Alors, the social activities are in full swing. It happens every year, everyone who’s been away comes back, everyone who is here is excited to see those who’ve returned, and it’s one big fiesta.
The last few weeks have been hectic. There have been dinners and barbecues, visits, bike rides, photography exhibition openings, birthday lunches, and musical evenings in the vines.
But the big event was the arrival of the Tour de France back on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux. It’s been several years since the Tour has been here, so the energy in the region was filled with excitement and anticipation. I’ve watched a big bike race from the last hairpin of the Mont Ventoux before, and I know the circus that follows it, especially on mountain stages. No one I knew wanted to get mixed up in that melee, so Katie and I decided to check it out from a little village just 10 kilometres from the start of the climb. It was perfect. The party-like atmosphere was fun, yet not insane; you could get a great spot to watch and quickly escape after they passed to watch the final bits on television. We cheered, took lots of photos, snagged some swag, and just like that, it was done and well worth it.
On top of that, I’ve had to move around a bit, but it’s allowed me to spend some quality time catching up with friends properly. A few days back at Le Clos gave me a chance to have a good visit with Henri and participate in the craziest tasting: pairing his lineup of wines with different flavours of ice cream. Yes, ice cream. He had a big group of Americans coming for a tasting and thought they would enjoy it. We had at least a dozen flavours, and it was super interesting. There were some surprisingly good pairings, though it wouldn’t be my first choice of what to have with a beautiful glass of wine. Currently, I am staying with Henk and Anita in their cozy gite. It’s been such a pleasure to spend time together, chatting on the terrace in the evenings, and feeling the comfort of having caring friends close by.
But now, I have to put my head down and work, work, work. The social activities will have to be put on pause for a few weeks (which isn’t a terrible thing for this introvert), and there will be more to come, of that I am certain!
