8/17 – FridayOne more morning at our favorite café… the hot chocolate is the best. We bought a whole kilo of it. We took off fairly early and headed south toward Dijon. We arrived at the hotel outside Dijon at 7:30. The “Premier classe” motel was bare bones basic: a tiny room with one window, a tiny prefab bathroom, and three beds with metal frames. No pictures on the walls, nothing but the necessities. It reminded us of a ship cabin - We went on in to town and picked up Celia, Keith and Rebecca at the train station.
8/18 – Saturday
Loading the luggage this morning was a challenge. We were packed all the way to the ceiling. The five of us shoehorned ourselves in and drove toward Dieulefit. On the way, we passed by a dramatic mountain range, then went up and over a high hill with many switchbacks. We arrived at the house at about 7, and were greeted by an enthusiastic Scholten family. They had prepared dinner. The house is very nice, with plenty of bedrooms and a nice outside patio with a view of the hills nearby.
8/19 – Sunday
After having tea, melons, and yogurt, all nine of us drove away toward Nyon.
There we experienced another French market. Pottery, lavender, soaps, and clothing were plentiful. Our last st
op of the day was a “cave du vin” where one could taste and buy. Jan spent a long time talking with the lady there about the different wines. We tasted by sniffing, then tasting, holding it in our mouths and spitting it out. Jan bought quite a few bottles of wine, which wasn’t very expensive, between 4 and 10 euros per bottle.
Fill 'er up! People came in with large containers to get their wine.
8/20 – Monday
We ended up going on a hike from the house, into Dieulefit, then up to Montagne des Ventes – 600 or so meters of elevation gain, and steep. We were able to see Dieulefit as well as the next valley, up toward the Foret de Saou, a rugged mountain range. We stopped at a viewpoint and ate bread. The way down was really steep and difficult. We finished the walk by walking back into Dieulefit, eating ice cream, and looking around at stores.
In Avignon, "sur la pont"
We took a drive and then a very steep hike at ForetdeSaou. What a view!
Some of the joys of the market in Dieulefit!
Celia and Keith at nearby Poet Laval.
8/18 – Saturday
Loading the luggage this morning was a challenge. We were packed all the way to the ceiling. The five of us shoehorned ourselves in and drove toward Dieulefit. On the way, we passed by a dramatic mountain range, then went up and over a high hill with many switchbacks. We arrived at the house at about 7, and were greeted by an enthusiastic Scholten family. They had prepared dinner. The house is very nice, with plenty of bedrooms and a nice outside patio with a view of the hills nearby.
8/19 – Sunday
After having tea, melons, and yogurt, all nine of us drove away toward Nyon.
There we experienced another French market. Pottery, lavender, soaps, and clothing were plentiful. Our last st
op of the day was a “cave du vin” where one could taste and buy. Jan spent a long time talking with the lady there about the different wines. We tasted by sniffing, then tasting, holding it in our mouths and spitting it out. Jan bought quite a few bottles of wine, which wasn’t very expensive, between 4 and 10 euros per bottle.
Fill 'er up! People came in with large containers to get their wine.8/20 – Monday
We ended up going on a hike from the house, into Dieulefit, then up to Montagne des Ventes – 600 or so meters of elevation gain, and steep. We were able to see Dieulefit as well as the next valley, up toward the Foret de Saou, a rugged mountain range. We stopped at a viewpoint and ate bread. The way down was really steep and difficult. We finished the walk by walking back into Dieulefit, eating ice cream, and looking around at stores.
In Avignon, "sur la pont"
We took a drive and then a very steep hike at ForetdeSaou. What a view!
Some of the joys of the market in Dieulefit!
Celia and Keith at nearby Poet Laval.
In addition to visiting several medieval towns, we hiked to the ruined castle Bergstein, where we ate lunch overlooking the villages we had just driven through. 
