Lounging by the pool on hot summer days never seems to get old, not that Shan would ever let me do that! Bonnieux, Chateauneuf de Pape, Sault, and a little glimpse of Lagnes. Our agenda seems overflowing with exploration. Fortunately the summer wind continues its cooling efforts despite the +90F in an absolutely clear blue sky.

Back home in the United States we go from town to town and the strip malls blend together to make it almost impossible to tell which town you are in, or sometimes even which State. Here in Provence the architecture is consistent from town to town and much more attractive. There is definite difference between here and Brittany, for example, but not much between the villages in the valley near Lagnes.

Julien and Carole are the owners of Sous O'livier, the B&B where we are staying. Every morning the food spread for breakfast is incredible. The first night we were here we had had a terrific lunch in Cassis, but did not want to miss Julien's cooking for dinner. Our biggest mistake was the big lunch in Cassis. We had tried to walk it off -- but we just couldn't miss the dinner and Julien's cooking. With our stomachs full to the brim neither one of us was able to go to sleep until the wee hours.

The dinner al fresco with a Belgian family and their two sons was magical. They had known Carole and Julien for about 15 years, so their conversation was quick, but for the periodic translations of Guillaume, the other family's seventeen year old, and Julien, we understood collectively about 30%. Shan and I decided that we would need at least a six-month total emersion course before we could hold our own. We seem to do best with the other person does not speak a word of English and they force us to choose our words carefully and seek feedback as we go. This is not really feasible at the dinner table with eight others. So, we put our individual 15% together and do our best.

Last night Julien cooked for the local Rotary International club from Gorges. I stopped in and said hello, although I have not be active with Rotary since we lived in Tappahannock, Virginia. Their club was comprised of the same type of welcoming and open professionals as I experienced in Virginia, except that they spoke French.

Our drive today took us to Sault, an idyllic hilltop village north of Lagnes about 45 minutes. The route seemed up hill almost all the way. I was impressed by the large numbers of bicyclist making the mountain climb. In the court yard where we grabbed a sandwich and a beer (picture), a group of riders collapsed after a ride up the hill to the village. It turned out they were from Canada! The area surrounding Sault is filled with endless fields of lavender, not quite ready for harvest. This disappointed Shan a little, but we now know where to visit perhaps a little later in the season.

Leaving Sault we made a beeline for Isabella's ice cream in L'Isle-sur-la Sorgue. En route down the hill we attempted to find an ATM, the GPS directed us up a narrow side street in Carpentras. I was concerned about getting stuck in an ever narrowing alley, which did happen in Italy a few years ago. Fortunately, we ran into two police officers in the alley who were key in getting us pointed in the right direction. By the time we got to Isabella's we were both exhausted from the day's exploring and decided to return to the B&B. Isabella's is on the list for next time.