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Solar Tour 2008 –Day 9: 8 years ago in May 2000 we have been camping in Les Salles-sur-Verdon. Back then in a small tent and our dog Jill was only 2 years old. Les Salles-sur-Verdon is a brand new town, which was created after the original historic village (mentioned in 1038) was destroyed when the Lac de Sainte-Croix was flooded with water. We returned to get some of the most delicious bread we have ever had. In 2008, each morning Chris went to the bakery and got fresh olive rolls, which were like small ciabata breads, filled with black olives. Since then we have tried to find and make breads like those olive rolls from Les Salles-sur-Verdon. We were looking forward to get the originals again. The campground Camping “La Source” was still there and it was nice to be back at a familiar place, but we were not able to get those olive rolls in town. Obviously in 8 years some things have changed.

Solar Tour 2008 – Day 9: Soon after Trigance, we reached the Verdon Gorge, the world’s second largest gorge with a length of 25 kilometers and up to 700 meters deep. We’ve visited this impressive canyon a couple of time before but each time it is worth the visit. It is just breathtaking to see the ravine, which the turquoise-green Verdon river has cut through the limestone.

The Verdon river flows into the artificial Sainte-Croix lake, which was our final destination for the day. In les Salles-sur-Verdon we wanted to stay on a campground were Chris and I have been many years before on one of our first trips.

Solar Tour 2008 – Day 9: On our way to the Verdon Gorge and the St. Croix lake, we passed a sign about an old medieval village called Trigance. As it was just a small detour and since we needed fresh bread for dinner we decided to give it a try. The old village, first mentioned in 814, is situated underneath an imposing castle and is mostly car free. An historical and a botanical path guide the visitor through the Trigance, which has one church and two chapels on a population of 150. We didn’t find an open bakery.

Solar Tour 2008 – Day 9: When we arrived at the Côte d’Azur, we came through Tourrettes-sur-Loup. At that time there was a pottery market and the town looked interesting enough to visit it again. It was just a short drive from Pont-du-Loup but once in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, again we had a hard time finding a parking space. Most regular car parks were not accessible for a motor home like ours. The old medieval center of the town itself was touristy with many craft and fashion stores but still had some charm. As we arrived around lunchtime almost all stores were closed and we didn’t feel like waiting.

At this point we’ve had enough of the Côte d’Azur. It was just too busy and touristic for us. Since we were in the middle of our tour, we had to start thinking about the route back. We had reached the furthest point of our trip.

Solar Tour  2008 – Day 9: Since Grasse is known for its perfume industry, we’ve been wondering where all the flowers and other ingredients are coming from. Not far away from Gourdon, a small perfumery – La Source Parfumee – has opened its garden to the public. Truly is was the source of the perfume. When we visited, they were harvesting the lavender and also gave us some as present. The garden also has two viewing points into the Gorges-du-Loup, by itself already a reason for a visit. The best time to see this garden is probably in spring and early summer.
We also wanted to visit the Gorges-du-Loup and the Cascade de Courmes but again it was impossible to park our motor home anywhere, so we left and returned to Pont-du-Loup, where we’ve already been earlier in the morning.

Solar Tour 2008 – Day 9: Gourdon is an old medieval perched village high above the Gorges-du-Loup with a great panoramic view over more than 80 kilometers of coastline. One of our guidebooks describes it as a village, that has ‘turned itself into an unofficial theme park‘. We had to agree. The old center is packed with souvenir and craft shops, offering countless variations of Provence kitsch. We were able to get away without buying anything. More interesting about Gourdon is the restored castle with museum and garden, laid out by André Le Nôtre, who was responsible for the construction of the park of the Palace of Versailles.