Sunday Sept 8, 2024 Rainy day in Pernes

At last, a down day. Forecast was for drizzle to downpour throughout the day so we finally get a day to read those books we brought, sip coffee and tea all day, and relax. This little town Deb found, Pernes-les-Fontaines is small enough and yet big enough at the same time. Our house is a 10 minute walk from town so no car required. And there are enough services in town that you don’t need to go anywhere. Kind of like our hometown of Bisbee. Of course the buildings are mostly 700 years old with city gates and towers and narrow streets to get lost in. Sunday is quiet in town but there is a small grocery we can walk to open on Sunday morning. Our new bar is closed and there are only two restaurants open. Only one bakery is open.

After the rain stopped around 5pm, we decided to walk around the city a bit. Very quiet with a small mist now and then (we brought raincoats). We checked out the restaurant in the old train station (gare) and it looked promising for dinner but of course did not open until 7pm, like everything. We walked across town and got totally lost and finally made it back to the Bistrot de la Gare and got a table and had burgers. Every restaurant seems to have burgers here. And fries. And there are not many Americans here so I guess American cuisine has arrived.

We walked home across town and went to bed. A very nice down day. And we still got 8,000 steps in!!

Saturday Sept. 7, 2024 Pernes–les-Fontaines

Deb here and yes, another blue sky day. Our weather luck’s supposed to turn tomorrow, but we’ll take the blue skies when we can! 

Today is market day in Pernes. We learned that most Provencal towns have large markets, and there’s one every day of the week in one town or another. Since this was our “hometown” market, we decided to walk to town and check it out.

We weren’t disappointed. So many vendors with all kinds of food items, along with lots of clothing booths. Everything just looks so delicious, from fresh fish and meats to baked goods to produce, etc. After buying melon, a tomato, a baguette and some beautiful olives we returned home. Our landlady, Estelle, passed us on her bike returning from the market and stopped to chat with us for a minute.

Later in the morning we hopped in the car to drive to the summit of Mont Ventoux. At 6,270 feet Mont Ventoux is the highest mountain in the region and is nicknamed the “Giant of Provence”. It gained fame when it was included in the Tour de France route. Now keep in mind that our Untours rep, Anne, warned us on Thursday night to not make the drive when it’s windy. Of course it was sunny, and we didn’t think too much about the wind.

We started the drive and wow, it’s a steep and narrow paved road to the top. Since it was a Saturday, there were scores of bike riders, probably many of them with dreams of being in the Tour de France, which made for challenging driving on John’s part. It was a constant dodge and weave, slowing down and getting around the bikers.

Once on top the clouds came in and the temperature dropped drastically. We started the climb at 84 degrees and by the time we were at the summit it was only 62 degrees. And the wind was howling… we opened our doors and got out for a minute and were practically blown over. Needless to say, we didn’t linger on top!

Back down the other side, equally challenging since a bike race was going up that side, and back into warmer weather. Once off of the mountain we stopped at a cafe for coffee and tea and enjoyed watching the bikers come down. 

Then it was on through a few small towns (thought Bedoin was particularly charming) and on to Plan d’Eau des Salettes, a lake with a beach that was on our way. We stopped at the lake and ate our picnic lunch (a baguette and cheese, of course, along with olives from the market and an apple), then walked on the path over to the main part of the lake. Lots of action going on, with many locals taking advantage of the sunny Saturday and water. A large group of teenage boys were having a grand time. There was a nice cafe at the beach (of course) and we bought ice cream cones, a treat since the temperature had climbed into the high 80’s by this point.

By 3:15 we were back at the house for our afternoon downtime. 

At 5:15 we ventured out by car to visit L’Isle sur la Sorgue, a town only 15 minutes away that’s known as the “Venice of Provence”. I’d read that there’s a walk around town labeled as the “Waterwheel Walk”, since there are 14 historic waterwheels, so we wanted to visit the Tourist Info center and pick up a map before they closed at 6. We had a few minutes of white knuckled driving (John) and riding (me) when we accidentally turned into the narrow streets looking for parking. Note to self, steer clear of any driving through ancient villages!

