Manosque to Apt; delightful countryside wandering

Very easy pedal from to Apt which was good because I wasn't the only one getting beat, Sasha was super slow (and I don't think he can use the getting old excuse).  We really toodled along.  In the morning we went through a scenic village and climbed up to the ruins of a church above it.  I ate some figs that we up there.  This little dog was down where I watched bikes for Anna and Sasha when they were at the ruins.  This house was right on the road and the dog stayed in the doorway the whole time I was there, very good. 

We saw crossed many hiking trails in France.  Here is one that leads to Santiago!  

We explored ruins of a priory later in the morning and watched bees and butterflies.  Not long after, Anna was stung by a bee.  Much of our trip was on a marked cycle route, which worked well - once we got on it, a little tricky finding our way to it.  There is an extensive system of marked routes in this area.

We reached Apt just as the market closed down - we snagged a melon but no time for more shopping.  Instead we ate lunch at a little place just off the square and took a nap.  Anna and I set out for more exploration in the late afternoon using the cycle path system for some of it.  We headed to a town known for ochre, red earth.  On the way we were gawked at by tourists on a bus and saw a rather ridicilous  looking group of cyclists on an organized tour.  After these encounters it was not too surprising to find that the town was a tourist trap - we made a hasty departure and headed to Bonnieux.  This is an interesting perched village which afforded a nice view of the ridge across the valley and Mont Ventoux.  We had been speculating since leaving Manosque which peak was Mont Ventoux and there was now no question.  The mountain loomed large.  Evening views of surrounding vineyards, fortress walls, and churches and lovely and the evening ride back to Apt was a delight.  The bike route sent us down very lightly used country roads - including one which had to have been over 50% patches - bouncy ride on that one!

While we were exploring the countryside, Patrick had been exploring the patisserie and had brought back some delicious tarts. 

Top food of the day: tarts, don't remember if hazelnut, fruit, blackberry, or chocolate was my favorite.  They were all so good!