Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

The Verdon Gorge (aka "Grand canyon du Verdon") is a beautiful river canyon. It is about 25 kilometres long and really deep. It was formed by the Verdon river. The most impressive part lies between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Here the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 metres through the limestone mass. The Verdon-river seen from the lookout "Balcon de la Mescla".

The Verdon Gorge (aka "Grand canyon du Verdon") is a beautiful river canyon. It is about 25 kilometres long and really deep. It was formed by the Verdon river. The most impressive part lies between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Here the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 metres through the limestone mass. The Verdon-river seen from the lookout "Balcon de la Mescla". After a hike of several hours, the swimmers have reached the beach down below the "balcon".

The Verdon Gorge (aka "Grand canyon du Verdon") is a beautiful river canyon. It is about 25 kilometres long and really deep. It was formed by the Verdon river. The most impressive part lies between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Here the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 metres through the limestone mass. The Verdon-river seen from the lookout "Balcon de la Mescla". After a hike of several hours, the swimmers have reached the beach down below the "balcon".

The Verdon Gorge (aka "Grand canyon du Verdon") is a beautiful river canyon. It is about 25 kilometres long and really deep. It was formed by the Verdon river. The most impressive part lies between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Here the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 metres through the limestone mass. Some areas of the canyon are remote and hard to access, the more accesssable areas are very "touristic". Note the many kayaks on the river.

The Verdon Gorge (aka "Grand canyon du Verdon") is a beautiful river canyon. It is about 25 kilometres long and really deep. It was formed by the Verdon river. The most impressive part lies between Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Some areas of the canyon are remote and hard to access, the more accesssable areas are very "touristic". The busy entrance to the Verdon Gorge seen from the bridge. The Verdon here enters the (man made) "Lac de Sainte-Croix".

The road, that since 1913 runs through the Barles Canyon, was cut by a landslide in the early 20th century, what led to the formation of a lake in the "clue". British land-artist Andy Goldsworthy worked in this area. His works are connected by a 150 kms long trail. www.refugedart.fr/refuge-d-art.php?la=en&rr=2&ind...

"Chez Fred" offers pizze in Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban. Even late at night.

The "Gorges de la Méouge", east of Barret-sur-Méouge, is 7 kms long gorge carved by the Méouge river through the limestone rock of the Hautes-Alpes. The gorge has wild shapes, small sandy beaches, huge polished pebbles, water holes and waterfalls, so it is very popular and attracts many tourists.

The "Gorges de la Méouge", east of Barret-sur-Méouge, is 7 kms long gorge carved by the Méouge river through the limestone rock of the Hautes-Alpes. The gorge has wild shapes, small sandy beaches, huge polished pebbles, water holes and waterfalls, so it is very popular and attracts many tourists.

A warm summer night in Avignon is very pleasant with a bottle of chilled rosé.

The village was erected encircling the castle, that was founded within the 12th century. The structure went through some major overhauls in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it got the silhouette seen today. Damaged during the French Revolution, it was rebuilt in the 1920s, but then was set on fire by German troops in 1944 - and restored again. The wine that grows in the foreground is "Côtes du Ventoux". More prestigious wine are produced nearby. "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" is about 30kms west, "Vacqueyras" and "Gigondas" are about 15kms northwest.

The legendary Mont Ventoux (1912 m. high). Petrarca climbed up and described it in 1336. I knew the mountain, dubbed the "Giant of the Provence" ("Géant de Provence") since I followed the "Tour de France". During the Tour the mountain is often called the "Beast of the Provence", as it is the scene scene of one of the most grueling climbs in bike race. In 1967 the British cyclist Tom Simpson died here, a victim of heat exhaustion and amphetamin drugs. Some years later Eddy Merckx collapsed just after the finish. Marco Pantini won the stage in 2000. He only survived for four years and was found dead in a hotel room in 2004. - British author Tim Moore whote a very humrous book about the Tour the France. He just got out his city bike out of the garage and started to find our how dificult is the Tour. His book is titled "French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France". And as the Tour is much harded, than he had expected, he has to find ways to cheat a bit around the mountains.

The parish existed here already in medieval times. Around 1000 the church was "transferred" to Cluny. They abbey founded a priory here and parts of the tower may still date back to that time. When the church of today was erected mid 19th century, a christian tomb, dated to the 7th century, was excavated on the spot.

Isola is known by sportspeople, as nearby is a ski resort named Isola 2000, that was opened in the early 1970s. The Romanesque bell tower from the 13th century. It is the last remnant of the former St. Peter's Church, which has disappeared.

St. Blaise was erected within the 13th century as the church of the former "Abbaye de Valbonne" = vallis bona), founded in 1199 by monks of the Chalaisian Order, that was flourishing in Southern France at that time. From 1285 on the abbey belonged to the Benedictine order. It got dissolved in 1788. The parish of the village that had grown around the monastery from the 16th century on uses the church since then. The tower was added to the otherwise humble church in the 19th century.

Notre-Dame-de-Sardaigne was mentioned the first time in a bull of Pope Innocent II (1130-1143). Upto 1720 the building was used as a parish church, then it got obviously too small and became the chapel of the cemetery.

Notre-Dame-de-Sardaigne was mentioned the first time in a bull of Pope Innocent II (1130-1143). Upto 1720 the building was used as a parish church, then it got obviously too small and became the chapel of the cemetery.

Notre-Dame-de-Gratemoine is the remnant of a priory that belonged to the Lérins Abbey, an important abbey that was located on the island Saint-Honorat, off Cannes. The priory was mentioned in 1060. The church of the priory, erected in the 11th century probably had three bays, of which two may have been demolished during the Wars of Religion. The Lérins abbey sold the priory in 1646 to the Lord of Séranon and for a while was used by the parish.