Once parked safely at the train station parking lot we hustled to the Tourist Info office in time to pick up a map. We followed the map as best we could, which took us on a nice route through some of the less touristy (aka no shopping) parts of town. The central streets were flooded with people wandering through the streets and shopping, which is always a bit much for us country bumpkins to handle.

At about 7 we visited a restaurant (Bistrot L’Auchineur) and had a great meal. We were seated at a tiny table outside right on the street, so awesome people watching. We both chose salads for dinner and once again they were beautifully presented and delicious. 

After dinner it was back to the car and home by 9:15. Another great day!

Friday Sept. 6, 2024 Pernes-les-Fontaines

Deb here. We woke up to a blue sky day. We have been so blessed by the weather gods for our entire travels so far.

After breakfast at the apartment we struck out for a driving tour of 3 of the nearby villages that are included in the “prettiest towns in France” list. They were recommended by both Anne, our Untours guide, last evening and the local tourist office gal in the morning, so we thought they’d be worth a visit.

We first traveled to Venasque, a hill town north of where we’re staying. It was (no surprise) a beautiful town with not many tourists there. We walked around the streets, ogling the alleyways and buildings. So much to take in everywhere you look! Parking was free and easy, albeit a long walk into town. Sorting out the history of these villages is daunting, since there is layer upon layer of historical events.

After Venasque, we headed to Gordes, a hill town with an imposing chateau. Gordes is clearly a popular tourist destination, with a humongous parking lot (and parking machine that was too slow) and lots and lots of businesses catering to tourists. We stopped in the Tourist Info office and picked up a wonderful brochure that highlighted a walking tour of town. We opted for the longer (1 hour) walking route and set off on our way. Along the way we actually ran into some English speakers, a family from Rhode Island and New York (complete with grandparents and two adorable kids) and a mother/daughter combo from New Zealand. We’re finding that it’s rare to hear English spoken in these parts. Gordes is absolutely gorgeous, with different architecture than Venasque, and just as much history represented. 

At the end of our walking tour we decided to stop for lunch at Le Jardin, a lovely garden cafe, and had delicious lunches of pesto and tomato pasta (John) and a melon and prosciutto plate (me), along with a peach melba dessert to share. Yum all the way around. Food is presented so beautifully here.

After Gordes, it was off to Rousillon, our final town of the day. Rousillon is known for its ochre, which is used for paint pigment. The entire town is orange-hued (think Sedona, AZ) and spectacular. Another paid parking lot and lots of people, but we managed to score a spot.

We walked up and down, admiring the vistas and looking inside the ancient church. After seeing all 3 towns, we decided that our favorite was Venasque, partly because it felt undiscovered compared to the others, but they were all wonderful in their own way.

By 3:15 we were back “home” and ready for some down time. John napped, I read, and we enjoyed chilling for a while. 

Around 6 p.m. we decided to walk into town and find the brewery, La Mousse Gourmande. Anne had mentioned last night that it was worth checking out, so we wanted to find it. We had a great chat with the owner and his righthand guy. The owner is Dutch, and has been in this area for 30 years now, with this business in existence for 10 years. John had an excellent IPA and I had a glass of rose wine, and we decided to move to the outdoor patio for dinner. The place filled up with locals (no English spoken at all) as the evening wore on, and we had tasty fish and chips with salad. The owner came outside to chat with us a bit more and it was all so pleasant.

After dinner we walked back home. Another wonderful day!

Thursday Sept 5, 2024 Pernes-les-Fontaines

 

Lazy morning, well deserved. I made a pot of coffee and Deb made tea. The laundry we hung on a broom between two chairs with a fan blowing on them are dry enough to wear. Clean bodies and clean clothes and nothing scheduled is feeling pretty good.

We had breakfast here, moved some more clothes around. Things don’t dry very quickly after the big thunderstorm last night.

The weather forecast called for rain yesterday but the gods decided we deserved a nice day so a little overcast but no rain all day.

