and rice for Jane and frites for Stew. It also came with lovely fresh greens.

We have planned our route for tomorrow. We are headed for Amboise in the chateaux region. Hopefully we'll arrive in time to sightsee.

Lovely!

Your account is bringing back great memories for me! Mmm, the home made pasta with real pesto. How I long to be back in the Cinque Terre.
My husband asks for pesto everywhere we go in Italy, even in Sicily! There he got ground pistachio pesto, good but not the same.

Did you find Manarola to be a good base for CT? I didn't catch the name of your hotel there, and was thinking we'd like to stay there next visit.

Vaison la Romain is really a pretty little town, isn't it?

Hi sundriedpachino,
Our hotel in Manarola was Marina Piccola and it was right near the water. They also run a restaurant. We found it be convenient and we got wonderful fresh air in our room at night. There was no elevator, but by then on our trip, we were getting used to the climbing. We liked Manarola a lot and it seemed less touristy than Vernazza.

Day 16 Wednesday, Sept 19th

We only drove about 4 hours father north yesterday, but, when we got up at 7:00 am it was pitch dark! Yikes! We had our breakfast at the hotel and managed to forage enough for lunch too. We set off around 8:00 when it was a bit lighter. It had stopped raining but was still overcast. Today we were back on the 130 km toll roads and we whistled right along. We stopped once for a break and to get gas, and arrived in the Loire Valley region in late morning.

We were heading for Amboise, but decided to stop at one of the many Chateaux in the region. We went down winding country roads until we got to Chateau Chenonceau, once occupied by the French royalty and dating from the 16th century. Nice digs! We toured the chateau and the gardens, all of which were lovely. We decided to have our lunch in their picnic area. By about ten in the morning it had turned into a lovely, sunny day, but it was quite chilly. We are wearing our fleeces and I wished I had jeans instead of capris.

After lunch, we went to a lovely little town, Montrichard. Of course everything is closed between 12:30 and 3:00. We found an outdoor cafe and had a crepe Normande. It had cinnamon apple slices and was flambéd with calvados. We're counting it as a fruit!

We worked our way through the countryside and arrived in Amboise. We had some difficulty finding our B & B. When we finally arrived we realized that we couldn't check in until 5pm and no one was around. It looked like a strange place and we were beginning to discuss other options, when the owner arrived.

WE ARE STAYING IN A CAVE!!!!! We actually have a lovely, newly renovated room, but this whole inn is inside a huge rock face. There is even an indoor pool in there. In this area, people have made and lived in caves for generations but it's quite a new experience for us. There was nothing about a cave when we looked at it on line. Maybe I need to learn more French. We looked at one another and said "why not"? At our age you don't get to try too many new things, so it will be an experience. The bizarre thing is that each of the six or so rooms, is named after a south Pacific island! The floor is made of teak and has been recently oiled. Since we are former sailors, it is a familiar odor.

While I caught up on our email, Stew went down the street to the wine cellar and came back with some local red wine. I think we are all set. We will have our breakfast here, but we go out for dinner.

We enjoyed a glass or two of the wine we bought, outside in a lovely courtyard. I had changed in to long pants, which made all the difference. I have had a clothing emergency, however. I have broken the zipper on my fleece. I can pull it up but not down. I may be wearing it for two weeks!

We went to the old part of town, in the shadow of a massive castle. The buildings are all leaning and close together. Nothing is plumb or square. We had a very good dinner, veal Marsala for Jane and veal champignons for Stew. We have realized that the castle is built atop a huge rocky hill, and our place is under it but down away. We have found out from the inn keeper that the caves were created by mining rock to build the castle. It was just getting dark as we returned to our cave....we'll let you know tomorrow how we make out.

What is the name of of your cave B&B? How neat.

Hi TDudette,
It was Le Clos de l'Hermitage in Amboise

>>>Well, we did it. We just had a meal that surpassed our favourite dinner in Venice. We decided to eat at the restaurant that is part of this little inn<<<

What was the name of the restaurant/inn?

Thanks for that info, jane1144. I am storing it away for next trip.

Hi kybourbon,
We were staying at La Fete en Provence in Vaison-la-Romaine. If you decide to go, you need reservations. It is in the old city.

Day 17 Thursday Sept 20th

Well we survived our night in our cave, although when we had been in the room for a while, the teak oil smell became pretty pervasive. Our room was one of the largest we have had and the ceiling was about 15 feet high. The bathroom, which was very modern, was really just part of the main room and separated only by a folding screen. You would want your companion to be someone you knew very well! The cave has an air exchange system but is always at about 70% humidity. I bet you have wonderful skin if you live there all the time. Our biggest complaint was that the lighting was sort of mood lighting and not sufficient for reading. All in all we survived, woke up feeling a little batty (lol!), but I probably wouldn't do it again. I am a bit claustrophobic and really wanted a window to look out. Once you are inside you don't know if it is day or night.

We were up at about 7:30and the proprietor had set up a beautiful breakfast, including candalabra, in the common room where the TV was. It was the best breakfast we have had so far. After we checked out and said goodbye, we loaded our stuff and set out. It was freezing, maybe just a degree or two above zero C. I had managed to attach a split ring from my key ring so I can operate the zipper on my fleece. Thank goodness. We also wore jackets today to start out.

We drove on the toll highway up to Dinan, a mediaeval town just near the border of Normandy. We arrived late in the morning and CLIMBED around to explore the old streets. We stopped for lunch in the port (near the boats) and shared a ham and cheese galette and a wonderful salad. We had cider to drink. This was in a little nondescript one man restaurant but the food was lovely. Stew even found a picture of an old man playing some sort of a bagpipe hanging on the wall. (Stew is a piper).

We left after lunch and drove to our hotel in Avranches. We are back in a chain type, cookie cutter hotel as it is another one night stand. It certainly doesn't have the charm of a B & B, but it is predictable and comfortable and it is above ground!

After we checked in and unloaded our stuff, we set off for Mont St. Michel. It is basically a massive abbey built atop a big rock which lies out in the ocean, just off shore. At low tide you can walk there, but it is really an island which was settled in the first century. We went later in the day to avoid the crowds. There were definitely more people leaving than coming when we got there but there was still a lot of visitors (.read packed)! It is an amazing place with pictures at every turn. Again we climbed up to the Abbey and then worked our way back down. We have certainly got our exercise today. We are tired so I think we will just stay at the hotel for dinner.

Enjoying this a great deal!

I'm really enjoying this trip. You guys have a great attitude, and I am enjoying every day!

We stayed in a cave in Matera, and the one drawback is the humidity, isn't it? Ours did have a window in the door, though, and a few other high windows, but not big enough to see anything.
Glad you survived, although, don't you sometimes get snowed in a bit in Ontario?

Thanks everybody! And yes, sundriedpachino we do get snowed in, although not all that often anymore. But snowed in is white and pretty. At least we can see daylight. I have to confess that it was the smell of the teak oil that bothered me the most. I think that that coloured my attitude. I still think that it was an interesting experience and an unexpected one at that.
J