To Italy and Beyond: Day Twenty Nine: When does Closed mean Closed?

Today is a non Aix day and another of those days to visit a friend's friend. Remember how the last one turned out? Does Japan ring a bell?

A friend , Terry Fuqua, who shall remain anonymous, has a biker friend who owns a bar not 1 1/2 hours north of Aix. It is a nice day and we have heard how nice the hill towns are so makes sense to go and have a few free drinks.

I set the GPS for the town of Methamis and we are off. Just Mary Ann and I though . Linda wants to hang in Aix and also get us some one on one time. Very Sweet. We are not on the road very long till we stop at a local boulangerie and have to die for croissants and a very delicious almond pastry.

We drive about an hour and stop for a bathroom break. Into to a Fresh Market (no connection the the USA one) but it has no restroom. It does have all things fresh. Meat, vegetables, produce. I see the death knell of the local village shops as I look at the people inside this store. Sad at least to me the traveler.

Now the GPS starts sending us on small back roads and at one point wants us to drive through a vineyard. We do find the main road, but is goes over the mountain. You know the twisty curve part. And still no restrooms. But the scenery is beautiful and looks very much like parts of the USA's West.

Here are some pics.

We are finally sent up a very small road (remember it is a mountain village) that gets smaller and smaller and finally turns to crushed rock. I turn around and at the bottom of the road we do the inconceivable. We will use Google Maps. Nice product and more accurate, but with our international phone plans, it comes with a cost.Still much cheaper than a divorce.

It gets us back on track and we arrive in the town next to it named Malemort. We are only 10 Kilometers away but it is close to 2:00 pm when everyone in the French Countryside closes and doesn't serve lunch after that. We did manage to take care of the restroom break in another town where I also got gas

We drive into Methamis and it really is a cute village. Small but clean and on the side of a mountain as advertised. But there is not a soul around. Not even a stray dog or cat. We finally find our anonymous friend's friend's bar but it is shuttered. I get out and bang on the shutters. In a window next to me I see an elderly lady wearing a housecoat just like my Mother-in-law Jilly always wore. I explain to her in my best French(which really sucks) I am a friend from the USA and ask if Marco is home. I get a wave of the hand and only, "The bar opens at 5:00 PM"Guess we won't see Marco.

Methamis

Back in the car and back to Malemort where we saw a bar/bistro that just might still be open. Quick into the parking lot and hurry to the door. Darn. It is locked but we see some people inside. Now Mary Ann must have looked very desperate, because the only customer in the bar/bistro, comes and unlocks the door and lets us in. The cook has just brought out two plates of spaghetti with roast beef cubes mixed in. Much like a goulash. Mary Ann asks her for food of any kind and the cook says she can give us some of what they were going to have. She also says laughingly to the customer who let us in " See You unlock the door and I have more work" Twenty minutes later and we are having lunch with them. The only people in the bar. It really was a nice meal.

Mary Ann at our Bar/Bistro

What a great lunch.

And it included Dessert.Strawberry crepes.

The crew that fed us. Gotta love em.

More strangers talked their way in.

Our favorite Bistro in Malemort.

After lunch. I of course have to call my anonymous friend in the States and let him know about his friend;s no show.

Not wanting to waste the entire day, w drive around to see the various hill towns in the area. We even picked up an English brochure about the towns which we could follow.

Now we decide to head back to Aix but take the main roads. And on our way off of the mountain, we drive by Gorde, one of the most picturesque villages in France. Pretty, but I wouldn't want to go up and down its hill.

Gorde.

Back on the Expressway. we see a sign for Arles, and decide to detour to there for another drink at the Cafe Van Gogh made famous in one of his paintings "Cafe at Night" Very touristy, but I like it. So we drive there again and have a drink and then head home. We still are not hungry.