VAISON

First thing this morning, Judy & I hiked up to the castle ruins (Le Chateau Comtal) atop the hill. The views were spectacular!! The air so crisp & clear... it was invigorating!

Hostellerie Le Beffroi was in the medieval part of Vaison, which was over a 2000 year old roman bridge & up a hill. AND just look at the view from Teresa & my room window (right).

After taking in as much of that view as we could, we made our way back down to the new part of Vaison across the Roman bridge. A testiment to Roman engineering, this bridge has stood the test of time, survived wars, weather and major floods that wiped out newer more modern bridges in the area. Amazing!

Tuesday is Market Day in Vaison.
I bought some beautiful scarves, soap and a shirt from vendors. I have never tasted such delicious food than some of the cheese, meat, strawberries, etc. that I sampled throughout this market! We bought a variety of food & met some of the group back at the hotel courtyard for an impromptu lunch & rose' wine - Delicious!!!

After a nice siesta, we had a group tour with a local guide of the 2000 year old roman ruins in Vaison la Romain. The excavated ruins are of mansions - huge homes, showcasing everything from toilets to heated floors & saunas/baths. I am sure their luxurious lifestyle was at the expense of slaves, but it is cool to see & walk around their homes today.

After the tour, Daniela set up a delicious spead from the market. Daniela's husband & mother-n-law joined us for the afternoon and taught us to play petanque (or boules). I was pretty good - but Gabby was the best of the group! We grazed, mingled, drank, played & ate some more. It was fun!! I didn't even have room for dinner.

Olivier drove us to our first stop of the day in Orange. A 2000 year old roman theatre. It still has its acoustic wall standing which allowed for sound to carry like you wouldn't believe. This theatre used to have a retractable roof, sound/visual affects, the works.
During the middle ages the entire city moved inside the theatre walls for protection. I can't even imagine how they made that work or how it must have smelled!!
But now it is restored to a theatre where concerts are performed! We had time on our own to browse the theatre & museum.

Next Daniela had Olivier drive us over to the Arc de Triomphe in Orange erected by the Romans around 19 A.D.

Next we headed up into the Cotes du Rhone and stopped at the Domaine des Girasols winery. The owner Francoise gave us a tour & told us the history of their winery. I learned a lot about why vines only have two/three arms & why they nurture them & slowly allow them to mature. Patience is key. Some of their vines were planted in the 1930's. Amazing!!

They do not crush their grapes, but allow gravity to create the wine. It was very interesting. Francoise and her mother put out apartifs of breads, cheese, & sausage to compliment our wine tasting. We sampled a rose, a 2001 red, and a '97 red. Everything is excellent. (I bought 2 bottles of Red to take home & 2 bottles of Rose for the tour)

On the way back to Vaison, Daniela had Olivier stop for a stroll through the midieval village of Seguret. Protected by an outer wall, the ancient city is just adorable. Seguret is a Gigondas village (3 flowers) ranked for its beauty, quaintness & ambiance.

After making it back to Vaison after a long day, (and a breif siesta), we had our final dinner at Le Beffroi. It was excellent. We began with salad of greens & legumes. Next we had delicious salmon in a sauce with a zuccini dish and some kind of rice thing (all together - to die for). A course of cheese, then lavender creme brulee. YUM!!

It was hard to say good bye to Vaison la Romain!!