This morning we finally got a chance to explore the charming town of Saint-Remy de Provence (so far we had really only appreciated its sleepy night-time charm). We had an amazing morning strolling along the cobbled boulevards, under the shade of century-old trees, wander around the narrow little streets, discovering squares and fountains. We took full advantage of its beauty and the quiet morning atmosphere, and had ourselves a mini photoshoot.

We said goodbye to this charming town and headed off to the The Gorges du Verdon or, as it is sometimes called, The Grand Canyon of Europe. Over millions of years, the Verdon and Jabron Rivers have carved deep valleys in the limestone plateau, all the way to the foothills of the Alps. The drive itself was nothing short of stunning, so we were not really sure what to expect when we actually arrived.

We started with a spectacular road trip round the rim of the gorge (mostly by accident). We climbed higher and higher up winding, narrow roads, next to sheer, plunging cliffs (in some places 700m high). As we climbed, the view just continued to get better until we saw the turquoise blue water. No words or pictures could do that view justice. We simply had to pull over to take it all in. We climbed higher and stopped at the next few vantage points. Only from here could we get a proper sense of the brain-googling size of the gorge.

We decided to drive back down and stop at Lac de Sainte-Croix. Right at the beginning of the Verdon Gorge. We pulled out our packed lunch and enjoyed a delicious picnic before finally enjoying the experience of swimming. The only worry we had was deciding whether the water was fresh or cold (our code for water temperatures was becoming finely tuned, despite the fact that we could never actually agree). I would honestly say this is one of the must-see natural wonders of France.

Our experience of the gorge was only made more special by the people we met, or watched from a distance (less creepy than it sounds, I promise. We met the most lovely lady who was playing in the water with her dog (and absolutely loving it) but my favourite people where three ladies who seemed to be in their 60s maybe? I am terrible with ages. However, we instantly saw ourselves in them from their actions. One (Roisin’s match) was the first to jump in the water, splashing around, last out of the water and then the most covered up when they went to sit back on the beach. The second (Max’s match) was very tentative getting in the water, splashing her arms and body before getting in and then lapping up all the sun once on the beach. The third (my match) was somewhere in the middle and taking photos. The best part of all was that they seemed to be having a ball together – we hoped aloud that we would be laughing, holidaying and playing together when we get to their age (whatever age that may be).

When we finally mustered up enough enthusiasm to leave this picture-perfect spot, we jumped back in the car and made our way to Hyères to spend the night. It was Max’s turn to take the drivers seat, and I am sure you can tell from the picture below that she hated every moment.  She did an amazing job, especially when we ended up on a single lane bridge with a car racing towards us, with the driver looking aggressive! Even as we were reversing, he kept coming closer and closer. Max kept her cool, and was a champion reverser while Roisin and I exclaimed over and over how weirdly aggressive the other driver was being…

We arrived in Hyères (and at our Ibis hotel – yay we love Ibis) and settled in. We had really only chosen to stay here because of the proximity to the island of Porquerolles, but I really enjoyed our walk around the medieval Vieille Ville (Old Town). We managed to see more of the city walls, lovely architecture and narrow streets than we had planned because we could not find the restaurant we wanted to eat at. Then we discovered it was take-away only. Still, the cute town helped settled our rumbling tummies as we made our way back to a restaurant we had spotted earlier. Eating at Pizzeria Napoli ended up being a blessing in disguise. The food was delicious, soooo cheap, the service was excellent and the lovely chefs even divided up our two pizzas onto three plates – easiest sharing experience ever!!