Sunday began with lots of promise: muesli, bottomless coffee and a sunny tailwind. Really, is there much more to life?

To get back to Avignon, Shoko and I took the northern side of the large valley we were skirting the day before. This took us up, then past, Roussillon, which I mistook for a bald cliff till we got pretty close.

Roussillon’s claim to fame, other than being Samuel Beckett’s hideout during WWII, is its ochre quarries. The pigment is pretty evident in the color of the village, as you can see from the photo above.

But we didn’t visit this time because we had another mission – Gordes. The angle of the road sign can’t hide the truth; you need to climb to get to Gordes.

It really is an easy climb though, and I think you’ll agree, well worth a little effort.

And the inside is pretty nice, too.

The village, although obviously a major tourist attraction, retains a nice atmosphere and is not overly tacky, at least in mid-morning outside the high season.

The rest of the ride was good, but apparently not very outstanding because I don’t have any more photos. Stay tuned for more weekend getaways, coming to a blog near you!