Day 5-Wednesday

Day 5-Wednesday

A beautiful day in paradise began with another tasty breakfast on the terrace at Le Mas Pereal; OJ, coffee, pastries, a mixed fruit salad, and waffles with a blueberry sauce.  Magnifique.

Our goal today was to visit the village of Moustiers, famous for it’s ceramics, and then drive along the Gorges du Verdon, which is often referred to as France’s Grand Canyon.  To get there we had about a two hour drive, which weaved through rolling hills of fields of lavender, sunflowers, rapeseed, and wheat.  The importance of farming to the area could not have been more evident.  Sadly, the lavender fields were much more muted this season due to a blight created by some bugs that blew north from Africa.  

Our drive took much longer than anticipated so we decided to skip Moustiers and drive straight to the Gorges du Verdon.  Created in in 1973 by an 11 km dam, Lake Sainte Croix is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in France and is a mecca for rock climbers, kayakers, paddle boarders, bathers, and paragliders.    It’s turquoise water are created by the microscopic algae and fluorine on the bottom of the lake. 

Hollowed out coral limestones dating back to the end of the Jurassic era, the gorges were created 145-150 million years ago.  Incredible. 

Driving along the elevated edge of the lake we looked down on the shimmering waters of Lake Sainte Croix, eventually winding our way to the water’s edge where we dined at a beach front snack shack.  

Paul and Pam's next car!

From the bottom of the lake we then drove along the incredibly steep and scary roads that paralleled the gorges.  The spectacular scenery was well worth the drive.

This moving van stopped traffic as it struggled around the tight curves overlooking the gorges.

Returning to Le Mas Perreal Rosemary and I  relaxed at the pool before heading into nearby Apt for our dinner at Chez Mon Cousin Alphonce’s Pizzeria.  Pizza, salad, anti pasti, and ice cream were our menu for the evening.