We walked into town and talked to the nice lady in the tourist office. She spoke perfect English (did a foreign exchange to Ohio when she was 15) and we got some ideas on what to see. There is a walking tour route that takes you around the entire city (small city) inside the fortress walls. Along the route are numerous fountains, lots of artisans in tiny workshops, some bakeries and restaurants, four museums (we saw them all) and narrow little streets that remind me of a mouse maze. We got lost a few times but that was half the fun. It’s bizarre to be in a city that is 1000 years old. Except for the modern cars you see here and there (the streets are either pedestrian only or too narrow to park in) you would not guess what time period you were in.

We found the Battu Patisserie and got a baguette and a pastry to split. Half the locals here are walking around with a baguette under their arm so we fit right in. We saw our landlord walking back home with a baguette under his arm.

There are three or four gates to the city, each built at a different time starting in 1100 or so. We stopped for coffee at a small cafe near one of them. We found the bicycle museum before it closed for the mid-day two hour break (everything closes mid day for a couple hours). The guy that invented the derailleur was born and lived here and he got mad that someone passed him on a faster bike and figured out how to put second gear on his bike. That of course led to a third and fourth and now we have 21 or something. He died in 1930 crossing a road, when he was hit by a tram. He has a statue somewhere nearby and a museum named after him. On that note we saw about 20 police cars and motorcycles roaring by outside the city walls and it turned out to be a bicycle race going through.  

We got off the walking route and decided to walk home, have lunch and take a midday break like everybody else does here. “When in Rome…”.

We later went back inside the walls and resumed the trail we started this morning. We saw the Resistance Museum which dealt with what happened during WW2, The costume museum, which had beautiful handmade period clothes, and a another museums of some rich man’s. All the museums are free and simple and in beautiful condition. Unfortunately, there is no English so you kind of have to guess what’s going on. Deb figured a lot of it out since she did learn French way back when.

We met the Untours leader, Anne, on one of the back streets on her way to the dinner we were having with the other Untours couple from North Carolina, Roger & Ann. Untours does an orientation to get you acquainted with driving rules and what to watch out for. We had a nice dinner and a couple of drinks and got to know the other couple a bit. We may see them next Tuesday when we play Petanque.

We walked home in the dark down our little side street and Deb started planning tomorrow. Looks like we will do a short driving loop around the other small towns in the area. Maybe we will have clean dry clothes again tomorrow!!

Wednesday Sept 4, 2024 Lyon to Pernes-Les-Fontaines (France)

Breakfast at the hostel and a nice mix of people. Reminds me of the hostel our daughter Hannah worked at in New Brunswick years ago. Mixed age interesting people “wandering”.

We walked the three blocks to the station and caught the TGV train with reserved seats. We are down to our last clothes and are ready to settle a while after all the adventuring. The French crew was very friendly and having a good time themselves. They told us the top speed of the train was 320 kph (199 mph) but they only go that fast when they have a good straight track and they are running late. We got to Avignon and went to the rental car company at the station and got an Opal car with manual transmission. It’s good to drive a stick shift again. The town we will be staying in for the next week is called Pernes-Les-Fontaines. The town used to be called Pernes and when they discovered a regular source of water in the 18th century added 4 large fountains around town. They renamed the town in 1936 and by then had 40 or so fountains around town.

We were early so we got lunch at a roadside place (Marie Blachere) just outside of town. Food here seems much cheaper than at home.

We got to the place we are renting a little after 2pm and Yves and Estelle were there to greet us and show us our place. It is big with three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room and living room and a big gated yard to park the car. It is an easy walking distance to town which is perfect. We are ready to park it for a while.

First thing was to get the washing machine going since we are down to greasy rags to wear. Next stop showers and then next stop a walk into town to get some groceries and stop at the farmers market which was going on this evening in town. Yves and Estelel had provided enough food for our first day or two but we were eager to get some fresh local fruits and veggies, which we did. The farmers market had around 10 vendors so it was pretty small, but the whole town is pretty small (10,000 people). We made dinner of eggs and cheese (of course) with fresh bread (of course) and jam. Can’t wait to explore the ancient town.

