Friday 8 June 2007

Freewheeling in France

I’m about to start packing again. We’re traveling light this time, so I’m going to have a hard time choosing what to bring. We arrive in Paris on Sunday afternoon, spend the night in a hotel near the Latin Quarter, and catch the TGV train to Provence on Monday morning.

We’ll be heading to Gordes, a picturesque village where the castles and 12C buildings are still intact, to spend the night. Tuesday morning, we’ll don our helmet and cycle along quiet lanes along the Coulon valley to Goult, then up to Roussillon, stopping by to see the famous quarries of red ochre, the rock from which the houses of an unusual hilltop village are made.

Day 3 will find us descending from the Luberon to the scenic village of Lourmarin, passing rows of lavender, vineyards and flower-filled meadows along the way.

It’s a self-guided cycling trip, which means it’s just the two of us cycling along the quiet country roads, farm tracks and cycle routes, crossing fertile plains and lanes over low mountains with arid craggy scenery with long views. Oh, we’ll have plenty of time to unwind, taking in the unobstructed views, mingling with the local folks as we stop by the deli or marketplace.

We leave the idyllic Provencal country on Friday morning, to the sensual city of Marseille where I have a business meeting with a French organization. I hope I’ll be able to pull out a fresh set of clothing from my backpack!

We'll spend the afternoon in this wonderful port city before heading back to Paris for the weekend. You’ll find us wandering around the flea markets and exploring every nook and cranny of this romantic city. I can't wait to take in the smells of French coffee, croissants and luscious summer fruits. Most importantly, I pray for good weather.

2 comments:

The Real Mother Hen said...

Oh oh sounds so heavenly!!!!!!!!!
:)

Blur Ting said...

I hope it's as good as it sounds! I wish to inspire you guys to do something like this too. You can start hiking in Bend, now that it's summer!

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