THE FIRST RUMBLES OF THUNDER had scarcely died when Patoo, all 50+ bouvier kilos of her, whimpered at our door. We knew we shouldn’t let her in but she looked so wretched we could hardly resist. Isobel soon returned from the Saturday market to claim her but the storm washed out any hopes we had of visiting Avignon.
Gorges du Tarn
After the storm, sunday’s blue skies reminded us of how lucky we have been with the weather overall. The drive through the mountains into Languedoc-Roussilon was slow and scenic, culminating with views of the Viaduc de Millau from our cottage. Architect Norman Foster, father of London’s controversial “Gherkin” among other works, designed the delicate looking Viaduc to span a 2.5 kilometer gorge on the A75 between Marseilles and Paris.
Longuiers
But this is a land plateaus separated by gorges where vultures soar along with parapenters and hang-gliders, where technical rock climbers ascend alongside tourists clinging to the via ferreta, and fishermen and canoeists share crystal clear rivers. The trees are beginning to don their autumn colors making for great photos, even for those like us who prefer to drive. Sadly, our climbing days are in the past.
Turning bleu, Roquefort
There are many places that make blue cheese or fromage bleu, but only one region can claim Roquefort. The bleu is actually a mold acquired by aging the cheese for eight months or more in the cold damp caves around Roquefort.
