C'est Paris!: Encore Provence!

I once heard someone say that you make your own luck --and I took this comment to heart-- and I have become a believer. Our trip to Provence was spectacularly lucky!
As you may have surmised by seeing the pictures of the lavender (and believe me there are many, many more pictures!), that the main purpose of this vacances was to soak up the sensory delights of those lavender fields. The colors, the smell of the lavender, the buzzing of the bees in the otherwise silent fields, the softness of the lavender flowers and the lingering scent on my fingers, the intense blue skies (and yes, lavender reduces stress, anxiety, and promotes relaxation...) --and yet this region of Provence had much more to offer --the Gorges du Verdon, the hilltop town of Moustiers-Ste. Marie, Castellane, Lac St. Croix.... and when I planned the trip, I did not realize (or have any idea that the Gorges du Verdon were second only to the Grand Canyon in length!) how amazing this corner of Provence would be!
The town of Moustiers-Ste. Marie is nestled between two hilltops, and has winding little streets and bridges over the river that cascades from the limestone cliffs. What is most notable is a star, suspended from a chain (a mere 750 feet long) in between these two cliffs, and over the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Beavoir. This chapel is above the town (and yes, also reached by a long winding set of stairs with the Stations of the Cross to contemplate as you catch your breath on the way up --or catch yourself on the way down as all those pilgrims have polished the stones of the steps and path smoother than beach pebbles!)

And the story... a knight, the Crusades, and the promise... and viola! The star!
During one one of the Crusades in the 13th century, a knight of the house/family of Blacas was captured by the Saracens. He made a vow to hang a star between the two cliffs over the village if he returned home. The legend continues that he hung a 16 point star, the symbol of his family. It has fallen and the chain has been replaced several times since, and the star that is hanging now bears the date and the initials of the person who replaced it last, J.Martin: J.M. 1882.
Many of these religious "installations",(oratoires en francais ) like the shrines that adorn many buildings and roadways throughout France and other parts of Europe are the result of vows and prayerful thanksgivings. And the belief of miracles has been the impetus for many pilgrimages. However, the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir was a pilgrimage site different from any I have seen...

The signs explain that the chapel was known since the 9th century when it was referred to as "Notre-Dame d'Entre-Roches (Notre Dame between the Rocks). The chapel was re-named in the 12th century, and became a pilgrimage site due to miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary. These beliefs were encouraged by the Church who gave --or more often sold-- indulgences to the pilgrims. However, in the 17th century, these pilgrimages became "une forme particuliere"... pilgrims would bring still-born children with the belief that they would be resuscitated for several seconds, and they could then be baptized. Being baptized meant that they could be buried in religious cemeteries, and their souls saved from spending eternity in Limbo... and all of us who went to Catholic school or catechism remember the sad pictures of Limbo with all these babies and little kids forever waiting...
Besides indulgences, Moustiers is also famous for its pottery --faience. The technique was brought from Faenza, Italy, by a monk who taught Pierre Clerissey of Moustiers in 1679 how to make these glazed ceramics. The traditional colors are blue on white and combine mythological and hunting scenes among others (some are quite fantastic in their subjects!). Hardly the daily dishes of the common folk, the production of this faience ended in the late 18th century (think Revolution 1789), and the tradition was revived in 1925 by Marcel Provence. Given the number of shops selling these pieces the revival was successful! However, they do have an Italian look about them... like pieces from Italy that were treasured by my grandmother.

Now on to deep thoughts--the Gorges du Verdon!
The river and its tributaries responsible for cutting these deep chasms through the limestone cliffs of Provence is the Verdon. These rivers begin in the Alps which are directly north and east of Provence --the Gorges are actually in the department named Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Dams were built on the Verdon in the late 1960's and early 1970's creating a number of artificial --but beautiful-- lakes as well as producing hydro-power (the lakes were built by EDF --Electricite de France). (I have to date myself --I have a fairly good understading of the geography of Europe, and lakes are mostly in the mountains --Lake Geneva, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Lake Lucerne, etc. Lac St. Croix is a large lake, and it is in Provence which is rather dry. I was feeling a bit embarassed about not recalling a major geographical feature like this --and then I read that it was inauguruated in 1973...)

There are breath-taking drives along both sides of the Gorges and places to hike down to the canyon floor and the river (we did not have the chance to walk down those steps and I did not see the stations of the cross for resting places nor an ancenseur for the trip back up!)

We were so lucky --these ibexes were at the entrance to one of the tunnels and we were able to stop to see them!
There are two exceptional viewing routes --one on the rive droite-- the Routes des Cretes and one on the rive gauche, the Corniche Sublime. One of the most fascinating aspects of these gorges is the orientation of the rock --you can almost sense the pushing and upheaval during those millions of years ago by the dizzying angles of the cliffs and the faults... for safety reasons, I had to forgo taking some rather dramatic photos as the road was narrow and the shoulder was more suitable to flying!