Testing, Testing........One, Two, Seven

Regular readers will hopefully remember that back in the summer, I made the decision to buy a compact Nikon camera to basically replace my Canon dSLR and bulky 200mm zoom lens combo. Despite being a compact, the Nikon has over twice the zoom range and having tested it out on the France/Spain trip, I decided to take it here to Florida as my sole camera.

Given that the Canon 200mm zoom was a much superior quality lens, the decision may turn out to be a mistake.

Yesterday it was time to give the compact another test by taking some photos around the park as I've done so many times before. So after a bit of a chillout around the house in the morning, I went for a short bike ride. As you get older and less flexible, everyone should have a short bike as they are much easier to get on and off ! Har, har.

I headed to the lake and despite not having the tripod, took a few photos and here are the results. I'm relatively happy with them but know I can 'do better' with a tripod as at extreme zoom, sharpness can be an issue when the camera is hand held. The fact that the dSLR and zoom lens were heavy, actually made keeping them steady a lot easier than doing the same with a compact. But as simple snaps, they'll do.

Over the years, I've taken many photos of the wildlife around the park and here are a couple of bird shots that again aren't as high quality as ones taken with the dSLR. I knew this would be the case but I'm hoping that the other features of the compact will justify make my decision to bring it. If nothing else, being able to keep it in my breast pocket will be a huge bonus.

I tried that with the Canon and 200mm lens and it just didn't work so well !

Finally here is a photo highlighting one of the reasons why I chose the Nikon Coolpix S9100 as my compact camera. The 'Easy Panorama' feature means no more stitching individual photos together to create a panorama. Although I'd had success doing this in the past, each photo can have slightly different exposure levels as you pan around and so you can usually tell that stitching was done.

With the S9100, I simply hold down the shutter button and pan around and depending on the setting, I can take an 180 or 360 degree panorama in one sweep. Uniformly exposed and seamlessly saved in camera.

I've yet to take an easy panorama utilising my tripod so remember the one above was hand held. As such I wasn't perfectly steady during the pan and so the depth of the image has been affected as the software has to perform a crop in order to get the scene level across the 180 degrees.

Again I think it's a decent example and certainly gives a good impression of the view I was seeing from the end of the pier. Remember that as always, my photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and this is especially appropriate with the panorama one.

So I think the current report on the camera should read.........off to a reasonable start but could do better.

When A Shell Suit Works.

WARNING : This post contains sexist statements that may offend those of a certain nature. However its does NOT contain any racist comments or indeed flashing lights so Johnny Foreigners and those with photosensitive epilepsy should be just fine.

Yesterday was my first 'real' day back in the park and after lunch I decided to get my bike sorted for the winter. I love the bike (a pressie from Deb/Den years ago) and love riding it in the park as, of course being in Florida, the internal streets are as flat as a proverbial.

After 6 months of summer, both tyres were also flat so I had to walk the bike to the other end of the park to use the air hose. It used to be set up a few blocks away by the main swimming pool but over the summer it was moved to a new location for reasons best known to whoever did it. Some airhead probably !

At least the bike and myself would get some exercise and so off we went, causing slight confusion and not a few witty (well to them anyway) comments from those we met.

"Giving it a rest, are we ?"

"Missing the point there, young fella" (I particularly liked the 'young' description in that one).

"Out of gas ?" (the (probable) accidental double meaning here made this my favourite).

Half way along my route I came to the end of Clair and MK's street and I wanted to see them as we'd not met up yet. I headed down to their house and after hugs and handshakes, Clair told me I didn't need to go on to the air hose as he had a compressor in his shed.

Now what Clair calls his shed, I'd call a 'man cave' as inside it he has one, and often two, of every tool known to...man. In fact if you Google tool outlets in Sebring, his address will be listed. So bikey and I followed him round to the shed and whilst I messed around with the stand, Clair went inside and was literally lost to sight. I really thought he'd gone out some unseen back door until I heard noises from within and he emerged triumphantly with a coiled air hose and a pressure gauge.

