September 22, 2022
Day 22: Forcalquier to Moustiers Sté. Marie
Windy roads, ups and downs, lavender fields, olive orchards, almonds, and oak forests were the main features of today’s route. Leaving Forcalquier was quick - downhill, but that didn’t last for long.
It was cool until we reached to 8 kilometer climb. Part way up we had to take the arm warmers off. We saw several local cyclists, and we met up with the Canadian couple who are doing the same route we are.
These particular fields and the sun/cloud formations were stunning to look at. The scent was heady, too.
We stopped for our picnic on a bench outside this church. We had a fun conversation (in French) with a local who knew all the places we were going to. He stopped to talk because he was fascinated by the tandem.
We’d heard about this Roman structure and went in search of it after lunch. The base is white marble while the columns are gray granite. Archeologists had a rendering of what they thought this Roman settlement looked like at one time.
We pedaled along until we spied these roof tops.
Further down the road we saw the “best” yard art - we should all have such sculptures!
As we approached Moustiers Sté. Marie the site was spectacular- a village built along the cliff side.
Surprisingly, our Garmin didn’t take us to the village. We actually passed it and started downhill. After a couple of curves we finally found our chambre d’hôtes and hiked the tandem up the steep drive and along the narrow gravel walkways. We’d arrived at Les Oliviers and our host was very welcoming. She’s hosted lots of cyclists over the years, but we’re the first tandem.
After all the usual settling in chores, we headed to the village. It was about a 10 minute walk back uphill to the very touristy village. The earthen ware/pottery seems to be the biggest seller as we walked through. The village is very pretty and the setting is stunning.
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We walked up to the chapel for a closer look.
It was a good 15 minute climb up to the chapel.
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2 years ago
The famous star hangs on a 227 metre chain between two cliffs above the village. Legend has it that a knight taken prisoner during the Crusades vowed that if he ever returned to Moustiers he would hang a silver star above the village. The current star was put in place in 1882. It definitely didn’t look silver to me.
We wandered around the village enjoying the fresh cool air before deciding on a restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed and entrèe of chèvre with honey and salad and a plat of pasta. Chuck’s pasta had foie gras and mine had cèpes. I had a couple of bites of his mousse au chocolat. Afterwards, we had a nice walk downhill back to our room. Another great day in the books!
Stats: 62,8 kilometers 926 meters elevation
Weather alert: Things aren’t looking good for Saturday … our last day when we are supposed to ride into Nice … an episode Mediterranean is developing. This could bring a lot of rain in a short period. Hmmm …
Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 1,764 km (1,095 miles)
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