15th of November 2016. After a day in Avignon, we drive back to Switzerland with a detour to Châteauneuf du Pape which is just some 20 minutes away from Avignon.

This is the château or castle of Châteauneuf du Pape. Hm, I am disappointed. For the excellent wine that is produced here, I had expected a majestic castle. And I find this small castle.

The first consuls and treasurers of Châteauneuf du Pape from 1756-1790 indicate an old tradition.

In the small village with the French charm, we buy a bottle of Châteauneuf du Pape: Le Vieux Donjon by Michel Lucien.

We have two espressos in a restaurant that is closed – this is French charm. The lady owner tells us the route to explore more vineyards – and we follow her advice. Here are some impressions from our explorations – vineyards in autumn colour.

Then we leave the vineyards, continue our way to Orange, catch the motorway and drive directly to Monthey in Switzerland. We stop quickly in France to buy what we need to cook Spaghetti. We share the meal with our friends and have one of the bottles from Montsant. There is so much to tell – we had wonderful late autumn days in Catalonia and in France.