In no time at all, 57 psi of Florida air was flowing inside the tyres and I was good to go. Just like in the good old days when you stopped to gas up and some uniformed lackeys would wash your windscreen, check your oil and take your teenage daughter into the restroom, Clair's Service Station provided more than just air. Oh yes. Bikey's chain got a good dose of WD-40 as it was looking particularly rusty after such a long period of neglect.

(I wonder does it work on knee joints ?)

And then with a cheery wave and no sign of a tip, I was off.....riding into the sunset like some sort of modern day John Wayne, if he ever swapped his horse for a bike.

So thank you Clair. Once again your 'man cave' came to my rescue and yes, that's about as sexist as this post is getting so I'm sorry if you've read this far expecting something a tad more controversial.

Finally, on a totally unrelated subject, I had dropped Dennis off at his workplace within the park at 7am this morning (the time is important to note as in the UK, 7am...or even 10am, does not exist for me) and was driving the golf cart back home when I came upon an armadillo strolling across the road. I stopped next to it as we don't get many armadillos in North Leeds and I think it was just as surprised as clearly, it never expected to see me out and about at 7am !

There was a brief but totally surreal moment as we faced each other, neither quite sure what to do next. I was all for getting off the cart and poking its shell just because I could and it was probably wondering if it should leap onto the cart and latch onto my family jewels.

Common sense prevailed however and we just went our separate ways. As I drove off, I glanced back and saw that "Army" was continuing his walk to the relative safety of someone's front lawn, no doubt thrilled, as I'd been, by our early morning rendezvous.

Tomorrow morning I'll be taking my camera.

I hope he turns up.

Home (2nd) Sweet Home

As I sit here in my recliner, Pixie at my feet (that's the dog - I'm not suffering from heat stoke just yet) and look out upon a glorious panorama of blue skies, palm trees and old people in shorts, I'm feeling at home. My 2nd home. Buttonwood Bay, Sebring, Florida to be precise.

And here is the story of how I got here.

I'd known last Friday evening that my flight on Saturday from Manchester to Orlando would be delayed almost 2.5 hrs from a departure time of 13:10 til 15:30. This was said to be down to a technical fault but in fact, when I asked around at the airport, was down to 'my' plane being needed elsewhere and a replacement being flown up from Gatwick on Saturday. Empty !

Can you image that ? A totally empty 747-400 flying to Manchester. Bet Mr. Branson wasn't too happy about that little piece of unscheduled scheduling !!

Anyway Daffy (my trusty airport taker too'er) and I decided to leave at our agreed initial time as I was fine with hanging around the airport for a few extra hours as opposed to having her waste even more of her Saturday. So we got there at about 10:45am and I was happy to see the Virgin check-in line was almost empty. (notice no obvious jokes from me there).

I was checked in and through security in no time as it seems with the delay in the departure time, passengers had spread out their arrival times at the airport accordingly.

So I had plenty of time for a leisurely browse through duty free and then had a meal in case the flight meals were as minimal as usual.

Sadly the replacement Gatwick Jumbo was a little late arriving and despite being empty so that no time was 'lost' kicking passengers out, it still had to be refuelled and the galley stocked up.

Yes, I know it looks like there is a "giant" little girl flying the plane but don't worry, it's just a reflection from inside the terminal. The sun was right behind the plane so this was the best I could manage.

Once on board we didn't have too long to wait before the doors were closed and we all settled down for the 8.5hr flight to Orlando. I find flying with closed doors is the preferred way.

The plane was old. Very old. In fact as well as toilet graffiti from Orville & Wright, there was an ashtray behind the door ! Who'd have thought it. Orville & Wright were smokers !

Virgin Atlantic had introduced a new food initiative on November 1st which to me seemed like they were making a positive about giving us less food ! I'm afraid that telling us the food tray would be smaller to give us more room on the drop down 'table' didn't cut any ice with me. I read smaller tray and thought....less food. And so it was.

We were each given a menu to again make us feel special but as there were still only 2 choices for the main meal, I saw nothing new. However, as one meal option was sausages and mash, I actually cleared my dish which had to have been a first.

Mid flight, and while some of us were watching a movie, the flight attendants came down the aisles with those over the shoulder goodie trays that we used to see in theatres back in the day after the B movie and before the main feature. They were giving out a sort of frozen popsickle which was very nice and very acceptable at the time.

