Friday, October 16

We decided to drive the 45 minutes to a cave near us called Grotte de Clamouse. Arrived at 10:30am just as the place opened, we bought our tickets and were about to start the tour but in front of us was a tour bus group of people. So we opted to wait the hour for the next tour and had a coffee and snack on the patio, played in the play area and shopped in the store.

Our view from the patio during our coffee break.

We entered the cave after a short video talking about what we’ll see and how the river still fluctuates inside the cave at different times of the year. The cave was discovered in 1945 by 7 cave explorers and opened to the public on 1996. It was absolutely breathtaking. It had open areas that reached up to 60 metres in height. We listened to the english audio of the tour and found out that the stalactites and stalagmites were tens of thousands of years old. The “straws” hang from the ceilings throughout the cave grow 1cm a year and give us an idea of how old the cave and its insides are.

Walking in the cave within the very rare white stalactites and stalagmites.

Just outside the cave entrance is the Pont de Diable so walked the 100 metres or so to take in the views of the river L’Herault and the bridge.

View of Justin and the kids on the Le Pont du Diable.

After the tour of the cave we drove the 3km further to the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert which dates back to the 11th century. The medieval village is in a green setting along the meandering Verdus stream and counts 270 inhabitants. We stopped for lunch in the centre of the village. We sat outside in the warm sun with scenic views of the mountains, I had the best meal so far in France, it was a warmed Camembert cheese with a side salad and a halved potato along with fresh baguette – simple but aaa-maaaazing!!!

My very simple but yummy lunch.

Exploring the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-désert

After lunch we wandered throughout the village and toured the Abbaye de Gellone, 11th century. The Abbey and the pre-romanesque crypt are registered by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. It was one of the best days we’ve had in France so far, just the way the day came together and stumbling across the Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert village was such a treat as it gave off such a peaceful vibe, or maybe it was the half carafe of wine during lunch that gave off the peaceful vibe :-).