Friday, October 11, 2013
Charlotte in the vines
Just a few pics of Charlotte's group, walking through the vines outside the village of Séguret. She and her group were joined by Olivier Hickman, wine expert, who unveiled all the secrets of terroir...
Monday, October 7, 2013
A day-hike in the Dentelles de Montmirail
The Mistral winds began early this morning, flushing out the storm clouds that hovered for two days in the skies of Provence...
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Koreans on Mont Ventoux
A particularly beautiful day atop Mont Ventoux, where I hung out with Jean Bernard and his group from Korea for the day.
Here are some shots:
Here are some shots:
A walking tour at Château la Roque...
I've just returned from spending 5 wonderful days with Tarek, Basma, Ali, Yassi, Esam, Yasmin, Mazin, and Rasha. And of course my co-guide, Anne-Charlotte.
We spent four nights at the elegantly sublime Château la Roque, my new favourite place to stay in Provence, though with great envy I have to say that I didn't get to spend the night (note to self: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Here we are at breakfast:
Our hosts, Jean and Chantal Tomasino, take great pride in their château (yes, it is a real castle: 11th century) and an even greater pride in ensuring their guests feel at home, and enjoy their stay. My guiding trips have taken me to many hotels and B&Bs over the years, and I rarely experience the kind of sincere warmth and welcome that the Tomasinos offer so naturally (note to self once more: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Jean in his kitchen, preparing a meal for the group. We would eat dinner here twice, and even participate in making the 2nd dinner.
My first outing was with Esam, trying to follow him by mountain bike up to the crest of the Monts du Vaucluse, after some 500m of altitude gain.
And just in time for sunset:
Our first day of hiking took us to the wine village of Gigondas, with Ali determined to carry the guide's backpack...
... in which Anne-Charlotte's harboured beautiful concoctions for our picnic lunch:
The Dentelles de Montmirail range above Gigondas, seen from atop the crests.
On Friday we went to the market in Bonnieux after a short walk:
At the Arôme restaurant in Bonnieux...
My lunch, too attractive to eat (which turned out to be even tastier than it was beautifully presented):
In the afternoon, to burn off lunch, a little bike ride !
On Saturday, our hike began at the Mont Serein ski area, at 1400m in altitude. In a rare occurrence here, we were above the clouds:
Getting ready for our hike to the summit of Mont Ventoux, all bundled up:
Esam on the crest of Mont Ventoux: a barren moonscape of limestone:
Basma leading the charge as we head to the summit:
We spent four nights at the elegantly sublime Château la Roque, my new favourite place to stay in Provence, though with great envy I have to say that I didn't get to spend the night (note to self: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Here we are at breakfast:
Our hosts, Jean and Chantal Tomasino, take great pride in their château (yes, it is a real castle: 11th century) and an even greater pride in ensuring their guests feel at home, and enjoy their stay. My guiding trips have taken me to many hotels and B&Bs over the years, and I rarely experience the kind of sincere warmth and welcome that the Tomasinos offer so naturally (note to self once more: plan more holidays here so that I can stay overnight).
Jean in his kitchen, preparing a meal for the group. We would eat dinner here twice, and even participate in making the 2nd dinner.
My first outing was with Esam, trying to follow him by mountain bike up to the crest of the Monts du Vaucluse, after some 500m of altitude gain.
And just in time for sunset:
Our first day of hiking took us to the wine village of Gigondas, with Ali determined to carry the guide's backpack...
... in which Anne-Charlotte's harboured beautiful concoctions for our picnic lunch:
The Dentelles de Montmirail range above Gigondas, seen from atop the crests.
On Friday we went to the market in Bonnieux after a short walk:
At the Arôme restaurant in Bonnieux...
My lunch, too attractive to eat (which turned out to be even tastier than it was beautifully presented):
In the afternoon, to burn off lunch, a little bike ride !
On Saturday, our hike began at the Mont Serein ski area, at 1400m in altitude. In a rare occurrence here, we were above the clouds:
Getting ready for our hike to the summit of Mont Ventoux, all bundled up:
Esam on the crest of Mont Ventoux: a barren moonscape of limestone:
Basma leading the charge as we head to the summit:
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
A guided hike to the summit of Mont Ventoux
Kerry, Lisa, Denise and Françoise at Mont Serein, getting ready for our climb...
...which was through the fog but nevertheless spectacular.
After lunch, our descent toward Chalet Reynard, the summit now becoming clear:
Views toward the Rhône Valley:
Entering the beech forest:
Hiking with friends on the forestry track:
Clouds hanging over the village of Crillon le Brave:
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...which was through the fog but nevertheless spectacular.
After lunch, our descent toward Chalet Reynard, the summit now becoming clear:
Views toward the Rhône Valley:
Entering the beech forest:
Hiking with friends on the forestry track:
Clouds hanging over the village of Crillon le Brave:
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