I watched 3 movies back to back.......Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8 and Captain America, The First Avenger. I'd not recommend any of them but Super 8 wasn't too bad. Basically E.T. meets The Goonies.

After an uneventful flight (sorry, Air Crash Investigation......nothing to see here) I arrived at the Orlando immigration area at 9pm local time. As we'd been delayed leaving the UK, they weren't expecting a Jumbo full of passengers at that time so half the Homeland Security booths were empty. The resulting line snaking around the room was very long as I'd been at the back of the plane, I was also at the back of the line.

It took an hour to get to the front and despite my usual concerns about it all, I was through without any hassle and was reunited with my luggage all within 10 minutes.

I met Debby in the arrivals and she called Dennis who had been waiting in the car in the nearby cell phone parking area and within minutes we were all on our way to Sebring. It was almost a 2 hr drive (ok so we stopped at a Hardees !!) and so it was around midnight when we got here. Despite being very tired, I was still buzzed and I didn't go to bed till just after 2am by which time it became 1am (clocks went back) but I'd still been up for 23 hours.

So I was very thankful for the extra hour in bed as I was up and about again at 6:30am. That's just how it goes with me the first night. Can only sleep about 5 or 6 hours.

Yesterday (Sunday) passed in a bit of a daze. We went out shopping to get me food basics and stopped off at the local diner for breakfast of 2 eggs, 3 bits of bacon (not worthy to be classed as rashers of course), home fries, toast and jelly and all for $3.99. Lovely jubbly.

Back home I unpacked, tidied up my bedroom and chilled for the rest of the day.

Now it's Monday and my first proper day here as I'm fully awake and raring to go. I was up again at 6:30am and now it's time for lunch. I've been for a short golf cart ride around the park but after lunch I'll take my bike to have its tyres blown up and then go for a proper investigation as lots of work has been done over the summer to improve the place.

I took this view outside the house a few hours ago , looking westwards. It was a little cloudy (they've burned off now) but still a very pleasant 79F/26c and it's to get to 83F/29c later on.

And this dull post has brought the blog up to date. I may now go for a bike ride. I may go for a walk. I may go for a swim. I may even go wrestle a gator.

This is the land of opportunity so anything is possible.

Ok lets get real here. I don't think I'll be wrestling a gator !!

To Do Or Not To Do ? That Is The Question.

Yes, yes you want more France/Spain posts but I'm getting ready for my annual migration to warmer climes so haven't time for all that. They will come. And jolly good they will be too !

For this snowbird, today is Florida Departure Day minus 3 which according to my 'to do' list, means washing clothing for the trip. I don't mind D-3 as the machines do all the hard work. If I had to nip down to the local fast flowing river and bash my clothing on a large flat rock, then I'd have cause for complaint.

Ahhhh my awesome 'to do' list. I'd be lost without it. It was developed over the first few years of my winter trips to Florida and by now, it needs very little tinkering to keep it up to date. As you might guess, it's quite a list, as going away for 6 months does require a lot of actions and I'm just thankful that when I started doing this about 11 years ago, the internet and direct debits had progressed to such an extent that it made the whole thing possible.

Most of the items relate to stopping or suspending services, getting refunds for others and generally making sure that I have everything I need for getting to and living in another country for 6 months. The most important of these 'to does' was to get medication for such a long period. I take 6 prescription pills a day for my heart issues so that's 1068 tablets. I'm always worried I'll be treated as a drug mule but so far, it's never been a problem. I guess those dogs can't sniff statins !

Having to be 'out' of America for longer than I'm in it (to stick to the laws of both countries) means my departure dates get later and later every year. At some point I'll need to only go for 5 months or less so that I'm actually leaving BEFORE winter arrives in England. Mind you, with the summers we have here, that could be mid July !

As an aside, one item not on my list is to prepare for Halloween. What a non event that is. I think it's yet another 'holiday' made up by stores to sell the most bizarre items you could ever imagine. I'm not sure which countries 'celebrate' Halloween but if a visitor from a non participating country visited friends in a participating country, they'd think they'd all gone mad. I mean who in their right mind dresses up like a blood splattered zombie and walks the streets at night ? Ok APART from Michael Jackson in his later years. Or Michael Jackson today I guess.

