Saturday, 23 April 2011

A tailor-made guided tour...

The long winter hibernation has come to an end, and this week I found myself guiding my first group of the year. Nora and Jeff from Michigan wanted something special --- both cycling and walking -- and only had a few days to play with.

On the first day we went to the town of Gigondas, where we walked among the reputed vineyards, the young vine leaves and spring vegetation making for beautiful scenery.



On a track high above the Dentelles de Montmirail range, after scaling the 735m peak of St. Amand: not planned but a great addition for a group of fit walkers...



On day 2 we went cycling through the foothills of the Luberon mountains, and in style with a Trek tandem bicycle... We climbed to the perched village of Roussillon before settling into a hotel in the town of Bonnieux.





A covered passageway in the town of Bonnieux...





From Bonnieux we walked in a steady rain to the crest of the Luberon, on a beautiful path without anyone in sight. We finished our walk in the town of Lacoste...





Here we are beneath the ruins of the castle of the Marquis de Sade, crowning the village of Lacoste. Was it "sadistic" of me to take my group walking through the rains? I think Jeff and Nora enjoyed their walk nonetheless, the haunting skies adding to the magic of the village and the countryside...