Moving on… 23rd-25th September
The weather has finally settled so we have spent 2 days relaxing on the beach, our last day in Cavaliere was perfect… only marred by an influx of jellyfish 🪼🪼🪼🪼
The sun shone, the sea was calm and clear but with hundreds of little jellyfish also chillin’ in the sea. We went in for one swim, but it was a short one when I realised how many of the little critters there were. I was stung badly in Spain many years ago, when I got caught in a swarm of them and was stung across my legs and stomach. Very painful and the welts from the tentacles took a couple of months to fade.
As the extent of the jellyfish became more apparent, no one was swimming but all the kids on the beach were having great fun dragging those that were stranded in the shallows onto the beach with sticks and nets. One woman was collecting them in a plastic ice bucket that you get at a beach bar!
On return to our campsite we had a new neighbour, a couple who were travelling with their SIX greyhounds in their campervan!
There was also a flea market taking place in the car park, where I bought a linen tablecloth as a present for a friend.
It was time to move on, so we packed up, emptied out the toilet and grey water, filled up with fresh water. First stop was just down the road at the vineyard we had passed by earlier in the week, Château de Brégançon.
Our ultimate stop was Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the source of the River Sorgue. The village is squeezed into the narrow end of a valley where the deep and mysterious spring is located. Apparently Jacques Cousteau sent a submersible down to find the bottom, with no luck, later a probe got down to 308 metres but the spring goes deeper. Apparently all the rainwater from the Luberon and surrounding mountains come out of this one Spring.
On arrival we parked in the local motorhome Aire which was just 1/2 km to the village. As the sun was beginning to set, we walked up through the village to the famous spring. Luckily we made the walk once the souvenir and gift shops that line part of the route were closed.
The spring however was a little disappointing, I think you need to go in the Spring or Autumn after heavy rain. The viewing point meant that we couldn’t really see anything so ignoring the ‘danger – falling rocks’ sign, we climbed through the fence and climbed down so we could see the actual pool. As you can see, a little underwhelming….
We made our way back down the village for dinner at Le Chateau Olive et Raisin admiring the views which are more impressive than the spring at the end of Summer.
Dinner was amazing and in a beautiful setting…
The next morning we climbed up to the ruined fort above the town. Apparently it was a steep walk with a marked path, however after the first sign, it was every man for himself, the path petered out and it became a scramble/climb up to the ruins. However the views were spectacular and we picked up a hiking trail which took us back down to the village back through the forest and into the valley through the vineyards.
Our next stop was Avignon via the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where we stopped in the vineyards for a picnic lunch.
Our camp site was just over the river from the old town and just 5 minutes walk from our pitch was a free ferry crossing. We visited the Papal Palace, which was ok, made more interesting by the interactive iPad that was your guide and explored the old town.
On Tuesday 26th September, we left Avignon to make our way towards Toulouse, where we were picking up a friend from the airport and then driving to another friends’ who had recently moved to France. Before the airport we made our way to La Palme, just along the coast from Perpignan for another picnic lunch. We drove directly onto the beach, which was frequented by kite buggy enthusiasts.
We now have 5 days staying with our friends, Greg and Anita who have recently moved to France, with our friends Chris and Fiona. A beautiful view and a stunning house.
RoundandAbout 