Too soon ?

And I can't remember the last time any kids came to my door. Maybe they are put off by my ASBO or my name still being on that register. Cheesed me off really as it meant I had to eat all that fruit and veg myself. The only fireworks I heard were about a week earlier and I think those were at someone's birthday bash three streets away.

So all in all, and despite what we saw on tv, Halloween came and went like a thief in the night. A very quiet thief who stole nothing and just came for a look see. It came, it went, it never happened.

Back to my list and as most get actioned on D-1, then tomorrow (D-2) is a bit of a calm relaxing day. I was due to go into Leeds to have my annual eye sight test but as it was a stupid appointment to make so close to leaving for 6 months, I've just cancelled it. If it's dry, I may use the time to give the car a last wash before it goes into the garage - although that's actually not on my list as it doesn't really matter if it gets washed or not. I can't drive it any more as the SORN is now in place and I've already sent off for the tax disc refund.

It'll really only be when I step outside of Orlando airport on Saturday evening that I can relax. All the preparation, packing, travel and immigration/customs formalities will be over and I can look forward to winter with my friends in sunny Sebring, Florida.

Now then, does my visa run out in 2011 or 2021 ? Where's that list.............

Be Prepared To Be Amazed !!

1776. A date known to everyone around the world and a few Americans too. A magical date.

But did you know it's also a magical number ? Ahhhhh, no, I bet you didn't. Well it is. It's magical in the sense that it's the only number with another number hidden within it. Ahh, got you interested now !

Take 1776 and divide it by the number of states beginning with M (8), add the number of Presidents (44), subtract the number of people who find Will Ferrell funny (246) and multiply by Paris Hilton's IQ (1) and you end up with......drum roll........20.

Today's date. Amazing eh.

You want more ? Ok. Today is a Thursday. Thursday 20th October. This only happens once every 823 years so put this as your status on Facebook and impress all your friends !

Go on, you know you want to.

Speaking of such things, I experienced a series of normally unrelated events over the last few days which combined in a bizarre way to create an interesting timeline.

First of all, on Monday I went through the checkout at Sainsburys and got a 36p voucher as they compare their prices against those at ASDA and said I'd effectively paid 'too much.' I went back into the store to spend it right away and the only item I could find at that price or less was a budget bag of own brand toffees.

Well I mean I wasn't going to add more money to it so you try finding something for 36p in a supermarket ! Even a bag of chips/crisps was 37p.

Next, on Tuesday evening, I opened the bag and had the first toffee. I chewed down and after a few seconds I 'hit' something solid. I took out the toffee and stuck to it was the gold crown of my bottom right molar. Opps.

Wondering why I wasn't getting excruciating toothache, I rang my dentist's office to get an emergency number but as it was after 8pm, I was pretty much on my own ! All I could get was the number for B&Q (US = Home Depot) with the recommendation to go get a set of pliers. Lush.

Spookily enough, I had scheduled my 6 monthly checkup appointment with my dentist at noon the next day so having put the crown into a tissue, I decided to wait. Thankfully I never did get any toothache but I didn't want to risk any so didn't eat or drink anything till that appointment as my tongue could feel a HUGE hole where the crown used to be.

(I did check the internet for dental gold prices and was shocked to discover that my 2g crown was only worth £38.86).

Thinking I was going to have injections and painful drilling at best, I went to see the dentist at noon yesterday. That's when I learned that there was a layer of solid dental 'concrete' in the tooth covering the nerves and so I was never in any danger of getting toothache. The gold crown then sat on top. So no injections. No drilling. The dentist simply checked things out and then plonked the crown back on top of the tooth, sealing it with some material that was hardened immediately with a lovely blue light. Sorted.

Best of all no new crown was needed. Despite being in a dental plan meaning I don't pay any extra for most procedures, a gold crown would've cost about £600 and I'd have had to pay about £125 of that. Ouch.

That could've been a very expensive toffee and considering I only got it as a 'freebee' from Sainsburys, then I'd have been very miffed if it had ended up costing me £125.

