TODAY IS A TRAVEL DAY, WE ARE HEADED TO CARCASONNE.
Last night we stayed in a very nice little hotel, Hotel de la Poste. It’s actually the second Hotel de la Poste we have stayed in on this trip. The first one being much fancier and in the big city of Beaune.
We head out today like we have on every other day of this trip; we have a general target destination, but no hotel reservations made yet. We have had a great time, just enjoying the drive and seeing where we end up.
Today the Michelin map is open on my lap. There is nothing but green roads in this particular district. I have chosen our route, and as navigator have issued directions.
We like to travel on the green roads, because they are smaller, slower and more picturesque.
We find beautiful picnic spots and quaint little towns.
Today our route has an “arrondisimout” which is a fancy way of saying detour. They are doing some repaving and have directed us off of the main road to a side country road.
This is just the kind of adventure we love.
We are driving along through farms and rolling hills. We travel about 3 clicks without seeing a sign to end the arrondisimount, so we keep on driving. The country side is beautiful; the road is climbing in elevation and soon we find ourselves with a view that won’t end, looking out over lush green and rolling hillsides. The green undulations are periodically broken by thick dark forests. We are on a fairly well paved two lane road, but have seen no cross traffic for several clicks now. It feels as if we are on top of the world. The sky is a brilliant blue, with these wonderful puffy white clouds. The contrast between the verdant hillsides and the azure sky is breathtaking.
We have no idea where we are, but we know that we have been given a spectacular gift in this little detour. This is the exact kind of day that is our favorite type of travel day: A hidden jewel behind the next turn.
We pull over when there is a shoulder to the road and Bob takes a look at the map. We are definitely headed in the wrong direction from our intended destination. Somewhere, probably about 15 clicks back, we missed the detour sign and have been off on our own adventure.
As nearly as we can make out we are in an area that is one of the National Park. We think that if we continue on this road another 15 or so clicks, then, if it’s the right road, we should hook up with another road that will get us headed back in the direction we wanted to be going. Never really wanting to see the same country twice, we decide to keep on going,
After another 20 minutes or so, I see a sign that says “Cascade Rune”. Recognizing the word cascade as waterfall, I tell Bob, “Let’s follow this turn and see where it heads.”
We make the turn and head down a small country lane through a thick forest. It winds a bit and we know we are headed south by the change in the direction of the sun.
After 10 minutes or so we follow a bend in the road and Voila! We have found the parking lot to a National Park. Surprisingly there are a number of cars in the lot. We park and get out. We stroll over to have a look at the sign. Since neither of us read nor speak French, we are more looking at the pictures than expecting to gain any meaningful insight.
The Universal language of signage is in place and we can easily deduce that we have happened upon a hiking and picnic area in the center of the National Park System.
We decide to take the trail; our legs can use a good stretch as yesterday was spent mostly in the car. From what we could determine from the sign and trail map, the waterfall, “Cascade Rune” was about a kilometer away. The trail was soft packed dirt, well trodden and an easy hike. We did actually pass some families, French and friendly out enjoying a beautiful day of picnicking. Bon Jour is one phrase that has come easily to my lips. We have found that a ready smile and a pleasant Bon Jour, goes a long way with in the French countryside.
At the end of the trail we find one of the most spectacular waterfalls either of us has ever seen. The forest is thick, and while you can hear the water cascading for several hundred yards, you don’t see it until a sharp turn in the trail, and there it is in
front of you.
There are actually some well built wooden stairs to help with the climb down beside the falls in which to fully appreciate the view.
We are amazed that after our beautiful country drive, seeing no other cars, we felt that we were lost in another century and yet here we are in a well preserved and visited National Park.
Our philosophy of letting the day unfold has paid off once again, and we found a national treasure that probably most French people have never enjoyed.
