An old man stands in the forecourt of the old stone hospital in Carpentras, hands deep in pockets and stamping his feet against the cold. From time to time he pulls a pink plastic bag from his pocket and examines the black lumps inside. The old hospital is called the 'Hotel Dieu', which i presume translates as 'God's Hotel',which has certain ring to it. Today,though,it is home to the first truffle market of the season. We have dragged ourselves from a warm bed into the brisk autumn morning to watch as local dignitaries gather,dressed in robes like extras from harry potter. There is a uniformed chef,some slick commercial operators selling neat baskets with black lumps the size of golf balls, a politician who to my bewilderment seizes my hand and shakes it while beaming 'Bonjour!',and my old man who looks out of place and nervous. I hope he got what his truffles were worth.
We arrived in Carpentras by way of a route from Torino to the French coast, past the glitter of Monte Carlo boutiques and the perfect blue ocean at Nice. Between znice and Cannes we were held up by le mistral and the Nice marathon. We watched sympathetically as runners floundered into a head wind that had reduced our riding speed to walking pace. Eventually we gave up on coastal riding and headed inland seeking respite from the wind. This meant rolling through the lavender fields and vineyards of Provence. It also meant I had a second opportunity to drag myself up Mont Ventoux.
Last time I was here, the mountain left me shattered and wanting my mother. Fortunatelyon that occasion said mother was waiting in a nearby cafe. This time, I had Matt,who I knew was waiting at the top. The longer I took the more frostbite would be catching up with him. If he was to keep his nose,I had to get to him... On the way up I rolled over vestiges of last years tour de france. Stencilled kangaroos and 'carn cadel' painted on the asphalt.
A few more days now in France before we head into Spain. Winter is here and we are looking forward to some warmer riding down south. I am also looking forward to finding a computer so I dont have to update the blog via a kindle!
