La Sabranenque - c'est déjà fini!

It's true - La Sabranenque is already over! I hardly know where to start - back leaving Paris I guess. Monday I just got up & went to the train station. The TGV, or very fast train, only took 2 hrs & 40 minutes down to Avignon. Must have Mum's genes because I was thinking the sheep were really white until there were some in closer fields & realised they were cows. Come on, how often do you see plain white or cream cows? The countryside was really pretty, lots of vineyards & hills. It became really misty through the middle of France but cleared up before we reached Avignon. I had 2 hours before being picked up so rather than wait at the TGV station which is out of town, caught the shuttle bus to the main train station - only 10 minutes away. They go to both stations to collect people so it didn't matter. In the end there was only about an hour, so I decided to gainfully use the time to try the local beer & read my book in the Irish Bar at the station. Well someone had to do it! Ollie are you, proud - I drank beer!!!

Must say that when I was safely picked up & on my way to St-Victor-La-Coste, the village where the restoration project is, it was a relief I'd made it! There was a dozen of us: 9 Americans, 2 Canadians, an english guy living in the US & me. We all got on really well together & spent each night at the local bar. The signs outside advertise it as a pizzeria, but there's no pizza to be found - it's just a bar.

We worked for half a day each day & visited something for the other half. We worked in 2 groups - one building a shed, & my group building a broken wall. I know, but that's what we were building! This involved no talk prior explaining how it was done, just 3 of them sort of showing us on the job, but mainly it was them doing it, asking us to find un beau pierre ( a beautiful stone) & then rejecting any stones we offered, followed by a long spiel in french explaining what they really wanted. The mortar was made on the ground down the hill a bit & had to be carted in buckets as required. Our wall went down a slope, & stairs had already been built on one side, but the other was just ground. As we built up, most of us couldn't see over the top!

Ginou (? spelling) is 65 & has been doing this for 40 years. He is very french & waffles on about many things during the working sessions. Pasquale is a little dreadlocked frenchman who's been there for 8 or so years, & Sarah is American & has been there for about a year. She'd translate things to us once she understood what Ginou wanted, as the plan seemed to be only in his head, & changed fairly frequently.

Tuesday afternoon we came in to Avignon & went to the Palace of the Popes. Kind of interesting but I got over it pretty quickly! Wednesday we went to a local farmer's market in a nearby town (Bagnol-sur-Cèze) & then to a little village that had a ruined 12th Century church on the top (Venezay). Thursday we went firstly to see some bories, or drystone structures that look like big beehives or giant igloos. This entailed walking, walking, walking through bushland - although of course we didn't know how far we were walking or anything like that - just followed Pasquale! I don't think they're big on telling anyone what's happening before it actually happens. Anyway, the bories & drystone walls came about when land was cleared for farming. That's where all the rocks from the fields went to get them out of the way. The bories then provided some shelter - you could stand up in them. After this we went to the Pont Du Gard. I never thought I'd see it again, I must say! Still looks just as good, but I'm glad I went last year as we didn't spend much time there. Just enough to walk across & up to the viewpoint on the other side.

There's a ruined castle at the top of the hill above the village we stayed in - a 15 or so minute climb. Yesterday afternoon we could go up & hear a talk about it or do whatever we liked. Kristen, my roommate & I had made the trek a few days before, as there's a bit of time outside of meals & work hours, so I didn't go again. I'd asked one of the staff about Roman Roads & he told me there was on about 4km away, so Karen & I decided to explore. We are still not sure if we found it or not! He said it was paved, gave us a map & it looked like it crossed the road at right angles so we theoretically couldn't miss it! However nothing is ever that easy, so while we walked for about 2 & a half hours in total, went through several vineyards, asked a frenchman on a bike directions (Karen's more elaborate description is an old french man who'd recently had a facelift - the stitches were still there - who had a really hairy stomach - scarily, his shirt WAS hoiked up - & who couldn't read the map because he didn't have his glasses!), & found what could have been an old roman road but could have been a riverbed, we really weren't sure. It was a nice walk though!

The old part of St Victor la C has been rebuilt with volunteers like us over the last 40 years. Our rooms were pretty spacious. Enough for 2 beds, a couple of little tables & cupboards etc. There were shared bathrooms & toilets downstairs. We ate in common room - the food was fabulous! Ginou's wife Simone is in chqrge of that with help from a couple of others. Lots of vegetables, pasta, & some beautiful stews/casseroles. With bread of course, & cheese for dessert.

So sadly, that part of my trip is over. I'm really pleased I did that first at it gave me a base for a week. Have slept well all along so that's made it easier. Am now sitting in an internet cafe in Avignon. Have found myself a hotel for the night & will plan my next moves. Am happy just wandering around at the moment (let's fqce it, there are worse things I could be doing!). Am not really buying any souvenirs as I would have to carry them, so food, wine & window shopping is the way to go so far.

Must warn everyone that I'm not doing presents this trip & am unlikely to even do postcards. Just so you know!!!

Thanks for the comments everyone! And the Aus Idol updates Gayelene & Ollie. Good to know what's happening back home. Weather here is pretty WARM, bugger it! Only need one layer most of the time & a jacket at night. Might be posting my thermals back I think.

That's about all for now. Will keep you all updated as I can. Should be easier in the next few weeks.

One piece of trivia: there's no word for wilderness in French, as there's no such thing - all land has at some time been cultivated.

Bye! Lol
Belle xxx
PS hope you made it home safely Kristen :-)