Ice Vests

Dayle in Limoux – Day #9

July 13, 2022

F

I

R

E

W

O

R

K

S

‼️

Pre-Bastille Day celebrations! I thought the U.S. knew how to do up fireworks. My lord. Incroyable! So many from Limoux gathered at the river with a canoe parade before the fireworks with lights and torches. I was able to see them right from my little balcony. Couldn’t believe the display; a 20-minute grand-finale. So fun! In the square before the celebrations for liquid nourishment since the temp dropped to a cool 90 at 8:30 pm.

Blanquet de Limoux, the f i r s t champagne. Sorry, Dom. We know where you found your champagne. It was the monks.

In the south of Carcassonne is a place called Limoux, next to this is the beautiful abbey of St. Hilaire. An abbey is a type of monastery that is used by members of a religious order. The St. Hilaire Abbey is one of the most renowned monasteries of the Aude department in Languedoc. Long ago, the monks produced a type of sparkling wine which Limoux became known for: the Blanquette de Limoux.

History regarding one of the most beautiful abbeys in France
The history regarding the Abbey of St. Hilaire dates back to the 8th century.

In 1531 a monk from the Abbey of St. Hillaire discovered how to make the sparkling wine that Limoux would become known for: the Blanquette de Limoux. As discovered in 1531 the sparkling Banquette de Limoux is therefore much older than Champagne, which was discovered by Dom Pérignon in 1668.

Considering its history, the Blanquette de Limoux is the most famous wine in the city, it is made from Mauzac grape, which provides a unique taste of apples.

Très délicieux!

La Lune is full. Fireworks to the left of me, moon to the right, here I am stuck in the middle in Limoux!

Bonus:

And fires are flaring in France, too.

The planet is burning. The heat is extreme. 99 degrees here in Limoux today. Tomorrow and deep into next week, triple digits. How are the Tour de France bikers tolerating this. Pre-race the Jumbo Visma team was donning ice vests.

I could have used one of those today and I wasn’t climbing the Col du Galibier. Hydration!

Another intense day tomorrow for Tour de France étape 12, the Iconic Alpe d’Huez for Bastille Day. Brutal. Stage 11 was intensely hot and full of seemingly never ending climbs. And so incredibly exciting–strategies and surprises! Have to share. This is how intense the stage was today. Lance and George watching earlier:

When seasoned pros who know cycling upside down and inside out, this was pretty telling. Incredibly fun to watch and to be in France DURING the Tour de France is craziness! L O V E

The fires burning in the region are near Bordeaux. From The Independent/UK:

Apocalyptic wildfires tear through Bordeaux forest as
two major forest fires have devastated a natural region close to Bordeaux, ravaging nearly 1,000 hectares of pine forest.

Around 6,000 people have been evacuated from the tourist area of Pilat, close to the city and an additional 150 people were evacuated from Landiras due to another blaze.

Footage shared by the local fire service shows the apocalyptic blaze ripping through the forest, filling the orange sky with smoke.

Southwestern France is currently going through an intense heatwave with temperatures around Bordeaux, reaching near 40C.

40 C is 104 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s Limoux’s forecast this weekend, too.

We have to save it now. 🌏 She’s tired of waiting for us, and her impatience with the human species is showing. Gaia has given us so many chances.

Remember, love is everywhere.

Demain! 

❀