The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 7 - Gordes
Gordes is another one of those hill towns with roots in antiquity. There have been people living here since the Neolithic era. (My history isn't good enough to tell you exactly when that was, but it makes the place pretty old. It just seems to tumble down the side of the hill. On the top it is a warren of stepped stone streets with a wonderful feel to it, even if its primary industry these days is tourism.
We had a long lunch at a small table in the street outside this little cafe ... owned by a French-Canadian ex-pat. It didn't really NEED to be a long lunch, it just took forever for everything to happen. But with a total of ten customers to handle, the rush can get the best of you! The stone building on the right is called a borie. There are several in the area estimated to be 200-500 years old ... but nobody knows who built them.
We get all sorts of critters out here on the river. First it was ducks. Then horses. Now the canoes come floating past. And there always seems to be a fisherman or two on the opposite bank. The river is allegedly full of trout, although I have yet to see anyone catch anything. I suppose that's why it is called "fishing" rather than "catching."
© 2006 Restaurant Doctor
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