It’s All Rock and Roll to Me!

Wednesday 27th September 2023. Viviers.

Having had a little excursion to Gigondas we drove back to Orange to start the Rhône cycling again. Easier said than done, we were caught up in road works and diversions in Orange which involved squeezing down narrow lanes and having to ‘breathe in’ to get past cars and street furniture. We did it though!

I got onto the bike again on the north side of Orange and headed towards the Rhône. Janice drove north to our appointed site at Viviers.

I passed through some old towns with hilltop forts….first was Mornac…

Next was Mondragon….it sounds as if it should be in ‘Lord of the Rings’ but no dragons were present! Next was Lapalud and then Bourg Saint Andeol. I ate something in each town….to keep up my energy of course, not because I am greedy. Banana in Mondragon, quiche in Lapalud, pain aux raisin in Bourg Saint Andeol. A balanced diet!

The cycle path was well signposted better than other sections of the route I have cycled.

I arrived in Viviers and located Janice down by the cruise ship at the Port de Plaisance. The word Viviers means ‘fishpond’ or ‘habitation by the fishpond’. Its interesting how places get their names. The town itself was on the hillside and comprised of old cobbled alleys and authentic looking buildings. It certainly had character.

We had our regular evening walk and enjoyed the tranquility of the place. Our lifestyle certainly isn’t ‘rock and roll’….more pedal and pootle!

I reckon that I can reach Lyon in three cycling days but we have over a week to play with before the New Zealand v Uruguay game, so we will travel towards the Ardeche area to see what it has to offer.