Jeff and Randy relaxing on the terrace during Sunday morning

Kristi enjoying the sun

Wine tasting at the cave in Chateauneuf du Pape

The ruined castle at the top of the town

The cave we tasted at

The impressive Pont du Gard

Close up of Roman engineering from 8 BC

Folks floated under the Pont du Gard - on this hot day it looked really inviting

Alice's self portrait at the Pont du Gard

One of the buildings on the main square of Avignon

The church and Papal Palace at Avignon

Randy and Alice in the front of the Papal Palace

Kristi and Jeff at dinner on the square

Mike and Stephanie

Alice and Randy

The over the top chocolate extravaganza dessert that added two inches to my hips

Yesterday we lounged with Jeff and Kristi around our place in the morning with coffee and breakfast on the terrace.  Mike and Stephanie Ogle came in their car around 12:45 PM and we all had lunch on the terrace - our accumulated bits of food and drink over the past couple of weeks - cheese, bread, sausage, tomato, apple and some wine and beer.  It was a nice feast.

We headed out in two cars to Chateauneuf du Pape, a famous wine area about one hour to the northwest.  We visited a "cave" to taste several wines (good but nothing spectacular) and then admired the ruined castle and nice view from the top of the hill.

We then drove about 30 minutes to the Pont du Gard, a Roman engineering feat.  This is a three story aqueduct (the tallest Roman one in the world) built without mortar.   It was great to view this marvel.  We had a French moment trying to get out of the parking lot where the automatic paying gates would not take our credit cards (we think due to lack of the chip found in European cards but not in American) and we were frustrated for about 20 minutes (of course there was no one there to help us) until an Asian French guy put his card in and we gave him 20 euro (the fee was 18 per car).

Next was Avignon, once home to Popes (in the 1300's).  We arrived too late to view the Papal Palace except from the outside but we went in the church and enjoyed the squares and quaint medieval streets.  We ate dinner in the main square at a very good restaurant.  I had salade Nicoise and macaroni and cheese with mushrooms and Randy had French onion soup and beef stew.  For dessert I had a chocolate extravaganza with brownie, gelato, melting cake and more - all super yummy.

We dropped Jeff and Kristi at their Aix downtown hotel and headed to our gite in Gardanne.