Further East of Gordes: Castellane, Sisteron and Vicinity
Now we move our base to Castellane and explore it and the area around it, including Sisteron and the Gorge of the Verdon River.
Just north of the tiny village of Senez is this handsome 17th century hump-back stone bridge.
Castellane
The town of Castellane is a center of tourist activity associated with the Gorges du Verdon. Overlooking the once heavily fortified town is the Notre-Dame-du-Roc chapel (built in 1703), which stands on an outcropping of rock 600 feet high. Below are the church of St-Victor and the clock tower.
Verdon River Gorge (Gorges du Verdon)
The Gorge of the Verdon River is to France what the Grand Canyon is to the United States. The Verdon (a tributary of the Durance River) has cut a canyon as deep as 2,300 feet in some places. Recreational activities in the gorge include hiking, rock-climbing, canoeing and white-water rafting.
These roadside goats show no concern at all about tourists shoving cameras in front of them.
La Palud-sur-Verdon.
Sunflowers (mostly) near Chateauredon
No visit to Provence would be complete without sunflowers. We found these near Chateauredon. OK, so one of them is not actually a sunflower.
Sisteron
Sisteron ("The gateway to Provence") sits next to the Durance River in a narrow valley. The most fortified place in Provence, it is dominated by the Citadelle, built in the 12th century atop a dramatic rock promontory.
