´We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories... And those that carry us forward, are dreams.´

Uber Mortlock:

Packing up and moving on we keep heading east and towards the Italian border..
Next stop after a longer than expected drive is Greoux les Bains. Not on the radar, but the only place to have a campsite not booked up, and looking half decent. The town is as you would expect very quaint and typically french. It sits along a beautiful river nestled in the valley, and with a nice cafe on the river banks, how could this be a bad place to relax for a few. Setting up camp we hit the trails and after taking a wrong turn had a hell of a climb on two feet ahead of us, the heat didn´t help much either. Determined to find the right trail we persevered and were on the bikes again. Much of the country side around the area is full of lavender and poppy fields, they look beautiful set against a rich blue sky and snow capped mountains in the distance. Still, there is a mild chill in the air from those mountains as the wind sweeps over and down to the valley. We did stumble across two huge solar  farms here, and on the way up, the first nuclear power plant I have even seen. A stark contrast as one was surrounded with high security fencing and on the scale of a small town. The other was very open and with little or no impact on the surrounding landscape, I can imagine which the locals opt for.. Probably the job driven prospects of nuclear energy..
None the less every evening was closed with a sunset that rivaled those of the Wellington south coast. A bright pink sky that faded and turned a crimson red as the night went on. Awesome and awe inspiring.

I felt sorry for the Teddy Bears who have to hang out in the sun and rain, but maybe they like it..

So it was time to move on as we have much to explore and given the weather, we are still marching east. Next stop was to be Sospel in the Alpine region, but having come along and over the French Grand Canyon, we decided to stop of in a town that never featured on our radar, Castellane. But what a trip over to here. The sheer scale of the canyon was mind blowing. Fearing that we may continue straight ahead on the twisty road along the canyon and take a quick route to the bottom, we crawled along at a snails pace. Even the numerous motorbikes and sports cars didn´t seem to mind. a small lapse in concentration would result in a swift but scenic plunge to the bottom, and man was it a long way down. Undeterred were may cyclists who braved the steep climbs, even if we did near have one nearly perform his last act portraying a fly admiring the windscreen, at high speed.
A picture does indeed paint a thousand words, so i´ll leave it up to you to oohh, & aahhh at the photos within. Enjoy..

Scenes from the roadside.

With camp set up, tomorrow we will hit the trails, although it may be a long hard slog judging by the terrain surrounding the village.

See if you can spot the church on top on the hill.. But don´t get distracted by the blue butterfly.

The next day in Castellane to Cannes
Although I meant literally hitting the trails, I didn´t mean so hard. A momentary lapse of, well general intelligence from what I can gather, and I was over the handle bars introducing my face to the ground. Some how road biking is becoming more appealing. At first I though it was fine, so kept on riding, but the pain set in and so discomfort. Later the swelling didn´t seem so bad, so finger crossed my wrist was not broken as suspected. I had only broke it two years before in Dublin. But sitting here now I can gladly confirm that it´s not the case, relief.. Badly bruised and still sore, I will be back on the bike in a few days, a week at the latest.

Gives us time to relax here on the coast just south of Cannes. We can rub shoulders with the rich and bored.. The drive down was great as you would expect. Leaving the mountains always is as you coast down the winding roads and take in the view at every twist and bend. But back in the surrounds of the city is nothing to be excited about. The quiet of the mountains, peaceful and serene, no rush hour traffic and crowded supermarkets. But it is a stark contrast we will only have to deal with in the short term. It is lovely around here though in Mandelieu la Napoule. The campsite is at the foot of a hill only 15 minutes walk from the beach and the village center. Atop the hill lies an old ruin and a vantage point with views all the way back in land to the towering mountains and cloudy skies, and the other way out over the Mediterranean. Private yachts fill the marinas and hog the skyline, and retirees make up the majority of the beach goers on any given weekday.  Just another day in paradise for us..