In Saint-Remy: to Barbentane

September 29, 2024

Yesterday was a good day, but today was an even better one. Two good days in a row! Streak!!

The weather did its part by giving us warm, sunny conditions with light winds. It was still chilly this morning though so we reversed our program for the day by going out to Le Roma Cafe at one again (we shared a goat cheese salad and followed up with a sea bass fillet for her and aubergine lasagna for myself) but saved our outings for the afternoon, by which time the day had warmed up to the low seventies. Quite a change from the wind, rain and chill of the Norman coast!

It was about 3:30 by the time we finally stir from our post-lunch stupors and leave the apartment. We both go at the same time, with Rachael heading south on foot into the Alpilles while the bike and I head north into the camarguian flats again. Rachael has an excellent hike, really her first one of consequence since she fell ill weeks ago. And she behaves herself by taking a fairly modest hike by her standards - only seven miles - because in addition to recovering from her illness she’s dealing with a second issue we haven’t mentioned before: onset plantar fasciitis.

She’s never suffered from this condition before and only started complaining of heel pain in the last few days. And it’s been exhibiting what’s apparently the classic symptom, a stabbing pain in the first few steps in the morning or after sitting for a long time that quickly subsides. She’s treating it with a set of exercises we found on the net, by not walking in her biking shoes or sandals, and by moderating her exercise. So far she’s getting good results from this, and it didn’t bother her at all on her walk today.

Some photos that came home with her:

In tribute to the 250 Spanish political refugees who from 1940 to 1942 participated in the public utility work for our city. // The grateful municipality. // In tribute to the 10,000 French people who volunteered and risked their lives to defend the attacked Spanish Republic alongside 25,000 other members of the international brigades.

I really approve of this shot. I’d like it if I could but I can’t; so I gave her a sloppy kiss instead.

She got back to town at about 6:30 and could barely make it to the apartment because the festival was on in full force - streets were fenced off, costumed guys were parading around on their white horses and she thinks she even saw some Camargue cattle milling about. When she finally escaped she gave me a phone call warning me to avoid the center when I made it back to town.

Oh, hell. I can’t believe I screwed this up again. This morning I messed up this post by adding her slide show in the wrong spot, nailed to the very top of the post. If you’ve worked with videos on CycleBlaze, you probably know what this means: you’re stuck with it there. There are no handles that allow you to move or delete it, or to add a line above so you could cut and paste other parts of the post above it.

So I deleted the whole post and started over. And I got it positioned where I wanted but this time it’s the wrong damn video! Instead of her slideshow from today’s hike it’s the video from yesterday’s parade that has already been posted.

Well, tough. I’m not starting over again, so we’ll just leave it here. Watch it again if you want - it really is pretty cute - or take this as your second chance if you missed it yesterday.

And finally, here’s the slideshow:

Sound track: Dream, by Bill Charlap

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I put some thought into what ride to take this afternoon. I knew I wanted to go northwest through the flats toward the Montagnette, a small range that rises above the confluence of the Durance and the Rhone. I got a look at it yesterday and it looked worth getting closer to. It’s a good distance away - about eight flat miles to the nearest edge, and with several roads along its base and up to its low summit to consider. I looked up the few villages that sit there and was tempted by a photo of the windmill in Barbentane. What really sold me on a plan though was this photo of the interior of an abbey up at the summit:

Interior of the Basilica Saint-Michel at the Frigolet Abbey.

I’d love to see that, obviously. I draw up a lollipop-shaped loop: an out and back handle to the front of the range and then a sucker of a loop up to the top to the abbey and Barbentane. 26 miles isn’t that much longer than yesterday’s 21 miler I was fine with, and the gradual climb to the summit looks manageable enough. If it ends up feeling too long or strenuous when I get there I can always lower my sights and just take some photos of the range from below.

The route looks great to me though. I envision getting some views from the top - maybe down on the Rhone or Durance, or northeast to Mont Ventoux. I don’t bother taking the lock, assuming it will be quiet enough at the abbey that I can just lean the bike against a wall and take a fast peek inside.

