bikeman66
Senior Member
- Location
- Isle of Wight
Saw a photograph from Team Sky on my Facebook earlier, showing the whole team's bikes propped up against each other outside a cafe'. It got me thinking about various cafe's I've stopped at whilst out riding, and ultimately, which one came up with the goods!
After some deliberation, I had to settle for a fantastic little place "Les P'tits Bonheurs" in a village called Villes-sur-Auzon in the shadow of Mont Ventoux. We'd ridden a fantastic 23km's along the Nesque Gorge from Monieux, taking in some fabulously breathtaking scenery along the way, arriving early afternoon and decidedly peckish!
As it was late April and well before the holiday season, the village was quiet (in fact, almost deserted). As everyone knows, the French love a long dinner hour........or two, and who could blame them for wanting to take things easy in the pleasant 22 degree warmth of a Spring day?
We had tried a couple of restaurants in the village and found them closed. Almost as a last resort we cycled down a quiet street towards a petrol station, so that we could at least pick up some fuel (food, not petrol.......in case you were wondering) for one of our fellow riders who was diabetic. Worryingly, it too seemed to be closed. We turned around and headed back towards the centre of the village........and then I saw it! A small courtyard with tables, chairs, parasols, and plenty of posh bikes leaning against the wall.
We ventured in, receiving a warm welcome from around eight or nine cyclists in local club gear. One of them gestured to his watch and then wagged his finger in a "too late mate" kind of way. Just as our hearts were starting to sink, the proprietor appeared. A delightfully friendly lady with a fantastically welcoming smile. We explained our predicament as best we could in our less than perfect French. In the best English she could muster, she told us that the kitchen was officially closed, but that she would see what she could do for us.
A feast would be stretching it, but she did produce the what I imagine was the finest bruschetta ever made. The taste was to die for! The owner of the cafe' was so accommodating and certainly didn't appear to be hurrying us up or trying to get us out of the door, especially as I guess we were now taking up her free time. Quite the contrary in fact. We accepted her offer of coffee, which again, was so perfectly brewed, and paid the bill. As we were about to set off, she called out and gestured to our bottles, asking if they needed filling. As it happened, we were OK for water, but thanked her for her kindness and went on our way.
Instead of cycling a circular route, we decided that the scenery of the Nesque Gorge was worthy of another look, so ended up retracing our tyre tracks back to Monieux.
Pity this little gem of a place isn't on the Isle of Wight..........I'd be in there all the time!
After some deliberation, I had to settle for a fantastic little place "Les P'tits Bonheurs" in a village called Villes-sur-Auzon in the shadow of Mont Ventoux. We'd ridden a fantastic 23km's along the Nesque Gorge from Monieux, taking in some fabulously breathtaking scenery along the way, arriving early afternoon and decidedly peckish!
As it was late April and well before the holiday season, the village was quiet (in fact, almost deserted). As everyone knows, the French love a long dinner hour........or two, and who could blame them for wanting to take things easy in the pleasant 22 degree warmth of a Spring day?
We had tried a couple of restaurants in the village and found them closed. Almost as a last resort we cycled down a quiet street towards a petrol station, so that we could at least pick up some fuel (food, not petrol.......in case you were wondering) for one of our fellow riders who was diabetic. Worryingly, it too seemed to be closed. We turned around and headed back towards the centre of the village........and then I saw it! A small courtyard with tables, chairs, parasols, and plenty of posh bikes leaning against the wall.
We ventured in, receiving a warm welcome from around eight or nine cyclists in local club gear. One of them gestured to his watch and then wagged his finger in a "too late mate" kind of way. Just as our hearts were starting to sink, the proprietor appeared. A delightfully friendly lady with a fantastically welcoming smile. We explained our predicament as best we could in our less than perfect French. In the best English she could muster, she told us that the kitchen was officially closed, but that she would see what she could do for us.
A feast would be stretching it, but she did produce the what I imagine was the finest bruschetta ever made. The taste was to die for! The owner of the cafe' was so accommodating and certainly didn't appear to be hurrying us up or trying to get us out of the door, especially as I guess we were now taking up her free time. Quite the contrary in fact. We accepted her offer of coffee, which again, was so perfectly brewed, and paid the bill. As we were about to set off, she called out and gestured to our bottles, asking if they needed filling. As it happened, we were OK for water, but thanked her for her kindness and went on our way.
Instead of cycling a circular route, we decided that the scenery of the Nesque Gorge was worthy of another look, so ended up retracing our tyre tracks back to Monieux.
Pity this little gem of a place isn't on the Isle of Wight..........I'd be in there all the time!