Tuesday Sept 3, 2024 Lesin to Lyon

We had to be at the train station by 10 am so we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, packed and had to decide which train station to go to. The town is pretty small (population 3800) and there are 3 stops or stations in town. “Station” is kind of an exaggeration as is “train” since the cog railroad only has a couple of cars that crawl up and down the mountain, and “station” is a four foot wide by 15 ft area with kind of flat spots to stand with your luggage. We chose the Vermont “station” and there were two other people standing for the “train”. It was right on time (this is Switzerland). It leaves the upper “station” at 9:58, gets to the Vermont “station” at 10:00 and the Leysin Village station was probably a couple minutes after that. Of course you need to understand there are three stations because the whole town is built on a side hill, excuse me, mountain side and you decide which station to get off depending on which direction is downhill to your destination. We chose the Vermont station and guessed wrong and still had an uphill hike to get to the station.

The ride down the mountain on the cog train (there is a gear under the train that turns on a gear on the tracks, a third rail kind of) is beautiful with vistas overlooking the vineyards in the valley below. Halfway down the mountain we are met with the cog train going up the mountain to Leysin and the driver is waiting by the switch waiting for us to pass him so he can proceed. Likewise our driver stopped, walked down the tracks and threw her switch so we could proceed down the hill. Pretty quaint.

Whatever was broken two days ago was fixed this morning so the cog train made it all the way to the station in Aigle (instead of taking the short bus ride). Our train to Geneva came right on time and even though it was not a high speed train it was very comfortable and got us to Geneva right on time. We enjoyed sitting near three older folks who spoke English and were having a reunion of some kind from when they were in the Peace Corps back in the 70’s. One had been a diplomat of some kind and they rehashed a lot of the U.S. politics and foreign affairs things from the last 40 years they had seen.

Next train was a medium speed train from Geneva to Lyon. No reserved seats so you sit anywhere. We were joined a few stops along by an older couple who had all kinds of bags piled all around us and began making sandwiches and eating them with what few teeth they had. They were a little rough around the edges but very friendly as they gnawed away at their baguettes. They spoke no English but Deb was able to keep a bit of conversation going with him. He was a very funny guy and his wife and I were enjoying seeing Deb and her husband try to carry on a conversation. She actually may have spoken better English. A very colorful couple for sure.

We arrived right on time in Lyon and walked to the hostel (Yasi) which was only a few blocks from the station. The hostel was small and basic and had maybe a dozen rooms. We had a private room so we had our own bathroom. Then off to explore Lyon. 

Lyon is the second largest city in France after Paris so it’s pretty big. They have all kinds of public transportation so Google maps to the rescue. We went to the beautiful Basilica at the high part of town (Funicular) and then next door to the Roman coliseum next door. This city is old. We had dinner outdoors in front of the beautiful St Jean church, so good people watching and good food.

We got lost and almost got scammed by an over-friendly young woman and her friend “helping” us get back to the train station, but  we finally did get back and walked to the hostel.

Monday, Sept 2, 2024 - Leysin

Deb here. Woke up to a beautiful clear sky. I had lots of plans for today, chasing down places from my family’s stay here in 1970! We started our day with breakfast at the hotel, which was quite delicious. Once again, fresh breads and jams, yogurt, a stellar coffee machine (with hot chocolate options), cheeses, meats and fruit.

Since the day was clear we decided to first take the gondola up to the top of La Berneuse, the ski bowl I skied in way back when. It was so stunning at the top, although things have changed in 54 years. There’s now a revolving restaurant on top (built in the 1980’s), along with huge letters that spell Leysin. Otherwise, the look of the ski area is just as I remembered it.

After views, pictures, and a walk around we returned down on the gondola. The next project was to find the house we lived in that year, Chalet Pollux. I had the map from Monsieur DuBois, and we walked in the direction where we thought it might be. In all these years things have changed, and if it hadn’t been for John’s sharp eyes we would have missed it, but he saw the “Pollux” sign on the side of the house. And then we located the “Castor” sign on the side of the neighboring home. Upon a further look, it appears that both of the modest chalets are still intact, although engulfed by two large homes right next to them. Wow, memory lane indeed!

