We spent four nights at the elegantly sublime Château la Roque, my new favourite place to stay in Provence, though with great envy I have to say that I didn't get to spend the night (note to self: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Here we are at breakfast:
Our hosts, Jean and Chantal Tomasino, take great pride in their château (yes, it is a real castle: 11th century) and an even greater pride in ensuring their guests feel at home, and enjoy their stay. My guiding trips have taken me to many hotels and B&Bs over the years, and I rarely experience the kind of sincere warmth and welcome that the Tomasinos offer so naturally (note to self once more: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Jean in his kitchen, preparing a meal for the group. We would eat dinner here twice, and even participate in making the 2nd dinner.
My first outing was with Esam, trying to follow him by mountain bike up to the crest of the Monts du Vaucluse, after some 500m of altitude gain.
And just in time for sunset:
Our first day of hiking took us to the wine village of Gigondas, with Ali determined to carry the guide's backpack...
... in which Anne-Charlotte's harboured beautiful concoctions for our picnic lunch:
The Dentelles de Montmirail range above Gigondas, seen from atop the crests.
On Friday we went to the market in Bonnieux after a short walk:
At the Arôme restaurant in Bonnieux...
My lunch, too attractive to eat (which turned out to be even tastier than it was beautifully presented):
In the afternoon, to burn off lunch, a little bike ride !
On Saturday, our hike began at the Mont Serein ski area, at 1400m in altitude. In a rare occurrence here, we were above the clouds:
Getting ready for our hike to the summit of Mont Ventoux, all bundled up:
Esam on the crest of Mont Ventoux: a barren moonscape of limestone:
Basma leading the charge as we head to the summit:
