Comps-sur-Artuby to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie; Gorge du Verdon

The guidebook suggested a 6:30 am start to beat traffic at the gorge.  We did not get that early of a start, but we did get going early for us, enough is feel the healthy chill in the air when we started rolling.  The cool morning was great for climbing, and watching for sheep.  We saw this herd of them and a sheepdog which ran down the road straight at Patrick.

We enjoyed views of the gorge, the surrounding hills, and  spectacular bridge that we crossed.  

Anna and Sasha's bikes

 Here I come through a tunnel on a road overlooking the gorge.  I think Anna and Sasha were a little nervous in the tunnel because I heard them sounding their bike horns in there.  This was a section in which we got some attention from two couples that were on the same route with campers.  They were very excited to see us riding our bicycles up there - they had some bicycles with them that they must have been using to travel in less hilly areas.  It is too bad that they language barrier kept us from having a more extensive conversation with them.  We had another half conversation in Spanish with an athletic Italian man who had ridden to the high point from the other direction - and lit up a cigarette when he reached the top. 

 

We enjoyed picnic lunch in a park at the bottom of the descent from the gorge road, then headed further down towards the amazingly blue water of the lake.  Anna had an interest in swimming, so we pulled into a beach area where she took a dip and the rest of us watched a dog that looked like Mocha and people coming in and out of electric boats.  We made a stop at a composting outhouse there which had this interesting diagram regarding instructions for operation of the toilet.  I did not think this warrented showing to other people, but Patrick and Anna found it quite interesting.  Patrick said "engineers will love it."

This is a view of the gorge from a bridge just down the road from the beach.  Looks lovely!  We saw many people heading in there on pedal boats or electric boats.  

We came into Moustiers-Sainte-Marie - very picturesque tourist town- in the mid afternoon when it was quite busy.  It was the sort of place where it was great to have a bicycle as cars have to park outside of town.  It is also a nice place to walk and admire the waterfalls that run through town.  Shopping looked like great fun there but I was steered away from the shops and up into the hills by Patrick and Anna.  It is hard to see in this picture but there is a star hanging from a cable between the rocks and a fascinating little church up there.  You can read about it here.  http://www.moustiers.eu/?Legende-de-l-etoile&lang=en  Sasha napped when Patrick, Anna, and I hiked up to a grotto and the church.   It was quiet above the town and the stones of the church and walls up there were quite interesting.  I loved the tiles on the roof of the church and the collection of ex votos there. 

Here is a view from the path.

The area above the town was so enchanting that Anna and I felt drawn to hike up and up for views of the church, hills, and forest.  Eventually we came to this overlook.
 

 Our room had a patio with a view of the clocktower.  I was thrilled with it and thought it was our best find on Booking.com.  I'm not sure that the others agreed after the bells chimed the hour all night.  The lights behind the church tower illuminate painted tiles for stations of the cross on the path to the church in the hills.

Top food of the day: chevre (goat cheese) and fig