Villages and Gorges

Saturday 13 July
  High above the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a small chapel, Notre Dame de Beauvoir, dating from the 12th Century and only accessible by climbing the 262 stone steps that zigzag up the cliff face. 

The church in Moustiers

The chapel clings to one edge of the ravine that  splits the town in two and suspended across the ravine is a gold star, 1.25 metres in width.  It is thought to have first been put there by knights returning from the crusades - how ever did they do that?  When last renovated, the star was accessed by helicopter!  The cliffs of this amazing landscape have been occupied by man for some 30,000 years and the village itself was established in its current form in the 5th Century by an order of monks.  In the middle ages villagers began making the faience ceramics that Moustiers is now famous for - also for being one of the Plus Beaux Villages, I should add.  The are a number of ateliers and shops selling faience (hand-painted) ware and it is very pretty.

One of the many faience shops in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

So, our plan was to climb up to the chapel before the sun began to shine on the cliffs and indeed we did manage to set off at 8 am and huffed and puffed our way to the top.  The chapel itself is a bit dark and eerie but the views are splendid.  Although we were still shaded from the sun, the valley below was already baking under a cloudless sky and in the distance we could see the blue, blue waters of the Lac de St Croix.

View from the chapel

Back at the hotel we enjoyed a very good breakfast on the terrace and then I headed for the shops which were beginning to open for the day to buy a couple of pieces of faience to bring home.

View from Hotel Bonne Auberge, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

The village was very pleasant at this time of day with some respite from the tourist hordes who arrive for  lunch at the multitude of restaurants.

Ravine which divides the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

At around 11 am we piled into the car and set  off down the hill to the Pont de Galetas where we lined up to hire a pedalo for an hour's trip up the Gorges du Verdon.  This is where the Verdon River flows out of the gorge and into the incredibly blue Lac de St Croix (the river was dammed for hydro electricity and it is now the third largest lake in France).  The Pont de Galetas crosses the river at the entrance to the gorge.

Pont de Galetas, Lac de St Croix and entrance to Gorges du Verdon

Heading up the Gorge

Jess and I volunteered to provide pedal power and we set off up the awe-inspiring gorge where the water is a green/blue due to fluoride and micro-algae.  The cliffs rise up to 700 metres straight out of the water and there are higher peaks behind.  It is possible to drive along the rim but we heard stories of the scariness of this venture and Maree was definitely not a starter.  Anyway it was much more fun to be on the water, especially on a hot sunny day.

Maree and Mel - what a way to travel!

 There were heaps of little canoes and pedalos in the gorge and there was a great spirit of enjoyment amongst all the crews.  Jess had a swim in the cool waters of the gorge and then we pedalled back to base.  Dozens of paragliders were floating down form the heights to land beside the lake.  The Gorges du Verdon, 50 km long,  is France's version of the Grand Canyon and although not as deep it is certainly spectacular.

Jess takes a dip

Waterfall in the Gorge - lots of fun!

 Our next stop, over the hills and closer to the coast, was Tourtour, yes folks another of the Plus Beaux Villages, and well worthy of the title.  It is a remote hilltop village with an enchanting central place shaded by huge plane trees.

Tourtour, Provence

The buildings here are more Mediterranean in character than those we have seen in other villages and the views are far reaching, even in the heat haze that seems common at this time of year.  We had our lunch in a pretty family restaurant and then took time to stroll through the streets and enjoy the atmosphere - the place was lively but not overrun, a very chilled out kind of village.

Downtown Tourtour - who could resist?

We were now faced with a longer drive to Lourmarin than expected ( had we not visited Tourtour).  Our route was through hills, forests and farmland - quite a twisty, narrow road so slow going.
We were very pleased to arrive at our townhouse on the edge of Lourmarin which is on the southern edge of the Luberon Mountains (Peter Mayle, of A Year in Provence fame, really put this area on the map). Our accommodation is spacious, modern but in the Provencale style, extremely comfortable and beautifully decorated.  Best of all we have a lovely private terrace and garden - I can see us eating outdoors all the time.  A small lane leads us directly into the heart of the village (Plus Beaux again) - about a five minute walk.  We made a mad dash to the Super U for supplies and then had a stroll around town - lots of people out and about on a Saturday night and live music in the  square in honour of Bastille Day which is tomorrow.

WIndow as art?  Village house in Tourtour - love it!