Verdon River, Grand Canyon

When driving from Provence to Nice and on to Monte-Carlo there is a choice between the coastal route (which is interesting, but often crowded), the Autoroute (the fastest but least interesting way), or the drive along the Verdon River to see the beauties (pun intended) of the “Grand Canyon” of the Verdon. It’s completely different from the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but with its narrow canyon walls shooting up to 5,000 feet, and its views straight down to the Verdon River, it’s impressive and well worth the drive.

At the Lake of Ste-Croix, at the western end of the Grand Canyon, we rented a pedal boat to ride a short distance up the Verdon River. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the lake and river were busy with boat traffic. Since the lady passengers in most of the boats were barefoot from the waist up, I pedaled just as hard as I could — but Emmy insisted on doing the steering. Even without that extra-special scenery, the river gorge just before the river enters the lake is truly a beautiful area. The drive east from there provides other views down into the canyon, from the winding, twisty road.