The first six miles are identical to the start of yesterday’s ride to Châteaurenard so I just bike through them this time, stopping only for a large flock of sheep that’s been released into a large meadow that was empty yesterday.

We saw this pasture yesterday but it looks better today filled with sheep.

After leaving Maillane I angle northwest toward the Montagnette and two miles later I branch off onto the small road that climbs to the abbey. Even with a couple of switchbacks in the middle it’s an easy ascent that causes me no problems at the pace I’m going.

It’s so great to be in the south again! The road is banded with shadows of olive trees as I start the short ascent.

The Montagnette is a tiny range sitting above the confluence of the Rhone and Durance.

The whole range is at most ten miles long and rises only 300 feet above the base.

You don’t need much of a range to get some interesting contour.

There are four or five of these odd watchtowers lining the road as I approach the abbey. No one is manning the parapets today though.

Frigolet Abbey is a surprise when I get to it. It’s not the quiet scene I’d expected - who’s ever even heard of Frigolet Abbey after all? It’s quite lively this evening, with a large crowded parking lot and people walking the trails above it and visiting the abbey itself. Maybe it’s because it’s Sunday evening, but my plan of leaving the bike unlocked and unattended obviously isn’t happening. I circle around enough to get a good look and then head north toward Barbentane.

It’s just as well really. With my late start I need to be careful about the time. I didn’t check when sundown is but I think it’s around 7:30 now. I didn’t bring a light, and I don’t want to be out on these quiet unlit lanes when it starts getting dark.

It’s a pleasant, scenic ride along the top of the ridge for the four miles it takes to bring me to the outskirts of Barbentane. I imagine it’s a popular cycling route, and this afternoon I pass several other cyclists along with the few cars that give me plenty of space. it’s a nice place to ride, and one that would be worth more than one outing if we were staying longer.

I wondered if I’d have trouble finding the windmill but here it is staring me in the face just as I come to the low rise that comes right before dropping into town. And the views are nice too - Barbentane sits on the slopes of the northern edge of the range, overlooking Avignon and the rivers. It looks like it would be a nice place to hike, and I make a mental note to check later to see if there’s food and lodging here (yes to both, I’ll find). It might make a nice base for a night or two if we come back this way some year.

I’m not certain but I think this is the railroad viaduct across the Rhone at Avignon.

To my surprise there’s more to Barbentane than just a pretty windmill. There’s actually a lot to see, and I stop often as I descend through its small maze of steep, crooked streets. It’s a good thing I’d mapped out a route or I’d have had difficulty finding my way out the other end of town. It’s a fascinating little place that looks like it would be great to come back to so it gets added to our ever lengthening to do list. Sitting in a strategic spot above Avignon and the rivers, I imagine it has an interesting history worth knowing something about also.

In Barbentane. Maison de Chevaliers (the knight’s house)?

Barbentane‘S 12th century Romanesque church is probably worth a peek inside also.

In Barbentane. The tunnel on the left is interesting.

It’s a pedestrian walkway to the chateau.

Even though I’m just taking quick snaps as I’m passing through I end up spending a lot longer here than I expected to. It’s starting to get late by the time I come out the other side and start heading south back to town. I need to just bike, but I only get about two blocks when I come to one last surprise that demands a stop: a small troglodyte neighborhood built into the walls of what looks like an old limestone quarry. Its amazing how much there is to see in such a small place.

So now I really do have to rush. Light is starting to get dim in the last few miles and toward the end the few cars I see on these thankfully quiet lanes have their lights on, so it’s good I’m not out any later. Its a great time to be out, but I really need to start allowing more time in the shorter days ahead.

I really do love this country. It’s great to see these lanes lined with plane trees again.

It’s too late to be out, but there is compensation.

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Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 3,873 miles (6,233 km)

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Susan CarpenterWhat a great day you each had! Sorry to hear about Rachael's foot problem, arriving just as her sinus/ear ailments seem to have cleared up
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