SOL

This weekend we went for a couple of nice bike rides and picnicked for lunch.

On  Saturday  we  rode from Maussane  out towards Eygalieres,  one of our  favorite  rides.  Along the way we had lunch on a grassy patch between vineyards and olive trees.   In French, “lunch on the grass” is “le dejeuner sur l’herbe”, which is the name of a famous painting by Manet.

I pointed this out to Val and suggested we should dress like the people in the painting.  For some reason, Val was not excited about this idea.

Manet’s masterpiece

 

Val's version

Today we rode in the Luberon, along an old train route that has been converted into a bike path.  The views were awesome.  We started near the town of Saint-Pantaléon.  I’m not sure who he was but the French word pantalon is where we get the English word pants.  So I figure he must be the patron saint of trousers.

We headed north towards Apt.  The wind was a little chilly but it was at our backs so we actually got warm.  Every few kilometers Val would peel off a layer – first her sweatshirt, then her leggings, then her jacket.  I felt like we were playing strip poker and I was winning every hand!  By the time we got to Apt it was going to be a par-tay!

Unfortunately, Val decided we should stop for lunch at the ancient Roman bridge of Pont Julian and then turn around.  She started putting layers back on, so no luck for me.  But I guess the bridge was a nice consolation prize.

  

KVS