So there you have it. All that glisters may not be gold but it can be when it's stuck to a toffee.

Add that to the amazing info about 1776 and COULD this blog BE more educational ?

I don't think so.

Food For Thought.

Last night I was reading the early chapters of Chris Evans' autobiography (the first part - It's Not What You Think), thanks to Daphne who loaned it to me.

He was talking about his school days and many of the incidents he mentioned from his time at grammar school reminded me of my years at boarding school. I was going to blog about them today but having slept on it, I don't think digging them up would serve any purpose and anyway, I've 'skimmed' over a few of them in previous blog posts so it's probably best to let it go at that......and certainly not mention any names. I mean what would be the point ?

Fr. McConville you sadistic bastard !

See......pointless.

But Chris also mentioned the wonderfully satisfying food his mum used to cook as he was growing up.....simple, healthy meals that few mums have the time or inclination to cook these days. It got me to thinking about memorable food I've had throughout my life, not necessarily because the actual food was any good but mostly because of where I was at that time in my life.

Despite my current youthful looks and personality, you may find it hard to believe that food rationing was still in force when I was born. I've no idea what this meant to me as I've very few memories of the 50's but looking at photos, I don't seem to have missed out on my calories ! We certainly didn't bypass rationing by eating out (a little remembered fact is that restaurants were exempt from rationing but they had very strict guidelines - no meal could cost more than 5 shillings; no meal could consist of more than 3 courses; meat and fish could not be served at the same sitting) but being country folk, I'm sure supplies of milk and eggs and other staples were more readily available to my parents than was strictly legal at the time.

So my first food memory would be the awesome hot soups/stews that would be waiting for me when I'd come home from primary school on winter days. These were made with fresh ingredients all washed down with a glass of creamola foam, a made-from-powder drink that is making a comeback these days. In a scene straight out of a Dickens novel, I'd sit on the floor by the open fire, bowl in hand and, while watching the hot embers floating up towards the chimney from the burning peat 'logs', I'd gently thaw out by enjoying mum's wonderful soup.

Now despite what I've said in the past about my 7 years at boarding school, there were times I actually enjoyed myself there. Very few times I have to say and one of them was when we were in the school dining room. Ok let me set the scene as I remember it ; the large dining room was full of long tables, each with seating for about 10 boys, 4 at the sides and one at each end. It might have been 5 per side but it doesn't matter now. A senior boy would be at the head of the table and his job was to dish out the portions to the boys at his table, making sure he got the largest portion of anything he liked. Oddly enough, my memories of the food started when I became a senior and had my own table ! Hmmmm Anyway, most of this food was standard school fayre but two items stick out for me - porridge and fadge.

Porridge ? Hell yes. At least the variant we got at Garron Tower. It was very gloopy and very, very sweet, due to the fact we had a seemingly unending supply of sugar to sprinkle over it. Bad teeth ? Us ? Never !

And as for the fadge, or potato cakes....oh my God I can still remember it so vividly now. The hot soft square slices came heaped on a large platter smothered in butter and the boys at my table were lucky if they got one each when I was serving ! I've never had any to match them since those days and the dry grilled ones you get in cafes now are a pale imitation. Literally.

When I moved to Leeds in 1973, I got a bedsit in Harehills, a well dodgy area of the city. I was, and still am, a Leeds United fan and so I'd go to all the home games at Elland Road. Back then I had a motor bike although, as it was a Honda 50, it was more like a push bike with a lawn mower engine. Anyway my route took me past a chippy called Cantors, on the corner of Chapeltown Road and Harehills Avenue. I'd always have a (fleur de lys) steak and onion pie and chips or if they didn't have any of those pies, I'd have a steak and kidney one and pick out the bits of kidney ! Then I'd ride to the ground, park up and eat my meal before walking the short distance to the stadium.

In those happy pre heart attack days, I was always impressed by the portions they served up at Cantors - they didn't mess about with little bags for the chips and just tossed a load onto the white paper sheets, added the pie and double wrapped the lot up to go. This is a classic case where the food itself wasn't memorable. Far from it. I used to have to play 'hunt the meat' and often I'd get a pastry pie with little or no meat in it. It was just the 'occasion' that sticks in my mind and, as Leeds were the best team in the country at the time, the whole process of going to watch them with a belly full of Cantors pie and chips will always remain with me as a happy food related experience.

