The weather has become predictable - humidity increasing through the day until it blows off steam with a thunder/rain storm late in the afternoon. Unfortunately the humidity remains. This situation led us to stay at a Gite in Amaron called La Bastide d’Eloise. We were given a family suite, which basically meant we had a wing of the house. It was lovely with pretty grounds, a swimming pool and everything we needed.
Chantal and Christian made our stay special. When we arrived yesterday, we were invited outside to see the pool and to climb the ladder to their heavily laden cherry tree. We picked as many cherries as we liked and had a feast in our room.
The village of Aramon is a sleepy picturesque village with much Provençal charm. Just what we like. As it is a holiday today, people are enjoying the morning, relaxing by the square in the village, shopping at the bakery and visiting.
One of the many thoughtful touches provided by Chantal were these fresh flowers on our towels in our room.
We enjoyed eating outside on the terrace. Chantal made fresh crepes, lots of fresh croissants and baguettes, a pot of coffee and home made jams, courtesy of Christian. As a parting gift, they gave us a souvenir to take with us - a small jar of his fig jam - our favourite with big chunks of fig! Yum and merci as well for the scrambled eggs.
We went sightseeing in the village and stopped at the bakery and Tabac to pick up some things. In the window of the Tabac was this pair of affectionate cats. Lilu on the right was very comfortable with her hind leg stretched out and resting on Nimka’s head.
Lilu has very unusual eyes - icy blue like a husky dog. Her owner was telling me that this attractive feature is a sign of a problem she has with her eyes.
The bakery in Amaron is superb. The owner was a character and very proud of her baking. She was generous with samples and would cut up whatever I asked about. It was divine.
It is delightful to find a gem like this village whose charm is genuine and non commercial. Amaron is off the tourist track, which for us makes it even more special.
I know that we talked about the poor signage and rough riding yesterday, but today, we are finding the opposite. Signage is great and the paths are smooth and nice to ride.
This cat was a hoot. It lives in an apt on the top floor and it seems to sit on the generous, deep ledge most of the time. I could see that it loves to watch the traffic go by. But when it saw us, it stopped and stared at us with an expression that suggested, well you and your rig look odd. What a source of curiosity we were for this cat. It can be unnerving to be stared down by a cat.
These beauties are from the bakery in Amaron. Cannels (so good), Navettes with chocolate (local cookie) and the other two I can’t name, but I had samples of these and had to get them. These will hopefully last us a few days.
The canal makes Beaucaire quite beautiful when you arrive and is a focal point for the village. Note the skies are darkening...and the rain is starting. The sky is very black ahead, which is in the direction of Arles, our destination.
Well, this is a wild twist of fate. We met Ulli and Karola a few weeks ago riding when we first entered France. They ride a Hase Pino and live in Frankfurt. When we pulled up to our hotel in Arles, we were mutually shocked to recognize each other. What are the chances of this happening. LIke us, they have been having a great trip, and also like us, they got caught in the rain storm and are very wet.
We are in Arles and are pleased to find a hotel in the centre of the historic core and this pretty building. The Roman Ampitheatre is just 2 blocks from our hotel.
After we got settled in and the weather had improved, we set out to explore Arles. We like the pigeon’s confident attitude sitting atop the lion in the fountain at Republic Square.
This street cat was wary of us but kept an eye on us. His face is so expressive and tells the story that he has used some of his nine lives in his street life.
