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“I’m a little baby in a barrel just taking everything in. I’m just so fortunate to do whatever I’m doing.” LaKeith Stanfield

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3147751/bio

In mid-July we watched with some trepidation as news of increasing coronavirus cases in Spain began to spread.  Although the case numbers were higher, the percent positive of the total tested was relatively flat.  Scientists were cautioning politicians not to overreact. They perceived this to be a logical and even predicted increase in some populations of data.  However, local Catalan government officials jumped into action with revised quarantine requirements, social controls and a “recommendation” to stay home except in cases of urgent need.  We were advised that if you were stopped by police on the roadway, you could expect to be turned around and sent home if they decided your “need” wasn’t sufficient.  On the day we snuck out of Barcelona, the French government cautioned citizens against travel to Spain, particularly Catalonia and Aragon.  We fully anticipated our trip to be forcibly aborted by the powers that be – either at the rental car agency, police on the Spanish highway or agents at the French border.  We had resigned ourselves to expect failure.  Imagine how shocked and delighted we were at our success!  

Sidebar:  As someone who has spent a lifetime reviewing and analyzing scientific data, test results, investigations, protocols and reports, I am skeptical of everything.  I assume facts are fiction unless I am proven otherwise.  Heck, I took 3 O.T.C. home tests and got a blood test at the doctor’s office before I believed I was pregnant.  Never mind any ancillary evidence that might have supported the obvious outcome.  Make no assumptions and don’t jump to conclusions!  These are important lessons I have learned.  So, the decision we made to travel in the middle of a pandemic even as news of increasing case numbers was reported was not made lightly.  In fact, I spent two weeks pouring over every single source of information I could find and monitoring outlets for new data that might cause me to change our plans.  I never found conclusive evidence to confirm, at that time, we were on the cusp of a massive second wave and, therefore, at risk of imminent infection should we travel.  The reality is we are alive and, yes, there are dangers in this world.  If I live my life in fear of every single danger that exists, I will not truly be living.  If I live my life with complete disregard to danger, then I place myself at high risk and probably won’t be alive very long.  So, I try to make decisions that result in an outcome somewhere in the middle.  Somewhere between agoraphobia and hospitalization.   Looking back, the choice we made was a good one – the outcome was fantastic and the timing was excellent.  WINNER!!

On 21 July 2020, we loaded up the rental car and made our way toward Lyon, France.  After we successfully crossed the invisible border between Spain and France, we stopped for lunch in Fitou, France.  Fitou is basically nowhere.  Their wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitou) literally has two sentences: one about the commune of Fitou and one about their wine (naturellement).  However, the view of the Mediterranean is absolutely lovely from the picnic area at the Aire de Fitou (rest stop) on the A9 and it made a lovely first stop for us to stretch our legs and take a breather.  

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It was a long day in the car.  560 km of driving and a total of about 7 hours on the road because we hit the most nasty Stau (traffic jam) outside of Montpellier.  We were literally at a stand-still; parked on the autoroute for 20 minutes at a time, off and on, over the course of an hour.  We never saw an accident or any indication of the cause for the massive congestion.  It’s likely we will never know what happened to cause the delay.  Although it is interesting that later in the day, when I mentioned we had driven through traffic in Montpellier, a local scrunched his face as though he had a bad tasted in his mouth or was smelling something unpleasant.  Makes you wonder, right?  

Our destination for this first day of our adventure was a lovely little gîte rural (cottage or lodging) located on a working farm, including vineyard and orchard, in Chanos-Curson, France.  This little village is situated in the Rhône-Alpes region, obviously named for the Rhône river and the Alps, and is home to some of the most amazing farms and beautiful countryside.  We passed countless fields of bright, yellow sunflowers, hillsides covered in vines hanging heavy with grapes, and rows and rows of orchards filled with apricot, apple, pear, walnut and other trees often cordoned to large stakes in a traditional espalier design to allow for maximum productivity and ease of harvesting.  This area is also well known for its cheese and, of course, Côtes du Rhône wine!        