( I researched Cantors for this post as I was impressed it is still in business after at least 38 years. What I found astonished me. It was known as a popular Jewish fish and chip shop back in 1940, 71 years ago ! Can I pick 'em or what ?! )

That takes me up to my mid 20's but I think this post has been long enough so expect a Part 2 sometime. If anyone reading this has food/location/event related stories to tell, feel free to add them as comments. I just love the idea that a food memory doesn't have to be down to the actual food being special or outstanding.

It's why it has remained as a memory at all that makes it special AND outstanding.

It Comes To Us All.

I was in Tesco's today getting just two items and so, as I approached the checkouts, I decided to make use of one of their self scanning units.

Now I've always regarded self scanning as a technological mixed blessing. If the other staffed checkouts are very busy and I've only got one or two items, then it makes sense to do a self scan. On the other hand I've known these machines to "act up" and if I see a checkout line with only one person in it, I'll slot in behind them rather than risk finding an hormonal scanner that is having a particularly bad day.

I just don't need the stress.

Anyway today there were several self scanners tempting me to approach them by being devoid of customers. I took the bait.

I scanned both my items, chose the cash option, put in my £2 coin and whilst waiting for my change to be delivered, I heard several sighs coming from the little old lady using the scanner next to me.

With my purchases safely bagged and my change and receipt in my pocket, I looked across and noticed the lady was very agitated and almost on the brink of tears. The staff member covering the self scanners was dealing with another customer's problem and so I went over and asked if I could help.

"Can I help you" I said, trying not to frighten her with my height and bulk.

"I just don't know what to do" she replied, looking up at me with large slightly moist eyes.

"Well ok, what are you trying to do" I asked, gently.

"I don't know. I've never done this before" she said.

She didn't have anything on the scales and I noticed the scanner was asking for her to enter her card.

"Did you press the card option ?" I asked.

"Yes but I don't know where to put it" she said in a voice so pathetic it melted my heart.

When I looked down at her hand, everything became clear.

She had scanned her single item and managed to press "finish and pay" and when it asked for payment method, she had pressed "card". The scanner then asked her to "enter your card" and this is where she had lost the plot a bit as she was trying to find a large slot to actually push her single shopping item into the scanner.

Why ?

Well her single item was........a birthday card !!

The France & Spain Tour 2011 - Day 5

The great thing about touring Provence is that you only need to drive a few miles to see wonderful scenery and picturesque towns. As another plus, in the space of these few miles the scenery can change from lush sweeping valleys to majestic gorges and the towns change from chocolate box quaintness to hill side medieval fortresses.

We experienced all these and more on our 2nd day of touring from our b&b base near Pernes-les-Fontaines. The 37 mile circular route started with us again driving east along the D28 through Saint-Didier and then the D4 past Venasque (see previous post). In the space of a few minutes we watched soaring cliffs give way to tree lined avenues as we made our way to our first stop at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque.

The 12th century Cistercian abbey has an unusual history as its community of monks peeked in numbers in the 13th and 14th centuries and by the 16th century, only 12 remained. The abbey was then ransacked by the Huguenots and finally when the last monk was expelled, Senanque was sold to a private individual. In 1854, the abbey was repurchased by another community of Cistercian monks and nowadays they exist by producing and selling lavender and honey.

Sadly we didn't visit when the lavender fields were in season but the by-products were on sale in the gift/book shop which also contributed towards the running of the abbey. It was just as well that I love the smell of lavender as with all the soap, perfume and the like, the shop was lavender heaven.

In the small foyer area was a cute sign informing dogs that they had to remain outside.

As the abbey is open for retreats, the main building was off limits to us and so without much else to see, we only spent an hour there before driving the 7 miles to the classic Provencal hill village of Gordes.

High above the Calavon valley, Gordes is another of the 'beautiful villages of France' and even after only two days in Provence, we were starting to realise that just about every village there was on the shortlist.

