Our French adventure continues & we never know what tomorrow may bring!?….OOhh la la! C’est magnifique!……
We have found ourselves in this splendiferous, majestic, unrivalled swimming pool & in front of a charming chateau/fort no less!! I’m in heaven!
More of that later but first we head to Avignon…..

Bruce heads west from Nice to Avignon, in southeastern region of Provence.
Once there, we board the quick free shuttle ferry from near our camp at Camping du Pont d’Avignon, to the old town.

Climbing the steps up in the old town this is our view of the Rhone river & Mount Ventoux can be seen too.
Bruce is amongst the trees on the far side of the Rhone River, opposite the large river boat.

Avignon was the seat of the catholic popes in the 13th century. It remained under papal rule until becoming part of France in 1791.

Here is the massive Palais des Papes(Pope’s Palace) in the city centre. The imposing main tourist attraction in Avignon.

Not sure who this not so “happy” chap is but the laneway mural caught my eye.

We found, on our short visit to the old town of Avignon, that it appeared neglected  & needed a lot of TLC compared to other tourist towns we’ve visited. The laneways were covered in very old flyers, rubbish & devoid of attractive gardens/flowers. It seemed that not many French actually live in the old town now & hence the lack of care etc. We didn’t have time to explore the “newer” part of the old town which is probably much more attractive.

Grabbing our bikes, we braved the heat & cycled the paths near our camp & alongside the apple orchards. Unfortunately, our 10km ride turned into a very hot, dusty 20km when we took a wrong turn onto a gravelly, slippery track! I had to push my bike along the bumpy track, not wanting to get injured at this stage of our journey.

Up early & we hit the road again in Bruce, heading northwest through the rugged, scenic Ardeche region, passing through pretty villages.

It’s 2pm & no time for breakfast or lunch & so I was successfully tempted to purchase this small treat today at “Au Bebe Gourmand!” It was a delicious caramel fruit/nut tarte This is only my second special, sweet treat this tour, not including croissants or pain au chocolat of course! …..one does need to fit into ones shorts, particularly during this heatwave!! Ha!🤪

The landscape changes to lush green & yellow with the sunflowers as we head for Les Pradeaux.🌻🌻🌻🌻

Voila!!……. Bruce has delivered us to our magnificent French Chateau/Fort!!

When I was researching on the internet for our next stop, l thought the pictures of Chateau-Camping la Grange Fort looked too good to be true ! So, when Mark said he couldn’t find it on the GPS…….😨?  However, he had entered the incorrect town & we made it successfully here!
Our campsite is located behind the chateau surrounded by forest.

Voila, here l am, you can’t miss me!
Such a unique, majestic setting for a swimming pool! The area with the umbrellas is the terrace/bar & behind that the old horse stables converted into bar/lounge.

Mark tested out these medieval stocks & confirmed they are definitely uncomfortable!

It’s Olympic time & out come all our patriotic flags again, which just happen to provide some much needed shade too! Gooo Aussies!!🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿
Whilst it’s a rainy Opening Ceremony in Paris, we’re sweltering away in 37+ degrees with blue skies.Our poor fridge is struggling but hasn’t given up completely thankfully! It’s too hot to cook in the evening so we’ve been having coldish salads when possible & eating out occasionally.

Our campsite is only about 7km from the gorgeous village of Issoire & we ride there early morning, before the heat, to explore the large, lively Saturday market! People have come from everywhere it seems! The French love their food markets especially!
Mark is larger than life today ….successfully posing, whilst balancing on a bollard!

These large, attractive loaves of bread are sold by the kilo!

Anyone requiring a chicken or turkey for Sunday lunch? Take your pic! They are sold complete with wooden takeaway 📦 boxes. This lady is purchasing a turkey….we think!

Mark waits patiently at the fruit stall to purchase a solitary avocado for our baguette lunch! The magnificent clock tower keeping an eye on him!

The local buses have adapted in size to suit the small laneways of the old towns & tiny villages. A very shiny, new modern one grabs our attention in Issoire.

At various points along the motorways, there are rows of mangled road service vans on display as a timely reminder to take caution ……