THE POTATO BABE

Oppede: Which Way To Apt?

Today we returned for the third week of my life I’ll spend at Oppede. I’m beginning to get spoiled by my comfortable beds, warm showers and full-sized washing machines. I’m concerned that my backpacking will seem a little rough in comparison!

I returned to the Avignon train station (which I can now find without Simon’s help) to pick up Peter, a guest from Florida. He’s just spent three days in Paris, so we compared notes in the car on the way back to Oppede. When we arrived, our other guests Al and Josephine and Frank and Debbie were just settling in for cocktails with Laura, Steve and Evan.

We were expecting our final three guests around 6 pm, and when we haven’t seen them by 8 we started to get worried. Evan borrowed my computer to get online, and discovered there was a car bombing in London that’s messed up air travel, but we don’t have the guests’ flight information – so we have no idea if this has affected them.

By 9 pm we’re beyond concerned, and phone calls to their cell phones have gone unanswered. Around 10 pm Steve got a call from Carmen, who had gotten a frantic call from the ladies who were by then hopelessly lost. He went out to find them, and by the time they finally arrived at the house they were beyond exhausted. Fortunately, we food and wine waiting for them, so their spirits were quickly lifted. They blamed the street signs for their troubles, because in several different spots there were signs pointing to Apt in two opposite directions. Oh, that crazy Apt.

Dinner started out with an amazing cold melon cappuccino with cream and cocoa, made with local Cavallion melons that are sort of a mix between sweet cantaloupe and honeydew (they’re the pride and joy of the region). Next was an heirloom tomato salad made with six kinds of tomatoes we bought from Mr. Peaches, and a seared duck breast with roasted potatoes and veggies. For dessert, Peter (who turned out to be an expert on desserts) made chocolate pots de crème.

Lost travelers: 3
Bill at the peach stand: 272€


-- next --

Back to Blog Central