Vaucluse Dreamer

It seems really strange to say this, but today is our last day off the bikes, before the start of the last few days of cycling, back to The Luberon

After arriving yesterday, we dropped everything off in the apartment and went out to explore the town, which is certainly one of our favourite little places.

We’re staying In an apartment in the heart of the old town, in an incredible, old building hidden away behind a little door on the street. The door leads into a vast space, with an open courtyard and other buildings off to one side. The age of the building is evident from the thin bricks that are visible under the crumbled plaster and some stunning, old plasterwork too.

The apartment is up, what would have been a very grand stone staircase, which has beautiful ironwork handrails…

And currently is home to a family of nesting swallows too, that were most agitated at us, as we unlocked the door, disturbing their peaceful little neighbourhood…

Ambling around the town is always a delight, and yesterday evening, we made our way into the main square for supper, strolling through the narrow streets that are packed with pretty little shops and artisan studios…

As we walked into the main square, we were met by a crowd of people, sitting on rows of benches, watching a play that was being performed on a temporary stage. Looking up, almost all the windows and balconies had people in them too, and we quickly realised that they were all watching a performance of a work by Molière.

There was laughter, giggles and applause as the actors played their parts, in their performance of a work written by the great french playwright almost 400 years ago….

All around Pézenas, you will see references to Molière, from hotels and restaurants to shops and a winery too, as this is considered to be the place that his career and style of play really took off, when he was here under the patronage of the Prince of Conti. His plays have transcended time and are, in many ways as relevant today as they were then, with many of the characters, believed to have been based on people he met, during his time in the town.

After a peaceful and much-needed sleep, we have spent today just walking around, looking at the buildings and sitting with coffee. To be honest, it wasn’t until we stopped, that we actually realised how tired we really were

It’s almost as if our bodies and minds have become accustomed to cycling each day, and a simple break, with the knowledge that we didn’t have to get up early today to move on again, was just enough to allow everything to relax and collapse a little. So today, a short walk and a little exploring has been all that we’ve been able to manage.

If cycling is one of our passions, another is brocante (the lovely french antiques) and Pézenas is a real hub for brocante shops in this area. Twice a year (in May and October) over 200 traders come to fill the streets with stalls of vintage delights, and the main road that skirts the old town is home to a good number of shops too.

We hadn’t really timed our visit well, as many are closed on a Monday, after being open over the weekend, but we found a few that we snuffled around in, happy in the knowledge that our bank account would survive, as we really can’t carry anything on the bike, although a couple of bits did have us chatting about whether we could just post them home. We did resist temptation this time, although we are already planning a visit in October to coincide with the big fair.

Finding our way back to the old square in the centre of the town, we sat on a pavement, to do today’s Daily Update close to a very friendly and incredibly sleepy cat, and I felt he was my spirit animal today ….

It’s such a pretty little town, with the buildings having some of the most elaborate metal balconies and railings we’ve ever seen…

And some gorgeous old doors too, in fact there is a door museum here as well…

We’ve now planned the last few days of our ride, and tomorrow will be back on the bikes again, to ride through to Aigues-Mortes, before we start the last couple of days, crossing into Provence on the way home.

When we totted up just how many kilometres we had done, by the time we arrived here, we realised that it was exactly the same distance as if we had pedalled from East Budleigh to John O’Groats, the northernmost point of mainland Scotland.

I still find it amazing that it was only 2 weeks ago today that we tried riding the bikes with the carriers on, for the first time, as the last 2 weeks has been an absolute blast.

At the start, I wondered about using the ride to help raise some funds for our local Resto du Coeur, in Apt. The Restos du Coeur are part of a national charity in France, established to support those in most need, in communities across the country, offering everything from food support, to community & cultural integration too. It is an incredible network, that does amazing work and it would be good to use this ride to perhaps support our local one too.

I didn’t like to mention it at the start, as if this ride had fallen apart within the first few days, then it would have felt a little like asking for money on false pretences. But as we now have Provence in our sights, and we are starting to dare to believe that this funny little adventure may soon be over, then I thought I would post the link to our fundraiser.

If you have enjoyed following our journey and would like to help support our local Resto du Coeur, then you can Donate here

So a quiet afternoon ahead and then back on the bikes tomorrow to head to the old walled port of Aigues-Mortes, as the days and kilometres tick down …