Walking in the clouds - le Mont Ventoux et Sault

We've been going through a funny weather cycle lately.  Some of you may know that its been raining quite a bit here and there are places in northern France that are flooding.  I haven't witnessed any flooding in the south, as of yet, but it has been raining a lot.  In fact, it seems like it rains almost every weekend!  Sometimes the weather does that, it gives us beautiful sunny days during the week and soggy wet ones on the weekend.  Oh well!  We have raincoats and umbrellas and so far, the rain has not stopped us. 

http://www.ventoux-en-provence.com/village.html

On a rainy Sunday we took a drive to Sault, a small village located in the hills of Mont Ventoux.  Sault is famous for its beautiful lavender fields.  In late June and early July, the fields are covered with purple mounds of lavender.  The flower is cultivated for its oils and there are many lavender based products that are sold in Sault.  

http://www.provenceguide.co.uk/festivals-and-events/mont-ventoux/lavender-celebration/provence-FMAPAC084CDT0000160-1.html

"Lavender is not a chemical product"

We drove through the rain, over crazy mountain roads to arrive in Sault.  It stopped raining while we explored the village, but we carried our umbrella just in case.  We visited the park, the church and the candy shop.  We stopped in the "Maison des Producteurs"  store, a sort of co-op for the local artisans and farmers.  They sell many different local products as well as many forms of lavender: oils, soaps, candy, honey and jelly.     

Near the church, off the main street, this shaded square is waiting for the lunch crowd.  

The church was not open for visitors and we could hear mass taking place inside the church. Notre-Dame de la Tour is a 12th century structure with additional chapels added on in the 14th century.  The church is a classified historical monument.

Le Nougat de Sault

Nougat is a candy made from honey, sugar, nuts and egg whites and it can be found in many regions of the world.  The nougat from Sault is like manna from heaven.  It is made with almonds, lavender honey and when you eat it, the nougat almost melts in your mouth. We stopped by the store of Andre Boyer, maitre nougatier or nougat master, to pick up some bars to send home.  

I prefer the nougat blanc.  It is soft and there is a pronounced taste of honey.  I like the hard kind as well, it is crunchy and sweet.

They also make other sweets such as spice bread, calissons, macarons, home made marshmellows and cookies.

We passed by Yves et Virginie a little boucherie-charcuterie, that specialized in different sausages, meats as well as other delicacies from the region. 

We stopped in a small café for lunch and we were joined by the cutest little snail.  I know, yuck, snails.  But really, it was cute!

After lunch we headed off into the clouds, to the top of Mont Ventoux.  If you have read some of my other blogs, I often will include a picture of Mont Ventoux if it is visible.  

At 1,912 meters(6.273 feet), Mont Ventoux is the largest mountain in the region.  You can easily recognize it because its summit is covered in limestone, giving it the appearance of being snow-capped year round.  

The mountain's other claim to fame is its role in the Tour de France. It became a stage in the famous race in 1951 and since then it has appeared in the race 14 more times.  It will be a stage in the race this summer on July 14th, la fête nationale.   

Many people come to ride up Mont Ventoux.  On the way up the mountain we passed several cyclists.  We also passed a memorial to Tom Simson who died while ascending the mountain during the Tour de France in 1967.  The monument has become a sort of shrine for cyclists and people leave tributes to the English athlete.  

When we arrived at the top, we had no view at all.  The clouds were as thick as pea soup and it was drizzling.  

http://www.4lmnts.eu/blog/mont-ventoux-report

I remember coming to this mountain years ago with my mother. When we arrived at the top we looked around and enjoyed the view.  We pointed out the direction from which we had come and then my mother decided it was time to buy candy.  Yes, my mother bought a sack of candy from the tourist stand on the top of the highest mountain in the area.  Secretly, I was hoping the candy stand would be there when we arrived in the rain, because I knew we would not be able to see anything and at least we could have a small reward.  Unfortunately there was no candy so we stopped for a hot chocolate in the mountain café and then headed back down out of the clouds.