Small Bears "en Vacances" Part 7: Lavender Fields Forever!

We had reached our last full day aboard the cruise ship on the Rhone and it was time to decide which bear would go on the final excursion.

We asked Grizzly where the humans were all going and he told us that there was going to be a coach ride high up into the Ardeche mountains to see a famous natural rock arch, the Pont d'Arc.  

"Then we are going to a lavender farm," he explained.

That decides it," I said to the other bears.  "Although we would all love to see the gorge, which sounds like it could be great Bear Country, our gardener Endon Bear has to go to the lavender farm."  Hanley agreed, so Endon jumped into the Bear Bag.   Soon the coach was running through lavender fields and, having sharp bear senses, Endon could smell it.

However, the coach didn't stop there, as they were going up into the mountains first.

It's a good thing that Endon isn't afraid of heights as he is a mountaineering bear, because the road into the mountains became very steep and twisty.

They climbed very high, then dropped down into the gorge where the road was quite narrow and even went through some tunnels.  Endon thought the coach driver did an amazing job.

He stopped first at the viewpoint for the Pont d'Arc itself, which he learned had formed when the river had broken through the neck of a meander.  Then the group stopped again for a view across the gorge, where there was a meander that had almost made a full circle.

"One day that might break through and make another Pont d'Arc," said Polar.  "But probably not for thousands of years." 

Heading back down towards the Rhone, they reached the area where the lavender farms were, and pulled into one with a shop and a little museum.

In the museum were old pieces of machinery for distilling lavender oil and some gadgets for humans to put their noses in to help them tell the difference between different types of lavender.  

Endon learned that there was lavender, lavendine and also something called aspic lavender, useful for keeping away mosquitoes and used in local medicines.  

After he had looked around the museum with Polar and Grizzly, he found a little cart to sit on for a few moments, out in the garden where there were different varieties of lavender in bloom, so he could just enjoy the smells and watch beautiful swallowtail butterflies.

Then Polar took him for a walk around the fields, while Grizzly found a shady spot near the cafe to sit down with some pals.  

Endon had never seen so much lovely lavender!

He could see that the ground was very dry and full of little chunks of limestone.  "It's not at all like our soil at home," he said to Polar.  "I would like us to be able to grow some of the different types and colours I've seen here, but I don't think they would be very happy."

"Our soil gets too wet in the winter for this sort of lavender," she explained.  "But, as you like it so much, maybe we could try to grow more lavenders in pots on the patio and around the rose garden?"

Endon thought that would be a lovely idea!

After strolling around the fields for a few more minutes, he and Polar went to the little shop.  Endon made friends with some bears who lived at the lavender farm but were waiting to be adopted.

"There's lots of soap here," they explained (in Bear).  "And some of it is great for bathing small bears, as it's got honey in it."

Endon made sure that Polar bought some, as he thought there would probably have to be a bath day soon after they got home.

Then it was time for a treat - lavender ice cream!  Polar wasn't sure about the taste at first, but found she quite liked it, and Endon loved it!

Endon was sad when it was time to go back to the boat, because he knew this was the last small bear adventure in France he would have, at least for this holiday, and he would have loved to spend more time in the fields with the lavender and the butterflies.  At least he would be cheered up on the way back by the guide, who was Mrs Valerie, the same lady who went on the little train with Hanley.

The coach met the boat at a different wharf to the one they had left, and we had to wait for another boat to leave so we could dock, which allowed Polar to get some pictures of our boat out on the water.

Soon, everyone was back on board and we were cruising up to Lyon, but something strange was happening - it was raining!

"It must be the end of our holiday," said Endon.  But he knew Mrs Valerie and her friends in the Ardeche would be pleased there was some rain, and he hoped they would get plenty more.