A romantic royal hunting lodge, all to ourselves (for lunch)

DATELINE: Monday, Oct. 9. Vaison and Uchaux, Provence. 

Slept even later this morning (I could get used to this). When I finally came downstairs, I couldn't face oatmeal again. 

So I daringly soloed-out to buy pastry without my trusty interpreter (Roz). Successful completion of this mission required my correct use of maybe 10 words in...French! But I returned home from the boulangerie victorious, clutching my pain aux raisins.

The day's next adventure began with a 30 kilometer drive to a town where a romantic part of French royal life played out in the 1500s. The hunting lodge at Uchaux was built by King Henry II. Years before, at the court of his father, Francis I, Henri had fulfilled the role of tall, dashing Prince. And there he fell deeply in love (and often into the sack) with a beautiful, though married, courtier named Diane de Poitiers.

But in those days politics trumped love, and Henry had to wed Catherine of the famous (some say infamous) Medici family of Florence. Catherine was no great beauty, though she shared the family skill at wielding power. But not enough power to split up the two lovers. Diane herself was no intellectual slouch, and after Henri ascended the throne on his father's death, Diane did all she could to help him impregnate Catherine, to continue the royal line.

Catherine, Henri II, and the ever-lovely Diane

But the unwed lovers maintained their avid affair. Both Diane and Henri loved to hunt. So they often stole away to the royal hunting lodge Henri had built in Uchaux (with, no doubt, an enormous entourage).

Roz and I drove there, just the two of us, in our ugly little Renault. The lodge's medieval bones are still visible, though the modern luxury hotel and restaurant that have been added-on tend to obscure some of the old masonry.

We sat just inside the glass double doors,
with a great view of the garden.

But we had it to ourselves, probably with more privacy than Henri and Di-de ever had. We behaved ourselves, however, and settled for being the only customers at today's luncheon.

It was a royal feast in its own right! Inventive flavors, handsome presentation, and super-polite service gave us a luncheon fit for a king (and his honey). Roz captured it all in photos (link is at left, scroll to Day 6).

After our meal, we strolled around the lodge's grounds, even visiting the garden where (today's) chef has his vegetables and poultry raised.

But our reign ended when we drove back to Vaison just in time to let the handyman in to fix a non-working ceiling light in the kitchen. Where's that entourage when you need it?

What happened to Henri, Diane, and Catherine? 26 years after he married Catherine de Medici, Henri and Diane were still "an item" But then Henri died from a wound received in a joust. Catherine became the acting monarch and quickly made things tough on Diane, who eventually moved back to the secluded chateau of her long dead first husband.

Romantic? I guess, if you like the tragic kind of love story. 

The waitress who took this photo thought we were "cute". I'm happy with that.

Sunday dinner -- C'est traditionnel

DATELINE: Oct.8. Vaison to Cairanne and back

It felt like a good morning to sleep in, so I did. But Roz arose, donned her exercise clothes, and went downstairs to do her daily "leaping about".

The day's later activity mostly centered around lunch. Our destination was a restaurant in nearby Cairanne called Coteaux et Fourchettes (knives and forks). We had liked it very much on our first stay in this area, in 2014. 

It was relatively and pleasantly informal then. We sat outdoors and enjoyed good food with service that was a little friendlier than usual for French restaurants.

Foreground: an "amuse-bouche".
Why doesn't my mouth look amused?
Also, 2 of those glasses are R's.

On our visit this year, it was too windy for any outdoor seating, but the interior was spacious and très modern. The wait staff was more formal in manner this time, though casually dressed. But by the end of the meal we did spot a few signs of spontaneity.

In France, going out for long Sunday meals is de rigueur for families. C&F is a perfect place to do it. The five-place table nearest us seated grand-mère (not the same one as yesterday), a couple about the right age for her offspring, and a twosome in their late 30s to complete the three-generation spread. Similar multi-generational groups were chatting and eating throughout the room. I think we were the only couple there. 

Again, I was struck by how little noise this roomful of people produced despite the enthusiasm and enjoyment that were evident. Also, of the few teenagers present, none were hiding behind smartphones. I did see one or two adults use theirs to show off family photos. Needless to say, Roz forged on with her collection of food photos, which you can see by clicking the link to your left and scrolling to Day 5..

