Day 36 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Provence - A Pizza Dream Comes True

Salut les amis! (Hi friends!)  I've seen so many posts this week saying, "I want to turn back the clock" or "I want to get out of the house!" We know the feeling. Here it's raining fit to overflow the river soon. While we can't do anything to change what is, we can take a little trip in time and travel from our routine day, even if it's only in the mind.

Le Pont (bridge) du Gard is actually an aqueduct that used only Gravity - those clever Romans.
By Patrick Clenet - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=285833

Day 36 -Il pleut! (It's raining!) You don't even want to see pictures from today!  Okay - well here's one of the fountain in the plaza next to the house. See that expression? We're feeling just

Argh! It's raining!

the same as we look at the forecast for the next few days. Oh well, it's not like we were going anywhere, right?

The morning went by like so many before. At least we have a routine and they say that will help us get through this quarantine. I guess. It helps make the time pass. Today the internet is just fine. So we got the exercise video loaded by lunchtime and now that we've eaten, I get to settle down to the computer and write to you. No, there are no bonus points for guessing we had pasta. You know, that pasta we all made sure we had plenty of when this whole lock-down was announced. It has actually come in very handy along with the freezer full of veggies I love as well meat for my French partner, Y. 

I had to laugh. We were talking about the possibility that the quarantine may have to go on even longer. I said, "If this goes on indefinitely, I'll..." and before I could finish the sentence he said, "eat meat." And yes. I laughed. After 39 years,it's not likely. But I never have a problem with what others want to eat. Unless, of course, it's bats, snakes or lizards eaten raw and a virus jumps species.  And it's a new virus for which we have no vaccines. Yeah, that does give me a problem. 

Okay - I'm bird-walking or maybe snake-slinking off topic. Back to the rain. I could share some photos of wet pigeons or

A tiny Provencal alley in
Castillon-du-Gard

the many gushing gutters I can see from the window but, geez, there's not a lot of fun in that for me. And probably not for you, either. I know! How about we go to Provence on a really sunny day? You know, I mean let's travel in our hearts and minds. I have a memory I'd love to share with you and Y is busy watching the Vintage Mechanic. Let's see... I'll have to go find the photos. And since I just cleaned out the computer files last week, it shouldn't be too hard. 

Voilà! I've found a memory to share. It's 2012. Get in the virtual car with me and away we go! We are going to a Unesco World Heritage Site - the bridge on the river Gardon. Yes, Le Pont du Gard. This aqueduct bridge was built in the first century and is about a three and half hour drive from the house, but thanks to this time travel method, Poof! We are already there!  The line to get in is long, but it's worth it. We pay for our tickets and then walked down the long winding path to the bridge. It seems impossible that it has been standing here since the Roman Empire was at it's zenith and that it was constructed just to carry water to Nîmes about 30 miles from here.  Imagine getting all that geometry calculated and the masonry built just right to make the water flow downhill for 30 miles! 

It's a wonderful sight to see as we walk toward le Pont du Gard

We join the other tourists in walking across the river on the limestone paving stones and marvel not only at the view but that this so sturdy and wide.  At feet wide and 157 feet high, it's really impressive. We walk down to the river and admire the greenery, the birds and the view of the bridge above us. But then, I get hungry.

Now most people would head to Vers-Pont-du-Gard. It's where the bridge is. But seriously, I've

And it's tall when you get under it!

never been one to go the same route as everyone else. I say, "There's a small village just north of us and maybe it has a castle, cause it's name has the word Castillon in it. That sounds a lot like castle to me. You know?" Yeah, you don't like to argue with the driver, so you say, "Sure." And if we hadn't taken the road less traveled, we might have missed out on a sweet little story.

And so we head to the little village nearby of Castillon-du-Gard. Surely we will find something open on this sunny day? We return to the car and drive to the village. It is charming!

The streets were all deserted and there was
not an open restaurant to be found!

We meander in the narrow, pale stone streets and wish that one of the lovely buildings was a restaurant or even a small store where we could get something to eat. But, no. Alas! 

So we leave the lovely sleepy village and think maybe we'll have to continue on to Avignon as it is getting late for anything in the other village to be open for lunch. Maybe we'll find a MacDonalds or a Subway that stays open all day. I hate the thought of it, but my stomach is telling me that it will mutiny if we don't find food soon. We leave the village behind with it's pretty stone walls and quiet beauty.

Then, like a vision - look!  I see the words PIZZA! Yes! Score! There is a little pizzeria with the name Casa Benelli on a small sign. And we pull into the makeshift

A fountain in Castillon-du-Gard

parking by a small wooden restaurant that is perched on the hill above an orchard. We decide to eat in the outside dining area where we can enjoy the sunshine. The pizzas are sublime and the local Rhone red wine is like liquid velvet. At last, we go in

Mmmm! Pizza. You can tell I ate
a lot of pizzas back in the day!

to pay. When we tell the owner how lovely his establishment is, he grins and says, "I bought it with a motorcycle."  That demands an explanation and he is more than happy to tell us. It seems he always dreamed of having a pizza palace. Money was a problem. He decided to sell the second love of his life. (At which point the lovely dark haired lady who rang up our bill smiles and he says, "The first love of my life is standing here." She nods and goes to the wall where she takes down two photos.

I expect them to be wedding photos or such but no! One is the owner looking years younger and

The Motorcycle that became a Restaurant.

straddling what appears to be a shiny Harley. He takes the photo and gazes at it fondly. Then he says, "I sold this bike to buy the caravan." Yes, in this case a caravan is what you and I might call a pizza van.  His wife shows us the caravan and says, "This is all we owned in 2009. It has taken us three years of hard work, but last winter, we built the restaurant." They look at each other so filled with love and pride that it makes us feel sentimental too. (Or maybe that was the wine...) 

Anyway, we ask them if we can take a photo of their photos and they are more than happy to let us do so. 

It began life as a caravan!

We wish them well and I promise that if I ever get around to writing a blog about Provence, I will include them in the stories. It's getting late, and so we will drive along and search for a B&B to spend the night.  It's been such a lovely day. And so, tomorrow, perhaps we'll return to my small and beautiful department at the farthest point west on the Mediterranean Sea. Although I call that part of the world home, I, and perhaps now you, will always keep a special place in the mind for Provence. 

Well! That was different, wasn't it, dear friends?  Thank you for coming on a trip down memory lane with me. And just so you know, I did write about that couple and their fantastic pizza in my Yahoo blog in 2012. A year later, I returned to the pizzeria to find the couple still just as much in love and that the restaurant had doubled in size. They had plans to extend the outdoor dining area and to branch out and sell wine. The pizza was still to die for and they would not let us pay for the two glasses of wine. In fact, they came to our table with a bottle of a fine vintage

The garden in a nearby B&B where we took our rest.

and brought two more glasses. We sat together, clinked high, and wished each other, "Sante." (Good health) May that still be our toast. To everyone of you, we wish you "Sante!" above all else. Stay safe.

A demain, les amis! (Until tomorrow, friends!)
Link to Day 37