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We found La Ferme des Denis quite by accident when Mom and I were first planning this trip.  In times past, we would routinely strike out in the car and drive as long and as far as we wanted.  Then we would stop for the night at some cute little pension or attractive auberge located in a tiny burg nestled along the route.   We never made reservations and seldom did much planning except to review a map so that we had a general idea of the names of the towns we might pass or places we might see.  The pandemic has created a situation where all of that is changed.  We can no longer be as carefree as we once were.  Who knows if there will be a pension even open and available?  Many have closed due to the pandemic and the resulting poor economy. Staying in a hotel means a big town or city near the major highway and makes it difficult to explore the country on rural routes. Plus, it compromises our social distancing as we would have to share public spaces (lobby, elevator, hallway) and be forced to eat in restaurants.  So, for this trip, we decided to plan in advance. We chose lodging that afforded us privacy and a variety of amenities but did not compromise our safety.  Additionally, we packed plenty cleaning and disinfection supplies so that we could be sure to sanitize all the surfaces we would routinely contact during our stay.  Therefore, we relied heavily on Air B&B to locate unique and personalized destinations.  One of these was an actual barrel.  

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Denis and his wife had their barrel gîte made from the exact same wooden slates that are used to construct wine barrels in this region.  The little cottage is so unusual and precious tucked away behind the massive old farmhouse and sprawling courtyard that, at first, it looks like a toy.  However, it comes equipped with a full kitchen (refrigerator, freezer, microwave, stove, coffeemaker, etc.), dining table and chairs and a sofa that is easily made into a bed.  There is a raised platform in the rear where a permanent double bed is located and next to it is the full bathroom with shower.  The window in the rear is the only one that officially opens completely but with the front door open, there is sufficient breeze to freshen and cool the air.  Should it be unusually warm, there is also a little air conditioner that drains through a tiny tube to the outside.  Should it be unusually cold, there is a little heater and fan, plenty of thick, down comforters stored in the tiny closet and a heated towel rack in the bathroom.  It sounds much larger than it actually is.  Less than 30 feet from the front door to the back wall and 10-12 feet in diameter, it is bigger than our RV but not by much.  I could have lived in this cozy space for months, it was so perfect.   

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Denis and his family are absolutely lovely people.  He is the 19th generation to live on this farm and the main house itself was built in the 1400s.  They speak only French.  This was not a problem for me as French is one of the four languages I speak.  Mom took French in High School and Allita takes it now.  So, we were all able to fumble along quite nicely.  They invited us to enjoy their covered, outdoor pool and they gifted us a bottle of white wine from their vineyard.  After we got settled, we took a short drive into Tain-l’Hermitage, a nearby town of some significance in that it is big enough for a supermarché (supermarket).  We saw the Église Saint-Julien (church) and crossed the Rhône on the magnificent Passerelle Marc Seguin (bridge).  The river was massive but beautiful and there was at least one tour boat running with a few passengers.  Many people were out and about, walking and shopping and traversing the city, but very few, if any, wore facemarks or any other form of P.P.E.  After we finished our brief visit, we purchased some supplies for dinner and returned to the safety of our little barrel home.  

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It rained all night long and the music of the rain on the curved metal roof of the barrel plus the cool air wafting through the open window was enough to ensure we all rested very well.  The next morning, we enjoyed petit déjeuner (breakfast) provided by Denis and his wife at the main house in the open-air kitchen off the courtyard.  He baked a special traditional bread in the outdoor oven and she offered us fresh preserves made from the fruits of their orchard plus some fresh squeezed apricot juice.  What a delicious start to the day!  All-in-all, our night in the barrel was an amazing opportunity and an excellent beginning for our adventure.  Yes, we too felt fortunate for our experience, Mr. Stanfield.