November 1, 2011
Orange to Uzes: All Saints Day
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WEATHER: sunny at first, soon clouding over with darker and darker skies
After another good breakfast we bade farewell to our hosts and to the couple from BC who were moving on to Avignon by car. The sun shone as we made our way once again past the impressive facade of the Roman theatre and on out of town. We could see clouds ahead though, and the forecast was for rain in the direction we were going. Today was All Saints Day, an important holiday in France, when people visited cemeteries and paid homage to their ancestors. Because of the holiday closures, we anticipated even fewer available options for lunch than on a Sunday or Monday, but we hoped there would at least be a boulangerie open where we could pick up some quiches.
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Just as we crossed a bridge over the Rhone, the clouds obscured the sun. There were a series of moderate uphill and downhill stretches through Montfaucon, Saint-Genies-de-Comolas, and Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres before we passed to the north of Saint-Victor-la-Coste, one possible stop for lunch. We decided instead to head for Connaux because it was slightly bigger and we thought more places might be open.
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When we reached Connaux just before noon everything was closed in the centre of town except for a boulangerie. When Al asked if there was a place to sit down and eat nearby, we were directed to the highway leading out of town and to the Restaurant Paul Itier. We looked at the menu and realized this was a holiday lunch, quite fancy and more expensive than normal, but it sounded delicious. Plus the clouds were getting darker and we didn't relish the idea of picnicking by the side of the road in the rain. We were a bit concerned about being dressed so casually in our cycling clothes, but Madame welcomed us in to the cheerful dining room and showed us where we could safely park our bikes under cover. The room soon filled up, mostly with well-dressed seniors.
The meal was truly delicious. We started with individual scallop soufflés accompanied by prawns, then Eva had boneless rabbit on a bed of leeks and Al had a seafood gratinée. A cheese course followed, and then dessert of tarte aux pommes for Al and chocolate mousse for Eva. We nursed our one glass of wine each through the meal. Any more and we wouldn't have been able to ride away! We were impressed by the quality of all of the dishes, and pleasantly surprised to find such an excellent restaurant in a relatively out-of-the-way place.
While we were eating rain showers fell intermittently but had mostly stopped by the time we set off. The only road out of town was fairly busy and almost immediately went steeply uphill for almost six kilometres--not an easy ride after such a big meal. Near the top we turned off onto a much more minor road and followed that through rolling pastureland and several villages. The further we went, the darker the clouds became, but fortunately only a few sprinkles came down until just before Uzès. As we climbed the last hill into town, we wondered whether we would beat the rain that was obviously coming. We found our atmospheric chambre d'hote on a quiet street near the town centre, and just as we wheeled our bikes into the tunnel-like hallway, the deluge descended.
Our interesting grotto-like room was through the tunnel on the ground floor in the rear of the building, and sported a massive stone arch that was leaning noticeably toward the bed. We weren't worried--it had obviously been there for a long time. That evening we ran through the heavy rain to a nearby brasserie for a light dinner.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 657 km (408 miles)
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