As recently as WWII, the village was a resistance centre and as with a town we were to visit in a week's time, it was punished in reprisal for local resistance fighters killing a German soldier.

The village is a typical mix of narrow streets with speciality shops and open squares with cafes, fountains and, in this case, even a castle....or castel.

We liked it. We liked it a lot.

After a morning of walking and climbing steep streets, by 1pm we were starving and found a lovely restaurant and had a leisurely lunch. After that we wandered around the village, went into a church for some reflection and then headed back to the car park. On the way, Daphne was looking at a shop when she realised an air grill under her was helping to set up a Marilyn Munroe parody. I took a photo but the slightly earlier view when her skirt was almost over her head will have to remain only in my mind. Probably best !

Nearby was a space between buildings with a view down over the valley. We also noticed a home having both a swimming pool and a lap pool which seemed a bit incongruous in an otherwise oldy worldy village. Having said that, we saw several swimming pools around Gordes.

After having had our fill of Gordes, we drove on the 12 miles to L'isle sur la Sorgue, a much larger and very different place. It is on the plain and is often referred to as the "Venice of Provence". But just as we left Gordes, we noticed a few cars parked up across the road at a viewing point and so we turned around and joined them.

And what a view it was. This shot really shows what a hill village looks like and although we visited many on our tour, we were never able to get such a clear view of any of them like we had here.

L'isle sur la Sorgue is an 'island city' lying at the foot of the Vaucluse plateau on the plains of Comtat Venaissin. The river Sorgue surrounds the city and canals run alongside the streets with picturesque bridges adding to the impression you've come upon a Venice lookalike. I guess it was too obvious for the city fathers to twin with Venice but it would've been a good match.

Back in the day, the inhabitants lived off crayfishing and the silk and paper industries used great waterwheels in their manufacturing processes. These moss covered wheels still turn and add another dimension to the views around the city.

The city is also known for its antique shops and we saw plenty of them with prices to match. Again away from the open squares, we really loved the narrow streets where we could enjoy the sights and sounds of the traders and cafes. And even some dogs.

We also went into the local 17th century church, Notre-Dame des Anges (Our Lady of the Angels) which was very ornate and as usual, a lovely oasis of peace and tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of the streets around it.

We all took photos !

By the time we'd walked back to the car, it was almost 5pm and time to close the circle by going back to the b&b to freshen up and then go off for supper. With the Pernes-les-Fortaines street fair now over and the roads around it open for traffic again, we had more places to chose from and ended up in a lovely restaurant not far from the Chinese where we'd eaten the previous night.

Again the meal lasted for almost 2 hrs and by the time we returned to the b&b, we were almost ready for bed. It had been another fabulous day in our part of Provence and we planned on hitting new heights the next day.

And we did.

The France & Spain Tour 2011 - Day 4

As I said in the previous post, we were loving Mas Pichony, our b&b in Provence. After a restful night's sleep, we were all up early and once again, after Daphne had been for a swim, I left her to change for the day ahead and went out taking early morning photos around the grounds.

Here is one of swimming pool, showing the shaded cooking and eating area at the far end.

By 8:30 we were sitting with the other guests at the large breakfast table outside the house and a short time later, we were on our way to continue our tour of this part of Provence with a very short 4 mile drive.

We went east again, back through the town of Saint-Didier where we'd had supper the previous evening and on along the D28 to join the D4 to the pretty medieval hill village of Venasque. With a population of only 1,151 people and uncrowded, flower festooned narrow streets, Venasque truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Driving up the steep road to the parking area, the view was dominated by the beautiful 12th century Church of Notre Dame with its high bell tower and overhanging gargoyles.

Arriving relatively early, we got a very favourable parking spot right up against a low stone wall with a stunning view over the surrounding countryside and of course this necessitated a portrait.

What a nice young couple !

We were in no rush and given the size of the village, it didn't take long to explore it thoroughly. On one street corner there was a cute cat doing a spot of people watching and begging to be photographed.

I obliged.

There was a lovely Provencal version of a village square with an 18th century fountain as its focal point. A short distance away were, to all intents and purposes, the ruins of a castle but it seems were really the ruins of a chateau......les remparts du chateau de Venasque to be precise.

