To Forcalquier: Lulled to sleep by a kletzmer street band

June 4, 2015

I'm sure Forcalquier is a great little town, but it won't make our list of favorite stops. Maybe it will place high on our most recalled and laughed over though, but not in a good way. First off, we're staying in a vintage central hotel without air conditioning, and we're passing through the region during a heat wave - it was 90 yesterday and today, and the forecast is for more of the same tomorrow. Our room is on the third floor, facing the south, and a cooker. We left the windows open over dinner, hoping a breeze would build up and cool it down by bedtime. That worked, and by the time we came back it was bearable as long as we kept whe window open.

Leaving it open though gave us a free ticket to the loud, raucous kletzmer band playing on the sidewalk at a sidewalk bar almost directly below our window. We had actually been a bit charmed by this crowd at first and had stopped to watch and listen for a bit before returning to our room. After about thirty or so numbers that all started sounding the same though, the charm wore off.

Fortunately they stopped about 9:30, and we started preparing for a hot but hopefully bearable sleep. Unfortunately though it was just their set break; ten minutes later they started up again, a bit louder than before, and kept at it full force until 11. I'll be fine if I don't hear another tuba for a good while.

We slept pretty well from then on, until the street sweepers and garbage trucks came through, eventually followed by a healthy dose of traffic. We'll hardly need our coffee this morning - we've both been awake for hours.

One last number before calling it a night. Forcalquier, 11 PM, below our hotel room window.

Actually the experience revived our memory of our previous pass through Provence in the heart of the lavender season. Unfortunately about died if the heat - I'm sure it was above 100 every day we were there. In Bonnieux, at the worst of the wave, we took our mattress out on the balcony. Not surprisingly, we found swifts chirping across the sky more restful than tuba and sax.

Sleeping on the balcony in Bonnieux, July 2003; during a notorious heat wave that killed thousands in France. No air conditioning, so we hauled the mattress out onto the balcony.

Before that though there was the bike ride, which was great. We took a roundabout way to Forcalquier, first going north and back into the Drome for a loop through the Albion Mountains. After five miles or so of gentle climbing on empty roads through still green lavender fields we came to Col de l'Homme Mort (Dead Man's Pass). An easy pass for us, it's much more of a challenge in the other direction, and we enjoyed dropping down 2000' to its end at Montbrun. It is a beautiful, fast descent with views improved all the way down as the land opened up ahead of us. To the west, directly down-pass, is the northeast face of Mont Ventoux. This must be one of the best vantage points for the big mountain.

Here's Rachael's video of the descent from Dead Man's Pas.

Looking west from Sault. The summit of Mont Ventoux barely rises above the ridge. The valley is mostly planted in lavender, and will look amazing in about two weeks.

By comparison, here's what nearby Senanque Abbey looked like when we came through in the first week of July, 2003.

On the Sault plateau: poppies and early blooming lavender.

Descending Col de l'Homme Mort. The north face of Mont Ventoux rises in the distance.

We stopped for lunch at Montbrun les Bains, another very scenic place - a lovely old fortified spa village, now listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. I hadn't known of its existence of before scoping out the day's ride, but it was definitely worth the stop. After exploring the upper town for awhile we enjoyed our picnic on a bench overlooking the valley and Mont Ventoux, pestered by an emancipated street cat begging for a handout.

The belfry and main gate inside the town walls, Montbrun les Bains.

In Montbrun les Bains. I loved this wrought iron balcony, with a grape vine climbing through its base. Who knows why I thought it would look better in black and white.

From Montbrun we climbed back up to the plateau again, following a small gorge with more great views down into the valley and west to Mont Ventoux. Back on top, we rolled along on the plateau for about 10 miles until Revest du Bion, where we stopped at a small cafe to sit in the shade over cold drinks for a spell. Then, back on the bikes, we forged on through the hottest part of the afternoon to Forcalquier, where we checked in to our toasty hotel room and settled in for a night of kletzmer music.

On the return climb from Montbrun les Bains, up Gour des Oules.

Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 544 miles (875 km)

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