CHURCHES
ON PERCHES - CASTELLANE
Notre Dame du Roc - Napoleon
and the Verdon Gorges
Medieval
monks made a religion of removing themselves from society, but in Southern
France the friars of Our Lady of the Rock (Notre Dame du Roc) in Castellane,
Haute-Provence decided the top of a 1,000 foot peak of igneous stone
was the perfect spot for a chapel. Whether to be closer to God Glorious
or for a better view of the French Alps is your guess. Actually the
orginal village supporting the chapel was at the top of the mountain,
but later came down to its current location, with a magnificent view
of the church perched above. 
To reach it, is a good hike up along the
old wall of the town. About an hour drive from Cannes and the Cote
d'Azure, Castellane is on the
Napoleonic
Road (Route
Napoléon), the path the exiled Bonaparte marched
in two days to the Tulleries in Lyon to return himself to power from
his retirement on the Island of Elba (see also A
Saint, A Chanteuse, An Emperor).
For the Emperor's fans there is a bust of Napoleon along
the
road
at the spot
where he stopped for lunch. But if you're on a road trip through Provence
and don't feel like a spreading out a picnic worthy
of a monument, Castellane is a perfectly quaint little 
French
village with a wonderful outdoor café near the mouth of the
Verdon Gorges, the French version of the Grand Canyon along with hiking,
bicking,
rock climbing and hang-gliding the Gorges near Castellane is a popular
spot for river rafting. I prefer to put my boat in the water, but the
French seem to
insist on
doing
things
their
own
way. The area is a very popular summer vacation spot for the French
and offers some nite Gites for family stays. ©Bargain
Travel Europe
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FORTIFIED
PORTO ERCOLE
FOOTSTEPS OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
FROM
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COLLECTIONS
OF THE LOUVRE