After we got home and rested a bit, we took a short walk down along the river. In the later evening, we had a little cheese and wine and worked on this blog.

From a hill village to a glowing mountain

DATELINE: Vaison-la-Romaine. Events of Saturday, Oct. 7

Friday's wind was almost gone by the time we got up on Saturday. Sunny skies remained.

Tour groups were already roamin' the Roman ruins across the street. Yesterday only junior high students ran around braving the breezes, but today most visitors were sedate adults. The voices of their guides drifted to us in a variety of languages.

Our destination this day was Puymeras, a small village just 8 kilometers away. At its center is Girocedre, a restaurant whose distinguishing feature is a lovely garden/arbor area where they serve meals on nice days. Since today was gorgeous, that seemed a great idea.

Entering Puymeras

Puymeras is small, heaped on and around its little hill; it makes a major change from bustling (and much larger) Vaison. The restaurant's entrance is near the bottom of the hill on a street that continues upward to the Mairie and post office. The church sits high atop the whole pile of rustic stonework.

Entering the restaurant's peaceful garden, we found a few tables already occupied. We chose to sit in partial shade and were comfortable through the meal. I still haven't got used to the rhythm of French restaurant service, and am seldom ready with my decision when the waiter suddenly appears, notebook open to take our order. But if I ask for "un moment" more, I don't see him again for ten minutes.

Our garden table

Eventually we placed our orders and sat back with aperitifs, awaiting the first course. At the nearest table was a family treating grand-mere to a nice lunch. Beyond them, another table had perhaps six young women chatting and laughing pleasantly. The tables were well separated and no-one's behavior intruded on others. A welcome change from the clamor of American eateries.

The meal was excellent  and the garden setting pleasant. Click the link to Roz's pictures in the column to the left to see the food (in Day 4). Our two servers were Giselle and Cedric (respectively Gi and Cedre of the restaurant's name, Girocedre). Ro for Roger was apparently chef-ing away in the kitchen.

Near the end of our meal, the table hosting grand-mere was getting ready to leave. A wine bottle they had been pouring from was still half full. One of the younger women, after checking that none of the staff was watching, picked it up, jammed a cork into it, and slipped it into a tall carry-all bag she had brought. When she saw me watching and grinning we both laughed. Apparently not all (maybe not any) French restaurants will re-seal partially full bottles, that customers have already paid for, so they can be taken home.

After lunch, we strolled up and down through the narrow streets of Puymeras.
Eventually we found the tiny village square (la place) with the customary monument to local men fallen in World War I. As usual, I found this moving.

The drive home was uneventful. Naps seemed necessary to aid digestion. Later, the two of us strolled out for a long walk around Vaison. The setting sun was painting the stone buildings and casting a red glow on looming Mt. Ventoux. We finished with aperitifs at our usual brasserie as we watched local fathers and their sons play together on the paved place. A pleasant (and very French) way to end an evening.

Mont Ventoux looms over Vaison at sunset

A windy day's journey to strudel.

DATELINE: Vaison-la-Romaine, events of Friday, Oct. 6

The wind had started to pick up on Thursday evening. Friday morning, the skies were clear and the sun was bright, but the trees danced more frantically as time passed by. Wind chill made the air feel colder than it was.

Our little stone house, insulated on three sides by abutting buildings, became reasonably warm after I fiddled with the heat. We stayed at home after breakfasting here and skipped lunch.

We made only two expeditions, both to the town plaza, called Place Montfort. First, we looked into the little Casino market for a few things we hadn't found yesterday at the big supermarkets. Though small, the store had been greatly remodeled and re-stocked since last year. It did stock those items, plus almost everything else we HAD finally found at those larger emporia. We could have gotten it all just a short walk from "home" (though carrying it back would have been a challenge).

Our second venture out was to another establishment facing on Place Montfort. L'Arbre à Vins (The Tree of Wines) is run by a young man we met and liked on our first visit to Vaison, in 2014. Since then, Mathieu has opened this new wine shop and in 2016 started a series of Friday evening dinners there. The fixed menu is different for each event, and he emails it to the "regulars" several days ahead of the meal, which draws a loyal crowd. We're on his email list too, and go every Friday when we're here.

