Regardless of staying up the night time earlier than till midnight getting tipsy on Provençal wine and stargazing on our cabin porch, Andy and I really feel refreshed.
Our AirBnB host Laure has ready an al fresco breakfast of bread, toast and 10+ completely different do-it-yourself preserves.
Sipping espresso and munching on fig-coated baguette, nothing however horses and countryside in my imaginative and prescient, I really feel excited to discover nature in Southern France.
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France Journey Video
Earlier than we dive into visiting France’s Verdon Gorge, I’ve acquired a France journey video for you:
Watch it above!
The video showcases our journey street tripping from Good to Marseille, with a lot of enjoyable in between! This itinerary is ideal for each these exploring in a gaggle and people having fun with solo journey in France.
Taking a break from life at a quiet horse farm
Verdon Gorge
The horse farm AirBnB is the proper start line, as at this time we’re visiting Verdon Gorge, a 25-kilometer (16-mile) lengthy river canyon identified for being being one among Europe’s most stunning pure points of interest.
It dates again to the Triassic Interval (250-200 million years in the past), and also you’ll see proof from limestone and coral deposits in addition to striated rock that this a part of France was once underneath water.
In a while, glaciers created an much more dramatic panorama by opening up deep gorges.
My babe and I within the Verdon Gorge
After studying up on Verdon Gorge we deem Moustiers-Sainte-Marie on the western finish of the gorge to be the place to go.
Laure agrees, noting that the 2 sides of the gorge look fully completely different. We are saying “au revoir” and head off, taking Freeway D952 — a scenic winding cliffside freeway — towards our vacation spot.
Out of the blue a flash of vibrant nearly neon inexperienced seems out of the nook of my eye:
The Verdon River.
It peeks by way of open patches of tree, till the street and my view are fully unobstructed. Wow!
By Land Or River?
Out of the blue we come to a bridge stretching over the river and connecting two of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azuz Area’s (PACA) six departments, the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
I can’t assist however really feel like we’ve diversified our itinerary by strolling over the bridge, including a number of locations to our journey in a matter of moments.
Furthermore, peeking over the bridge’s edge we’re rewarded with the postcard-worthy views we’d seen on-line, noticing the plethora of tourists boating on the waters.
It’s a serene scene that rapidly adjustments our exercise selection from mountain climbing to kayaking.
Kayaking the Verdon Gorge
From the bridge we simply drive all the way down to an enormous seaside, tour operators renting a spread of non-motorized sporting tools (although we additionally see small motorized boats on the water).
Our kayak prices 26 Euros (~$29 USD) complete to hire for 2 hours.
Being enveloped within the gorge, its verdant waters offering us each a transport medium and a spot to chill off, is a novel expertise.
We paddle underneath bridges, by way of caves, handed small areas for climbing and leaping, and alongside small seashores excellent for picnicking (so deliver some bread, cheese, wine and possibly some Provençal nougat).
Persons are pleasant and share their goodies, which we be taught once we’re provided photographs of whiskey from a passing canoe of Swiss vacationers.
Verdon Gorge accomplished proper! Making mates over whiskey.
The Verdict On Verdon
Verdon Gorge has such an awesome vibe.
Is it touristy?
Sure.
However whereas there are a lot of individuals having fun with the river I additionally really feel we’ve loads of alternatives to steal some alone time.
Observe:
The sooner you go the higher probability you could have at much less crowds.
Splashing my boyfriend within the gorge
France’s Most Stunning Village
We return our kayak and stroll to the seaside’s edge for a brief swim — chilly! — earlier than persevering with on to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
Whereas we don’t see the quite a few canyon actions or the intense inexperienced waters there, we’re blown away by the fantastic thing about the village and its out of doors eateries, Provençal speciality retailers and slender winding roads showcasing pastel buildings with tiled roofs.
This commune within the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence division dates again 30,000 years, although the village in its present state dates again to the fifth century when the Lérins abbey monks moved into the native caves and constructed a monastery.
The breathtaking Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Oh, and the views.
From our (free) parking spot we overlook a river and a waterfall.
The sting of city is lined with flower-adorned fences, whereas the backdrop is terraced olive bushes and limestone cliffside with the Romanesque Notre Dame de Beauvoir — which you’ll hike as much as in about quarter-hour from city by way of 262 stone steps — standing strikingly above the surroundings.
We wander out and in of outlets promoting pure lavender soaps, rose perfumes, calisson sweets (an Aix-en-Provence delicacy) and native pottery — the specialty of the commune — till we discover Atelier des Fontaines, the place we cease for a budget-friendly lunch.
Two coffees, one La Chouffe beer, a large savory crepe with fries and salad, a chop steak with fries and salad, and a three-scoop ice cream bowl come to 30 Euros complete (~$34 USD). Yum!
A yummy and budget-friendly lunch in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
A Buzz-Worthy Ending
We finish the day as we do day by day of our South of France street journey, with wine.
Particularly at Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze in close by Villecroze within the Var division.
The sampling is 5 luscious native reds, some single varietal cabernet sauvignons, and blends of cab, grenache and syrah for tastes of tobacco and blackberries. It’s a deliciously dizzying expertise.
That is the South of France; beginning your day having fun with native flavors on a horse farm earlier than driving to who-knows-where and making epic discoveries alongside the way in which.
Once I awakened I merely knew I’d see a reasonably river; however by the tip of the day I’d skilled a lot extra.
Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze
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