Long ago (1988) I moved to Berkeley and started sending a monthly "newsletter" to my Boston friends. When I returned to Boston (1993), I continued the tradition for about five more years (or until I had kids). Looking back, I realize that I was actually blogging. Each newsletter contained anywhere from a few to several blog posts. Having been silent for the past decade or so, I've decided to resume these activities. Don't expect anything profound -- I tend to focus on what I find entertaining or amusing and perhaps sometimes informative. We shall see!
Showing posts with label Verdon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Verdon. Show all posts

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Live from Regusse: It's the Lower Verdon Gorges

As if we weren't gluttons enough for punishment yesterday. Today we set out for a more mellow hike, The Lower Verdon Gorges walk. This was only about a 20 minute drive from the house (a request from me) and went along an old canal and the lower part of the Verdon Gorge and then rapidly climbed up to the top of an impressive wall and then along the top and eventually a fairly slow descent. All told, just a bit over 2.5 hours and way less impressive statistics: 18,000 steps, 7 miles and only 63 floors

The most spectacular thing about this walk is how vividly you can see the color of the water.




At the end of the hike, we ended up high enough to see the gorge as well as the dam, just a bit off to the right, not to mention the picturesque village across the hill.





After we finished our hike (18,000 steps; 7 miles; 63 floors all in 2 hours 45 minutes), we took a double kayak up through the gorge where we had hiked. It was aimply stunning (as well as wonderfully cooling).

And then, of course, we came back to the house so we could watch the consolation match: Sweden versus England. Sweden looked the more powerful and intimidating the first half and took a 2-0 lead after 22 minutes; England then came back like gangbusters with a gorgeous goal in the 31st minute and what looked to be a second goal only minutes later. But in a deja vu moment, the ref motioned the VAR signed, reviewed the play and determined (correctly, IMHO) that there had been a handball. This must have been devastating after what happened in the US game (goal disallowed due to an offsides by a hairbreadth margin).

The second half looked eerily like many of the recent US games, with Sweden compacting back into a 5-person defensive line and simply taking a pummeling. However, as the US has done, Sweden held fast and the 2-1 score held until the end. Tough break for England, happy day for Lindahl (keeper) who is probably playing in her last world cup.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Live from Regusse: It's the Blanc Martel Trail

No soccer today, you'd think it would be a day of rest? Alors!

Yesterday, we drove from Lyon down to the beautiful small town of Regusse, in the heart of Provence. Becks found us a fantastic two bedroom AirBnb with a luxurious bathroom, a washer and dryer, a swimming pool, and the most delightful hosts imaginable. They made it feel like a combination of a real BnB as well as being guests in someone's home. Highly recommended!

Anyway, Becks had identified, and our hosts confirmed, that the hike to do was the Blanc Martel Trail through the Verdon Gorge. Here is a snapshot of what we did:

Basically, we hiked down a deep deep gorge, went up  and down a lot (more than I expected) and the hiked back up. Total stats: 4.5 hours 28,000 steps, 11.8 miles, and 149 "ascending flights."

Here are some photos of the view from various elevations:

View down the gorge from about half way up.down.
View of the river from almost the bottom
Looking down the gorge from somewhere near the top
At the end, we went through a long tunnel and this was one of the lookouts Vertical view of the lake leading into the gorge
On the drive home, we stopped at the lookout to see the lake