November 7, 2009
Avignon to Les Carmes via Perne les Fontaines: a wet ride to a country home
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Weather: sunny at first, then cloudy with heavy rain
After another good breakfast, we left le Clos du Remparts about 10:30, heading northeast toward Pernes le Fontaines. Finding our way through the busy suburbs of Avignon outside the walls was confusing at first, but Al had mapped out a route that took us to our usual quiet rural road once we had left the city behind.
Rain had been predicted, but it was quite sunny until heavy clouds moved in just before we reached Pernes les Fontaines. The village is described in guidebooks as very scenic and filled with fountains, but as we wended our way uphill to the centre, it seemed a bit grim under the cloudy skies, and the few fountains that we encountered were empty, maybe because of the time of year.
We ate lunch at a bistro, already decorated for Christmas and crowded with groups of festive young people. A few sprinkles came down while we were eating, but the rain had stopped by the time we got back on the bikes for the last 12 kilometres to today's destination. We had originally planned to ride directly to Gordes from Avignon, but after reading about Les Carmes on the internet we were intrigued enough to go out of our way to stay there for one night. Les Carmes had been the home of an order of Carmelite monks, now renovated by an English family into a chambre d'hote not far from L'Isle sur la Sorgue. The owners, Ann and Mike Parkes, and their son Simon had done all the building work themselves, and their other son was a professional chef who prepared the table d'hote dinners. The low-season rates were at the top of our budget for lodging, and we were looking forward to a treat.
On the way to Les Carmes, the rain started in earnest, but this time we were prepared. Our rack packs were already covered up, and we quickly put on our waterproof booties. Heavy rain came down in sheets for the 45 minutes or so to Les Carmes. Some wrong turns slowed us down a bit--all the empty fields looked the same--and it felt like we were really in the middle of nowhere, just south of the small village of Le Thor.
We squeezed through a small open space next to the gate at Les Carmes. By this time we were dripping wet, and it was hard to tell where the front door was—the house looked a bit unkempt and obviously being worked on. A young man with an English accent poked his head out of an upstairs door and asked, “Are you booked in?” He didn't quite know what to make of us because most people arrive in cars and have to buzz at the front gate to be admitted. He turned out to be James, the chef in the family, and he was very welcoming when he knew that we were expected.
He ushered us into the Vine Suite, our room of truly baronial proportions—about 21 by 25 feet not including the bathroom, which was at least 12 feet square, and a dressing room about 8 by 12 feet. The floors were heated tile, except for a large oriental area rug, so it didn't matter that we dripped. The bathroom featured a two-person bathtub and large tiled shower. James asked if we would like some hot tea, which sounded lovely, and he brought us up a pot of PG Tips with a pitcher of milk, and set it on the low table in front of a comfortable love seat and armchair. It was just what we needed after the rain, and it was wonderful to relax in the huge room, then to take a leisurely bath, knowing that dinner would be served downstairs at 7:30. We spread out our wet clothes in the dressing room/closet to dry out of the way of our luxurious quarters.
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Dinner started at 7:30 in the living room in front of a large fire where we met the other guests—a couple from Belgium, three Aussies and a young French couple with a baby. Anne, the owner, poured champagne and hostessed. At 8:00 we moved into the dining room, where each group sat at its own table (we were relieved it was not one big table) and we were served our first course—an amuse-bouche of puréed mushrooms and fois gras in an espresso cup. Very mushroomy and rich tasting. The entrée was tomato tartare, made with a mix of sun dried and fresh tomatoes and finished with chive oil. The main course was delicious rack of lamb with vegetables in a nice well-flavoured sauce, but not fatty at all. We chose to drink the house red, a decent Cotes du Rhone, which was included in the price of the dinner. A cheese course followed, which we declined, and then came dessert—individual banana souffles with caramel sauce and homemade banana ice cream—amazingly good, again without being too rich. Coffee to finish, and we tottered upstairs to bed.
Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 658 km (409 miles)
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