Well it was great, one of those times when everything just goes right, better than you could hope for.
Italy was the destination but the journey was just as important. Taking the slow back roads and taking time to stop and enjoy the scenery I fell in love with France all over again.
and succulent beef (Fin gras de Mézenc)
are presented with great flair and the desserts are scrummy.
This is a subject that is very close to my heart. Many restaurants now offer sad prepacked microwaved fare that is tasteless and depressing so I am passionate about supporting people like Jérome and Virginie who make a huge effort to create such delicious meals using the quality local ingredients that France is famous for.
The ravines slowly melt into the sleepy wide Drôme valley filled with lavender fields that flank the river.
The river is the colour of green bottleglass channeled by improbable rock formations.
The many dramatic changes of scenery create the impression that the journey has been long, but in fact it is only 200 miles (probably less as the crow flies) from Job.
Next day begins by passing through a town nestled in a gap in the High Alps, imaginatively named Gap.
It will always be an unforgettable place for me. This trip was a bit of a trip down memory lane really. Arriving in Gap many years ago, I was supposed to be buying provisions for the forthcoming stay in a Gite in the Alps Maritimes above Nice. However I was distracted by a display of artists' materials and enthusiastically filled my trolley with sketch pads, canvases, oil paints and pastels. As the supermarket announced that it was about to close I grabbed two bags of crisps cooked in olive oil and flavoured with Herbes de Provence and a packet of coffee!
Arriving at the village on Saturday night,we daren't risk the last few drops of petrol to go down into Nice, those being the days when English cards didn't work in French petrol stations. So we had to survive on crisps and coffee until Monday. I have never been able to eat herb flavoured crisps since.
I made sure that I didn't make the same mistake this time, which was lucky because there were no restaurants on the next part of the journey. A voyage around a lake sparkling like a topaz in a setting of silvery peaks and onwards through more high alpine passes.
Endless variations of stunning scenery unfolded along roads that corkscrewed and twisted their across the Italian border and back again several times as the mountains dictated the route.
The satnav got quite confused between left and right several times and then developed a stutter!
Then everything changed, the snowy peaks and pine forests gradually disappear and the architecture changes into something instantly recognisable as Italian.
Only a few kilometres to go before the river widens and the Mediterranean comes into view.
I didn't think it could get much better............................
Ciao!
Italy was the destination but the journey was just as important. Taking the slow back roads and taking time to stop and enjoy the scenery I fell in love with France all over again.
From the last of the volcanoes as we left the Auvergne..........
through the steep forested ravines of the Ardeche filled with the pungent scent of pine resin.
Lunch was an unexpected delight.
Local Trout
Lunch was an unexpected delight.
The
Auberge L'Escuelle des Elfes in the small town of Mazet-Saint-Foy is run
by a couple who take great pride in home cooking using the best local
produce.
and succulent beef (Fin gras de Mézenc)
are presented with great flair and the desserts are scrummy.
The ravines slowly melt into the sleepy wide Drôme valley filled with lavender fields that flank the river.
The river is the colour of green bottleglass channeled by improbable rock formations.
Then the slow climb into the Alps
and a night in Ancelle perched in the high Alps. The dining room had an ancient vaulted stone ceiling. The food was excellent and the hotel was really cosy, I imagine it would be a good place for a ski-ing holiday. You can find more details here
The many dramatic changes of scenery create the impression that the journey has been long, but in fact it is only 200 miles (probably less as the crow flies) from Job.
Next day begins by passing through a town nestled in a gap in the High Alps, imaginatively named Gap.
It will always be an unforgettable place for me. This trip was a bit of a trip down memory lane really. Arriving in Gap many years ago, I was supposed to be buying provisions for the forthcoming stay in a Gite in the Alps Maritimes above Nice. However I was distracted by a display of artists' materials and enthusiastically filled my trolley with sketch pads, canvases, oil paints and pastels. As the supermarket announced that it was about to close I grabbed two bags of crisps cooked in olive oil and flavoured with Herbes de Provence and a packet of coffee!
Arriving at the village on Saturday night,we daren't risk the last few drops of petrol to go down into Nice, those being the days when English cards didn't work in French petrol stations. So we had to survive on crisps and coffee until Monday. I have never been able to eat herb flavoured crisps since.
I made sure that I didn't make the same mistake this time, which was lucky because there were no restaurants on the next part of the journey. A voyage around a lake sparkling like a topaz in a setting of silvery peaks and onwards through more high alpine passes.
Endless variations of stunning scenery unfolded along roads that corkscrewed and twisted their across the Italian border and back again several times as the mountains dictated the route.
The satnav got quite confused between left and right several times and then developed a stutter!
Then everything changed, the snowy peaks and pine forests gradually disappear and the architecture changes into something instantly recognisable as Italian.
Only a few kilometres to go before the river widens and the Mediterranean comes into view.
I didn't think it could get much better............................
Ciao!
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