Les Gorges de l'Ardeche April 4

I awoke in the morning to what appeared to be a nice day in the making, a bit of fog, but with the expectation of a clear sky after a night of thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. I packed up and went to the petit dejeuner in the dining room with the other guests. Again I was told 8:30 AM without an ending time which in my culture means that you arrive at 8:30 AM or miss the boat. In France it must mean that if you arrive before that time, you will not be served, but coming later is more the norm. I was again the first guest in the dining room.
An interesting twist at many dinners and breakfasts in hotels in France, and possibly elsewhere, is that the hosts determine where you will sit for your meals before you arrive. In this auberge, the place was marked with a lovely silver marker on which was imprinted the number of my room. I ordered my coffee (un grand café crème) and was brought the customary croissant and baguette with butter and jam and orange juice. In France, the chances of coming across sausage and eggs, pancakes, or waffles is about as low as you can imagine. Wherever you happen to be, the French serve you the same breakfast: café, orange juice, baguette, and croissant. You can get a fried egg on the side if you happen to be at a restaurant with cooking facilities and a chef on hand, but don’t get your hopes up.
I packed up the car and set off for the gorges. I was on the road before the crowds of the afternoon. It was Easter Sunday, but there was little vestige of what I would consider normal for such an important holiday in the states. In France there is no influx of adorned attendees at the cathedrals or children in their best finery complete with white gloves and decorated eggs. It is more of a spring break than anything else.
As I left the auberge I realized to my amazement that the hotel I had happened upon was the last chance at a hotel until the actual gorges where camping was the norm along with hairpin turns and steep ravines. What luck!
The gorges take about 2-3 hours to cover including a great number of stops to view the sites. It’s a lovely area. It opens one’s eyes to the wonders of France where the prevailing sense is that the country consists of rolling farmland and vineyards. Check it out if you have the chance. This is a great place for kayaks and canoes.