More Route Napoleon, Gap to the Riviera, (July 6 to 10)
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South
from Gap the climate and landscape became suddenly Mediterranean. |
Suddenly, at Sisteron, the wide, flat valley narrows where the river squeezes between two massive outcroppings. On one side, the Citadel...
...on the other side, a huge, angry-looking fold of limestone. It's called "La Porte de Provence": the gateway to Provence. |
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Adventure playground at the youth centre in Sisteron. |
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Geraniums
in Digne-les-Bains, I arrived early in the afternoon and went for a swim at the municipal pool: Les Bains des Aux Chauds [Pools of the Warm Water] |
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Commemoration
of |
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Les
Clues à Chabrières. Can't find 'clue' in any french dictionary but it appears to mean 'a narrow road' !! |
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A
bridge,said to date to roman times, at Senez, spanning the river Asse
de Blieux It's not much more than two metres wide; a car could crawl across, most trucks couldn't. |
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A
bit further up the road... "Avertisseur Sonore Obligatoire" [Sound your Horn!!] before going into La Clue de la Roche Percèe [pierced rock] ... |
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... and out the other side. |
Top of the Col des Leques | ![]() |
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![]() and down, down, down to Castellane. |
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Why nobody goes to church in Castellane. | ||
Outdoor air-conditioning at a restaurant in Castellane. Every twenty seconds or so,a burst of fine, cool spray. It does keep the terrace cool, but it's a bit irritating. | ![]() |
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The game continued until about 1:30 in the morning. This is from my hotel room window.
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Boules in the town square at Castellane. | ||
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Next
morning, July 9, looking back at that church. No, there isn't an easy way up. |
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In
a high valley south of Castellane, the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Gratemoine. |
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The
Riviera. Thirty kilometeres distant and 1.3km down. In
the forground, Grasse; beyond, Frejus and St. Raphael. To the left, my destintion, Cannes. |
Next: The Riviera