Mathieu does all the work -- shopping, preparing, and serving the food -- then cleans up after the event.

Chicken cooked in beer

Strudel

This Friday night featured Alsatian cuisine: chicken cooked in beer with vegetables and dumplings followed by a dessert of apple strudel. Two wines were suggested as well, though diners are free to order anything in the shop. The meal price is fixed, but your choice of wine can affect the final total. All the prices are reasonable.

Most of the diners sit at a long table down the center of the shop. It's a great place to meet new people. This night we had a good talk with a somewhat younger couple, both of Malaysian heritage. Their careers had been mostly in Australia, but they were avid travelers and settled into a house near Vaison when they retired recently.

Good food, fine wine, and new friends: a perfect evening to cap off a so-so day.

Getting adjusted

DATELINE: Vaison-la-Romaine. Events of Thursday, Oct. 5.

We slept the long sleep we needed, and awoke feeling somewhat repaired. Walked out to a recommended bakery to get our morning pastries, then to a sunlit outdoor café for big bowl-sized cups of coffee with milk. Life's looking better already.

Morning's chores focused on shopping for foodstuffs and household needs -- plus wine. This took three hours of wandering around two big-box supermarkets on the edge of town. By the time we got home, I was having the jet-lag sleepies, so fell into a long nap on the couch. We never did have lunch.

Dining room at Le Bateleur on a slow Thursday

But I woke in time for our usual evening glasses of bubbly, then we strolled out to an excellent dinner at Le Bateleur, near the old Roman bridge. The food went down well, accompanied by a bottle of red wine from nearby Gigondas. Home and to bed.

Hang in there, dear readers. It's got to get more interesting soon.

Maison, sweet maison

DATELINE: 79 Rue Trogue Pompée, Vaison-la-Romaine, France. Events of Tue., Oct. 3, through Wed., Oct. 4

We're here and very happy to have yesterday's travail behind us. What I have to say about the current state of air travel, you don't want to hear.

So I will spare you the details of the day, night, and day that we packed into 30 long hours. Won’t bore you about each of us losing and then each finding our passport (at separate times). Or the disappointing car Hertz gave us. My only positive comment: both of our flights were on time.

From the Marseille airport, we arrived in Vaison about 6:00PM Wednesday, unloaded the car, then parked it in the nearby Post Office lot. Once I’d hauled the heaviest bags upstairs, we headed out for apéritifs and a light supper at the local brasserie. Back at Maison Vaison, we spent more time unpacking than you'd expect of such tired travelers. Finally to bed.

Feels good to be here. Will tomorrow be a better day? Can’t miss.

Too much info about how to use this blog

DATELINE: Written in Napa October 1st, the day before we go!

Every time we put together a new blog, we try some new ideas. Bear with us while we explain how this year's version works:

The numbers to the left of this column (under Postings to date) identify the year as 2017. Indented below that are the months in which posts were published. Listed under each month (and indented further) are the titles of each post. The most recent post is at the top of the list. Click any title to open that post.

Below the text of the post are two links. "Newer post" will take you to the next post that has been published (if any). "Older post" jumps backward to the next earlier one. Clicking on "Home" should take you back to the home screen, which shows all posts.

On each post, a red "DATELINE:" will tell you when and where the events it describes took place. It's right below the title of the post.

You're welcome to comment on any blog posting. Just scroll down from the bottom of its main text. If you see "No comments", yours would be the first one about this post. If others have already commented, you'll see and can read their comments.

To share your own thoughts, click "Post a comment" and type in the little box that appears.

When you're finished, scroll down below that text box. When you see "Comment as:" click on the box below it. If your name is already listed, just click it. Otherwise, scroll down further to "Name/URL". Click that and type your name in the box that opens. Click Continue.

Now, click the word "Publish" at lower left. Done!

We review each comment to keep out unwelcome visitors. So it may take a day or two after you send your (no doubt friendly) comment before it appears on the blog.

Lesson over. Next post should get back to the fun part of our trip. We leave tomorrow. Gotta pack!