Magic Kingdom

We drove around another hairpin bend on the D15 highway in Provence, slowed down because of all the cars parked on a narrow strip of roadside and saw this breathtaking view.  It was the town of Gordes, spilling down the hillside, reputedly the most photographed town in France - for obvious reasons.   It's a fairytale kingdom with a castle at the top of the hill - sheer magic!

The castle, started in the 11th century and completed in the 16th century, is now a museum dedicated to the art work Pol Mara, a Belgian artist who lived in Gordes.  We did not visit as it was closed by the time we got there late in the day.

We did wander through the town through all kinds of ancient laneways.

You practically have to bend down to go through this one, it's actually a real street

that came out onto this courtyard.

We wanted to see how the town worked - how the houses were built down such a steep slope - and so we tried one of the streets leading downhill...

See how this house was built on multiple terraces following the slope!

The temptation was to keep going down the path to see what the next corner would bring -

one awesome view after another.

This even looked like it might be a private home, can you imagine living here?

This seemed to be caverns of some sort but there was no signage.

There were no road signs and no map, it was time to turn back up the hill, along this ancient path...

with an escort

It always took twice as long to go up than it did to go down.  We made it back into the town just before the bakery closed.  This was where the patient sales lady boxed and beribboned our two pieces of dessert  even as the owner locked the front door.   Typical French style!