We slept the sleep of the dead and woke up late, jet lag averted.
After breakfast, it was around 11am so we didn't walk around Pezenas, instead just headed out for to sightsee. We were headed to Saint Guilhen le Desert, the Grotte de Clamouse, and the Millau Viaduct.
We looked at our Michelin map, plugged in St. Guilhem and were off. It lead us on small roads through gorgeous countryside and we noticed signs for the Grotte de Clamouse so we headed there first. We had just enough time for me to grab a cafe noisette before the 1230pm guided tour.
The tour was in French but the guide translated a lot to English for about 7 non-French speakers. The tour was at least an hour and very interesting. It was cool in the cave but after a lot of stair climbing, I didn't feel cold. Very worth it.
Araganite is the star of the cave. It's apparently a pretty rare sight so geologist husband was happy to get up close and personal with it.
It was a stupendously beautiful day as we exited the cave. We plugged Saint Guilhem le Desert into the GPS and got there without problems. A really pretty drive alongside a river.
This is a super cute town. It's small, there are no "must-do" sights except the Gellone abbey.
We had lunch at Le Logis des Penitents on the main square. Good crepes, refreshing rose wine, and great people watching.
Then wandered the town, enjoying its calm beauty.
Today we would be closest to the Millau Viaduct, so we headed there. We looked at the map and plugged in Peyre so we could get the view of the Viaduct that was in our Michelin Green Guide. Peyre is a very tiny town with the most amazing views.
The viaduct spans the Tarn gorge. It was designed by Norman Foster (brit( and Michel Virlogeux (french). It cost 394 million euros. It's 1.5 miles long, 1,122 feet tall. It's the tallest bridge in the world. Work started October 2001 and it was opened for traffic in December 2004. It's beyond impressive--it's magnificent.
The town is beyond picturesque. It's one of the "Most Beautiful Villages" in France for a reason. It was early evening, very few people were out. We wandered and lingered as long as we could.
On our way back to Pezenas, we noticed a road that led to a walking path to the Viaduct. We walked about 15 minutes to get to it and were even more impressed with this amazingly beautiful marvel of engineering. It's massive!
An hour and a half or so drive back to Pezenas.
We didn't have reservations anywhere and a lot of recommended places were closed on a Sunday night. We ended up at Le Pezenas Italian restaurant for an enjoyable meal.
Before turning in, we wandered the quiet, nicely lit streets of Pezenas. It's really cute!
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