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| The garlic is just so big. |
Woke this morning and had to pull
up another blanket, the first time for so long. Guess we are in the mountains
and the weather has been a little cooler. But the sky was so clear and we were
in for a great day.
Destination was Castellane where
I had seen a really nice Aire beside the Verdun River and right beside the
town. It was a wonderful drive down the D4085 or Napoleon’s Highway as it is
known, not too much traffic. We climbed up from Digne and then continued along
a high valley at 600 metres with steep mountainous hills rising above before
doing a climb to over 1200 metres. It was a great road except near the top
where it got very windy with hairpin bends and overhanging rocks. The views
were amazing. We met a large truck at one of the corners and we had to reverse
so that he could get around. Then he was concerned that he would hit the
overhanging rock and he was a bit irate as we inched our way around him, but
not damage to either vehicles.
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| It was a great drive. |
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| Shortly after this we met a truck - too nervous to take a photo! |
Dropping down to Castellane and
more stunning views of the town nestled into the mountains with a huge rock
overlooking the town, with the Aire located at the bottom. We drove through the
interesting town and found a great spot beside the river and under some trees.
There was a small market in town so when we had settled in we headed back to
it, only a short walk. Had a great time buying olives and other interesting
deli items, including garlic confit. I asked the lady about them and she gave
me one to taste – just so good and bought some. Googled it later and the cloves
are simmered in olive oil for about an hour and they end up still slightly
crunchy but so sweet and evidently are very good for you. Loved them and will
certainly be looking out for more. Also bought a spread which I suspect was artichoke
based, had it at lunch spread on my bread, so good. Picked up the baguette for
lunch then called into a bar beside the square and enjoyed a nice cold vin and
watched all the happenings. Meandered back to Ruakiwi for a late lunch and a
wee siesta….as you do!
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| Dishing out my artichoke spread. |
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| Getting addicted to these! |
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| Garlic confit, just so good. |
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| A lunchtime vino in the square. |
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| Laughed at this couple checking their map in the middle of the roundabout. |
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| Just waiting. |
I walked back into town later in
the afternoon to find an ATM and the local tourist office and meandered through
some of the very narrow streets, one in particular was a real delight lined
with small shops.
Ian is having a few issues, after
the steroid he had in his spine before we left, has worn off. He is not able to
walk as far as he would like, but thankfully the bikes are great so got them
out this afternoon and went for a ride, checking out this really nice town,
only about 5 kms as town is not very big, but enjoyed nosing around.
The sky is such an amazing
colour, a real azure blue. Tomorrow we are driving down to the Mediterranean,
looking forward to seeing the ocean again.
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| A particularly nice Aire. |
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| The monument at the top of the rock, and the amazingly blue sky. |
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