Vèloroute du Calavon

My second day here and I really fancied giving my Cervélo a good outing, so fortified by a tasty café from Madame Carmen, I hit the road.  I needed a few biking supplies so I thought I'd head to Apt to find a bike shop.  Going north from Menèrbes I encountered a bike path called the vèloeroute du Calavon, a lovely, smooth, blacktop that extends for 28km with nary a concern for other traffic.  The route passes over the Pont Julien, a bridge built in 3 BC by the Romans and it's still doing it's thing today!!

The Pont Julien built circa 3 BC

A little later I rolled into Apt and after making some enquiries, I found myself at Luberon Cycles and face to face with Philippe the owner.  After a few short minutes, Philippe had fulfilled all my requirements and I left heading for St. Martin de Castillon.
At the end of the veloroute I took the D48 towards Castellet.  After a long steepish climb I arrived at Castellet and was surprised to find that the village had no cafe or restaurant. I kept goinrg up the mountain and arrived at the gorgeous village of Auribeau, full of flowers and impeccably manicured gardens but alas, no cafés.

The lovely village of Auribeau

So I pushed on and after summitting had a long, fun descent into the marvelously positioned town of Saignon

View of Saignon

I stopped at a lovely bar called chez Christine and enjoyed a delicious café creme and refilled my water bottles.  Saignon is a picturesque village, I'll return to explore it further.

Fountain in Saignon

Leaving Saignon I rode a bucolic route through lavender fields and orchards to Bonnieux and onward to the hilltop village of Lacoste.  I stopped at a café just below the ruins of the chateau de Marquis de Sade and enjoyed a simple but tasty lunch.

Entrance to the chateau du Marquis de Sade

I noticed that the chateau, now owned by Pierre Cardin, hosts a number of outdoor concerts throughout the summer and I made a mental note to attend one or two.

After Lacoste there was a fast downhill before the final ascent back up to Menèrbes.  80 km of fun later I stopped by the café du Progrès to be welcomed by the owner Madame Carmen sporting a nice cold beer.

Dinner ce soir was at the Café Veranda and what a fabulous night it was.  Chef Hubert Tarbouriech is producing some of the best cuisine in the area and my meal was splendid from start to finish, especially the zucchini flowers stuffed with salmon mousse on a soup of creme of mushroom.
Also my main course of duck in red wine sauce was completely delicious.

Cuisine at Café Veranda in Mènerbes 

With dinner I enjoyed a 2009 Domaine Ruffinato L'Infante, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Counoise, tasty stuff indeed.

On the way home, I popped into Café du Progrès and had a swift Pastis to finish my day.  All in all, a pretty good day :)

You can see more my pictures from this ride here