Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th June 2013, glorious sunshine, ~20 miles
After Tuesday’s epic trip we were tired and saddlesore, so we decided to go nowhere on Wednesday, though we did end up going to the supermarket for a few bits and bobs (mainly Scotch for B). There a French couple came up to us as we were getting back on the bike. When they realised I could understand them, they told us he had had the same bike and wanted to cry on seeing ours. They had to sell it due to his having back surgery, and had bought a camping car instead. Good call, but of course not the same thing. He then went on to tell B all the things that went wrong with his (!) and as B started the engine to leave she then looked at me and said “beautiful music!”.
Its been interesting – so far we have had many more positive reactions and comments than negative ones, even in our tranquil campsite, despite of (or inspite of?) the unmistakeably loud Screaming Eagle exhausts.
On Thursday we decided to backtrack along the initial part of the Anduze/Cirque routes and go to Sauve where we had seen signposts for a medieval village. We were rewarded with another pretty hillside village in which B happily found some steps going up the hill towards a tower he had previously spotted. So we went up the steps and the pathway they led to, and onto the top of the hill. We never did find the tower, but we saw some ancient village remains, tumbling down a neighbouring hillside, and proved that I was wearing the wrong sort of boots for (unplanned) rock climbing.
On the way back to the campsite we detoured to find the Medieval (of course) castle of Villevieille, the adjoining town to Sommières, arriving at 5pm, just as it closed. So we wandered round the neighbouring streets only to find out later that we had walked past the house of one of my colleagues at the local French firm I work for. Their son R (who also works there) told us we should knock on their door next time and invite ourselves in for aperos (aperitifs), as you do, apparently.
Dinner with my boss and the aforementioned R in nearby Calvisson was interesting. We now also know where R lives (come for a beer) and a pleasant restaurant which is next door to an overly lively sports bar and changes your main course order without actually telling you till it arrives.
Back at the campsite the gates were closed requiring a code, so we were officially dirty stop outs for the first time this trip!