We then headed past Chalet Pollux to Nid d’Aigle, the walk I remembered. It was a lovely walk without a lot of elevation gain out to a lookout at the end. The lookout would have been quite dramatic, but by the time we made it there, midday, the clouds had rolled in. Still a nice walk.

Back into town to swing by La Fromagerie and talk with Monsieur DuBois. He wasn’t in, so we walked on to a coffee shop in the village, Cafe la Farandole. We split a rosti with ham and cheese that was delicious. It was a Swiss sandwich of sorts with something like pressed hash browns for the top and bottom layer.

A bit of souvenir shopping, then back to the hotel for blog writing and down time. The skies looked like rain, but nothing materialized. At 5:30 pm we walked back to La Fromagerie but no Monsieur DuBois, so we sat and had a drink (aperol spritz for me and beer for John). We then walked to Restaurant la Lorraine for dinner, sharing a great pizza and coffee and tea. People here have all been oh so very friendly and welcoming to us, even with my limited French and their limited English.

By 7:30 pm the skies were clearing nicely and it was back to the hotel.

Sunday Sept. 1,2024 - Trains to Leysin, Switzerland

Deb here again. We had a delicious breakfast at the hotel, with croissants, yogurt, cereals, fruit and good hot drinks. We made the 20 minute walk back to the train station and of course arrived with plenty of time to spare (that’s the way we like to roll). Our train arrived on time, so at 10:12 we boarded and by 11:29 we were in Geneva. The terrain switched to beautiful rolling hills on the way to Geneva, with lots of green and agriculture.

In Geneva we found our way to our next train, which left at 12:29, bound for Aigle. I was so very excited to be returning to Leysin, the Swiss town that I lived in when I was 13 years old in 1970! It was a beautiful ride, along the north shore of Lake Geneva, stopping in Lausanne and Montreux along with several smaller stops.

We got off the train in Aigle, with only 4 minutes to catch our next train to Leysin. The attendant had assured us it was an easy connection since the Aigle train station is small, and we quickly found the train we thought would take us there. We got on the train and sat down, only to realize that we were the only folks on the train while at the same time John spotted a bus heading to Leysin across the way. We hopped off the train and boarded the crowded bus, where we learned that a couple of days ago there was a track issue and everyone needs to take a bus to the train to Leysin. All very confusing but we made it!

On the small cog railway type train up to Leysin we sat near a nice Swedish young man who was heading to Leysin to start his senior school year at the American High School. He gave us a bunch of info, including telling us what stop we should get off at. The ride up to Leysin is pretty thrilling, going up the mountains at a steep incline.

Once in Leysin we walked to our hotel, which although downhill involved a lot of steps with our suitcases and backpacks. We were dripping sweat when we checked in at the Alpine Classic Hotel!

This village is just as gorgeous as I remembered from 54 years ago. We were hungry, so we walked to La Fromagerie, a restaurant the hotel manager recommended and that Tom and Kim had liked when they visited. We ate outside under a table umbrella until a driving rain started around 5 pm. Everything was absolutely delicious, splitting a cheese and herb fondue and a large country salad, followed by a shared creme brulee at the end. 

The waitress spoke very little English, but I told her I’d lived in the village in 1970, and she had us talk with the restaurant owner, Monsieur DuBois. He was delightful, and it turns out he was born in 1970 and has lived in Leysin his entire life. He pulled out a village map and circled the spot where our chalet was (we were in Chalet Pollux, and the identical home next door was Chalet Castor) and he also told me how to reach Nid d'Aigle (Eagle’s Nest Walk) which I remembered from my time here. He then even circled the spot of the village school I attended. Apparently a new school has been built, but the old school is still used by 4 grades. He was as excited as I was to talk about old times in his broken English and my broken French. 

We also visited the museum up above the restaurant, which was filled with all kinds of old artifacts, along with a photo display through the years. Much has changed in 54 years, but much is still the same.

By the time we left La Fromagerie it was time to walk back (up) to the hotel and crash for the night.