I only spent half a day in Moustier, but it was such a beautiful little village, (and I took so many photos) that I figure it deserves its own post.
Moustier is an old village, possibly as close as the bus will take you to the Verdon gorge, (or perhaps, the nice people in the visitor information places misled me... The village is pearched on the side of some pretty steep and impressive rock, with a stream flowing out of the mountains and through its middle.
I arrived at the bus stop, and the bus driver kindly pointed me up the hill toward the village. I l wandered up there, and the first thing i saw was hundreds of middle aged tourists... once I had fought my way through them, found the all-important boulangerie (eventually I saw a man carrying a baguette and harassed him until he told me where he he'd bought it) and then the information centre, where the Lady was kind enough to let me leave my large pack, gave me a map, and recommended some tracks for me to walk around. I started out on the 3 hour loop, (which would have taken me about 1 hour if i hadn't stopped for a couple of hours in a chapel half way up the hill, and then continued walking up the valley where none of the other tourists seemed capable of venturing.
When I reached the top of the hill, I had time to eat some bread and ponder a little.., after some pondering, I decided that i should actually look at the map I had been given, and quickly realised that I was no longer on it... I did, however, read a little local history, the story behind the star hanging over the valley, above the chapel. While imprisoned in some far away country during a war, one of the villagers swore that if he ever returned to the village, he would hang a star above it. Since the day that he returned, there has always been a star hanging there. every 50 years or so, the chain rusts, and a new star is erected, varying in size from 60cm to 1.5m. (I'd hate to be under the star or chain when it rusts through.)
I had been going to meet Matthieu and Gary at around midday, but as was the way for this trip, they didn't end up arriving until after 6pm. I enjoyed some much-needed “alone time” that day, and really didn't mind the delay.
Moustier is an old village, possibly as close as the bus will take you to the Verdon gorge, (or perhaps, the nice people in the visitor information places misled me... The village is pearched on the side of some pretty steep and impressive rock, with a stream flowing out of the mountains and through its middle.
I arrived at the bus stop, and the bus driver kindly pointed me up the hill toward the village. I l wandered up there, and the first thing i saw was hundreds of middle aged tourists... once I had fought my way through them, found the all-important boulangerie (eventually I saw a man carrying a baguette and harassed him until he told me where he he'd bought it) and then the information centre, where the Lady was kind enough to let me leave my large pack, gave me a map, and recommended some tracks for me to walk around. I started out on the 3 hour loop, (which would have taken me about 1 hour if i hadn't stopped for a couple of hours in a chapel half way up the hill, and then continued walking up the valley where none of the other tourists seemed capable of venturing.
When I reached the top of the hill, I had time to eat some bread and ponder a little.., after some pondering, I decided that i should actually look at the map I had been given, and quickly realised that I was no longer on it... I did, however, read a little local history, the story behind the star hanging over the valley, above the chapel. While imprisoned in some far away country during a war, one of the villagers swore that if he ever returned to the village, he would hang a star above it. Since the day that he returned, there has always been a star hanging there. every 50 years or so, the chain rusts, and a new star is erected, varying in size from 60cm to 1.5m. (I'd hate to be under the star or chain when it rusts through.)
I had been going to meet Matthieu and Gary at around midday, but as was the way for this trip, they didn't end up arriving until after 6pm. I enjoyed some much-needed “alone time” that day, and really didn't mind the delay.
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