Ambialet

So, that jaybroek and his lot were holidaying quite near me and my lot as it turns out, with our holiday accommodations overlapping for just this one day. And the Tour De France just happened to be at its nearest point to us today as well, a mere two and a half hours away...well, when in France and all that...

Great trip over col and down dale (as us Yorkshire types might say), the occasional chit-chat with friendly gendarmes and their 'route fermes' announcements before we got to approximately 2kms away from where we were aiming for. And because of a firm 'Non' (I'll leave him to tell the 'gendarme on the bridge' story) we ended up staying put in the picture-postcard village of Ambialet to witness all the glory and the spectacle of Le Tour as they swept in off the hills down towards us before heading off into that little tunnel to make their way across the bridge and then eastwards.

My pictures off the actual cyclists were awful - check his for proper documentation of the day's main event, think of this as more of an 'establishing shot', about three hours before any real action occurred.

39 degrees in the car when we set off home, it had cooled off to a more reasonable 32 by the time we returned to Roquebrun. Perfect for meeting up with my lot down at the river/beach in town for a bit of swimming and cooling off. I think I've thanked jaybroek enough in person, but just for the record, thanks again - what a day! Memories, memories...

Etape