We arrived late on Sunday afternoon, stopping off for a lunchtime picnic by the water at Pont en Royans, a lovely village notable for its houses perched on the rocks high above the river, and then winding our way along the twisting road through the spectacular Gorges de la Bourne. Quick dip in the pool, a bit of sunbathing, apéritif, then dinner watching the sun go down. Not a bad start.
Monday was another hot, sunny day. Following our friendly hotel proprietor's advice, we drove up into the hills above Rencurel and went for a gentle amble along a path, which took us through the woods to a ruined farmstead, and then onward to a viewpoint with yet another stunning view of the gorges. Afterwards, more narrow, winding roads, more spectacular views, then a late lunch in the restaurant at the Grottes de Choranche. Then we visited the impressive caves, which are notable for their unusually long, needle-like stalactites. Best of all, it was 20 degrees cooler underground.
Back at the hotel, a cool dip in the pool brought blessed relief from the heat. The views and the food at dinner were just as tasty.
The following morning, alas, we headed home. Via the scenic route of course. One of the scenic routes. We stopped off at St Agnan, on the upper Vercors plateau for another gentle stroll through the woods and along a quiet valley, then took another winding round up and over the ridge towards Vassieux en Vercors. The village is notable for being the landing point for SS paratroopers who perpetrated a massacre there during the course of the German repression of the Vercors Resistance during the months after D-day. We visited the memorial to the Resistance at the Col de la Chau before heading back towards Lyon.
The route home featured possibly the most spectacular road of all, cut into the sheer cliff face of the Cirque du Combe Laval. Drivers suffering from vertigo are advised to take a detour.
Lyon was hot and humid when we got home, and thunderstorm duly cleared the air soon afterwards, and caused the annual fireworks display to be cancelled. Since, it's been back to the grindstone. I did accompany la belle-mère on a bit of touristing yesterday afternoon, with a visit to the newly renovated Gadagne museum, and then met up with la bienheureuse afterwards for the ritual drink in a café in Vieux Lyon. Tomorrow, it's completely back to normality, with la belle-mère returning home to deal with her own belle-mère and the attendant problems...
