France

Weary of expect the signature of the sale contract of my house at Peical, I left on Monday, April 28 in excursion in the Massif des Maures. I had bought the Green Guide book of the Riviera I were going to follow the roads of summits and passes. The day was sunny. After Pierrefeu-of-Var I stopped at the Estate of Sigalous which organized off-road training courses. The lady met informed that it did not make any more. On the other hand she gave me the address of the Château de Lastours as well as of a certified instructor. On the way I noted that tourists started to furrow the roads; consequently I avoided Hyères that I had time to visit in low season being at a stone throw from Peical. I thus dawdled on the road. I decided a bivouac above Bormes-les-Mimosas/Lavandou on a waste ground on D 98.

Bivouac & selfie

The following day I explored the littoral. It was a great disappointment; the seaside was concreted hotels, more or less luxurious residences. Admittedly the roadway was remarkably bituminized to accommodate the summer tourists… In a word, to circulate there is nothing to see. In Cogolin then Grimaud I took secondary roads for the summit & pass road up to Gonfaron. Little before I was delayed at the Village of the Tortoises. An initiatory tour furrows the park where are stretched out more than 2,500 tortoises of the three species, tortoises of Hermann, cestuses & Greek tortoises. In addition various species of the world are represented. Highly advisable visit which is not solely intended to kids.

A detour by a narrow secondary road led me to the priory of Notre-Dame of the Angels entirely restored in the 19th century. Alas the iconoclasts of technology built behind a gigantic hertzian relay. A headland offers a superb view on the surrounding mountains, the sea, the islands of Hyères etc.

N.-D.-des-Anges

On April 30th I strolled on the pass road D 39 & D 14. Alas herds of amateur cyclists travelling, doubling by bravado made traffic very dangerous on these small rolling mountain roads. They wasted my pleasure by obliging me with a great vigilance going until me to stop by safety. Sign posts require to share the road! Very disappointed I returned by D 98 to Cogolin, then Ste. Maxime where I had hard time during nearly one hour to catch D 25 to go back to Trans-en-Provence. This last day taught me never to go on the Riviera during the summer period of holidays.