back to where we started from

vaison la romaine - avignon: 65km

we left vaison la romaine on time this morning, but of course, not without a hitch: rain. it rained and was on the chilly side for the first hour or so; well, all the way to séguret. the ride across the rhône valley was nice and flat today. we had one moment when that hottie guide P didn't know, or trust, to be more accurate, the written directions, so we waited for the van. between you, and i and the fence post, the posted direction signs were right in front of us, but he chose not to trust them. hmm, the french not trusting their own signs....curious. bi-curious.

the terrain being flat, we made good time and not too difficult to do. we made our lunch break in the town of orange[!] yahoo, the namesake of my favourite colour. we had plenty of time to tour the beautiful ruins of the ancient roman theatre. wow, it is huge, and mostly still intact, and certainly still in use. i wish the statue of ceasar was closer to view. and touch[!] nothing like wanting to cop a feel off of a roman statue, right?

we had lunch at a small café with the entire gang before we set off to chateauneuf-du-pape. it was really hot in the afternoon and the bike i was riding certainly isn't getting any better. i was cranky by the time we got to chateauneuf-du-pape, the ruins of the summer palace of the popes who once ruled from avignon. E was being sort of pissy so i sort of kept to myself during the time we had to look around there. perhaps we need some time apart. we arrived back in avignon after taking a detour on a dirt and gravel road that was nothing but potholes. and when we crossed the rhône to get back to avignon the wind [hence the name 'mistral'] was brutal as we pedalled onward. we got to our hotel about five pm and we had a few hours before drinks and our last dinner together. the hotel room was the smallest yet. E and i each showered before we headed out. i was bent on buying some t-shirts since i'd not bought any so far from any of the towns we've been in, but E was set to sit down at a bar and have a few drinks. i am getting tired of the café life, i tell ya. before long the entire group was there sitting around us. by the time drinks were over, it was time to change for dinner: no shopping and no t-shirts. dammit!

dinner was out in one of the squares of the city - warm enough to sit outside. E sat across from me and we enjoyed the entire experience. i was tired by the time we got home, but i think we all went out for a drink at the gay bar in the main square before heading home. it was sad to think this was our last night together as a group. our train for paris leaves at 13:01 but there's an earlier one we can try to catch at 10:30. I'd like to get the early one if at all possible so we can get into paris at a decent hour. i think a few of the other guys are going to be on the same train. that could be fun. if we make the train that is. but for now, the riding is over. sad really, but i also am very glad to know i made it this far...