Food in Provence (and elsewhere)

Saturday starts badly. Actually, it doesn’t. I’ve slept well (and not been woken up by cramp in muscles I didn’t know I had, as on one of the reconnaissance trips) and breakfast is perfectly acceptable—and notably better than in Perpignan. The croissant probably deserves a 7 on Felicity’s scale.

The problems start when we look at our itinerary in detail. The Maison Memorial d’Izieu and the Cascade de Glandieu are both a couple of hours ride from Belley but we find that the Maison Memorial is closed on Saturdays! Museums aren’t usually closed on a Saturday but we quickly twig: the memorial is for 44 Jews (mostly children) who were rounded up and shipped off to Auschwitz (just one survived) so it’s closed for the Sabbath. Not so bad, I figure; it’s maybe not a place to visit in cycling gear. So I set off for the cascade.

Just as I’m turning onto the busy road, though, my phone rings. J. is calling to tell me, I learn when I’ve stopped somewhere I can call back, that the cascade is also closed! We really doubt that a waterfall can be closed so plan on heading there anyway as it’s not too far off the Via Rhona route. That’s if I can get there without being held up by herds of sheep or fellow cyclists needing help to put their chain back on.

Despite the obstacles, I make good time to the Champagneux dam for my first rest stop and then to the waterfall. Which is “closed” in the sense that you can’t get too close as some rocks have been falling recently. But it’s still an impressive sight.

The wind is also pretty impressive. In the time it takes to have a coffee at the nearby bistrot about half a dozen parasols are blown over and into the road… I set off after coffee cheerfully telling J. I’ll be in Morestel by just after 12 and we can meet at Elles Lunch Café. That time estimation, though, was from Google and taking roads, not the Via Rhona route. I’m still a good 10km from Morestel at 12 when I call J. to say I’ll be late, finally making it there around 12:30.

My thighs are holding up well but I’m a little saddle sore by now and I realise that I’ve chosen one of the less-well-padded shorts. Not a good choice on another long ride… Anyway, lunch (fish crumble for me, salad for J.) is good and I set off for Lagnieu. Electric assistance is kept to a minimum but rest stops become more frequent. Good views in general, though.

I finally make it to Le Clos du Bois Joli in Lagnieu just after 4 to find the support car waiting ready to store my bike and J. writing her diary on the terrace of our room; I’d forgotten that this came attached. It leads to a pond with frogs. Pretty, but likely a source of the annoying buzzy biting things…

87.85km, although my watch missed out a bit in the middle again.

We head to the Auberge du Roy d’Aval for dinner which proves to be an excellent choice. Much of our courses are chosen for us. J. takes the recommended starter of a pleurotte salad on the simple menu and I opt for the four course one to try the frogs legs and duck breast but am told I should have the paleron instead. Having had our food chosen for us, we ask for a wine recommendation and are shown four Bugey reds all made by the cousin of the owner. One is the Manicle we had last night, another a rather better Manicle offering then there is a Pinot Noir and a Machuraz. I’m much tempted by the better Manicle but the Machuraz is yet another new cépage and probably a better match to the food choices. And it comes with snazzy glasses!

I’m still not used to taking pictures of my food so start both the terrine (better overall than last night’s) and the frogs legs before remembering J.’s assertion that blogs are better with pictures. No picture of her pleurotte salad, but it was pretty good!

The frogs legs are also good (and come in two services so my napkin is well and truly destroyed). The problem is the bones, though; the Gastronomicom “lollipop” method is much easier to eat (although the effort is passed to the kitchen…). I think it would be worth trying the lollipop preparation but sauteing them in garlic and parsley…

The paleron is good but I, of course, can’t say whether the duck fillet would have been better.

As I’m useless at remembering to photograph my food, there’s no picture of the cheese course, but the four cheeses provided were excellent and at the right temperature. Neither J. nor I could face desert. The bill comes to just €140 but revisiting them in a joint Via Rhona trip seems a little difficult as there is no accommodation nearby.