It still looked like a castle to me !

Here is the fountain and a view down a typical narrow street in the village. In fact this view shows where we were parked, just behind that white vehicle at the end.

At noon we left Venasque for the 17 mile drive to Roussillon and what an experience that was. It's hard to do justice to the unique splendour of Roussillon. You can say that there are 17 shades of ochre daubed across the houses of the village, drawn from the palette of the old ochre quarry next door. But that doesn't do justice to the flamboyant, technicolor glory of Roussillon, the reds, yellows, oranges and pinks that merge one into the other as you wander around the spiralling streets. Or the stunning contrast of the green of the pine trees or the blue sky against the red cliffs.

As we approached the town, we saw that parking would be a problem so we went back down the road, parked along the side and made our way back up on foot. It was a long hot walk and by the time we got into the town proper, we were ready to combine a rest with lunch !

As eating takes a while in France, we were well rested by the time the bill was paid.

And ready again to explore.

Roussillon is a "two part village" and although it would be hard to visit it and leave without knowing about the ochre quarry, it could happen. Once in its centre, it's a typical Provencal hill village with the narrow streets, flower filled window boxes and stunning views down over the valley. The one feature that sets it apart is the colour..all the buildings are red, thanks to that nearby ochre quarry !

The village is on a ridge of steep red cliff, as if everything around but the village has been clawed away over the years. If you walk up to the top, you get some wonderful panoramic views across the valley to the Grand Luberon, the slopes of Mont Ventoux, and the plateau of the Vaucluse.

Here are a few photos showing the buildings, the flowers, the main square where we ate and finally 2 sweeping panoramas showing the views over the valley.

As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it and this is especially important for the panorama shots.

Walking up and down the steep streets was very tiring even after, or maybe despite having, our lunch. When my body is trying to process a meal, it sure doesn't like to have to deal with walking up and down steep streets ! Even in Provence !!

But with the village explored, it was time to move on to the ochre quarry which was just a walk over a short bridge and still part of the village environs. And what a place it was.

First up, there is a photo of a sign explaining what we were about to experience but if you want a fuller explanation, I'm sure Google will help. Then comes the first view you get of the quarry as you cross the village bridge. Shops and restaurants on the right and the quarry on the left. The visitors give some idea of scale.

The ochre this land is made of is a natural pigment that was used in paints. Roussillon's ochre quarry was one of the most significant ochre deposits in the world. But times move on and real ochre is no longer in use. This means you can explore the disused quarry which is best described as other-worldly....perhaps like Mars if it had cliffs and caverns, steeples and ridges. Certainly something very different and a place I will never forget.......and neither will my shoes !

To walk around the quarry meant walking on various surfaces - wooden steps, gravel paths and of course, as can be seen in the above photos, the ochre 'soil' itself. The paths were very steep in places and the steps were so wide apart that it would've been better not to have had them. My white tennis shoes were red by the end of the walk and my legs and feet were screaming for a break.

A rest and an ice cream by the bridge wall helped my legs and feet and a good wash in the b&b sink later that afternoon sorted the shoes. The red dust brushed off fairly easily and thankfully left no lasting stains.

Did we love Roussillon ? Yes we did. Town AND quarry.

We drove back to Mas Pichony and had a rest for a hour or so. Then we went back into Pernes-les-Fontaines, the main town nearest to the b&b, for supper. There was a funfair set up near the town centre so the road was closed and we had to park some distance away. We wandered around the various stalls and rides but it was just like any small fair anywhere in the world and not that impressive.

We settled on a Chinese restaurant for the meal and very good it was too. Just before we got there, we saw something that reminded me that even with modern 'green' fuelled cars, there is always a down side and in this case, it was all too obvious !

After a 90 minute meal, fast by French standards, it was 9pm and after another walk around the funfair which was only slightly more interesting in the dark, we headed back to the car. This meant us walking along another street bordered by trees and this one in particular looked like it had an interesting story to tell.

And that was it. A long but fascinating day and if nothing else, it had given us a small taste of things to come over the next few days in Provence. So far it was rivalling Tuscany in my personal list of beautiful places to visit and I was excited about what we'd see over the next few days.