So it turns out they do have rain here ..... in for a wet Bastille Day celebration .....

So the bikes came out today. A gentle 22km ride to Le Mastre where there were markets for us to browse. The support wagon carried the non-riders to Le Mastre via the swimming area of the river, which was picturesque. We found the riders having a restorative coffee in the market, which was otherwise full of stalls selling local cheese (a basil version of which was a deep green), home cured sausages, fresh apricots, peaches, tomatoes and melons. We found a bakery...

So after an extended trip, we have arrived at our base for the next 2 weeks or so. Flew over the alps coming from Frankfurt to Lyon, which was pretty special - spectacular peaks covered in snow, others razorbacked and contrasting their blackness with the white. Quirky squiggles of cloud strung out along the ridges. It is midsummer here, and we lunched on bread French bread, ham and cheese all washed down with beverages of a variety of natures - mine was Perrier ...