59 fountains

This was not how I was expecting it to be.... The lack of wifi access.
But I am here in the Tourist office at Entrevaux, another medieval town with towers and ramparts and ice cream. This is not to sound sarcastic or judgmental in any way. The French can do medieval very well. They aren't adverse to leaving shutters unpainted, walls unplastered, windows broken because the important things are in place. The patina remains and reveals the true history.

 I am really on my way to my next destination and I am procrastinating as the road will be tight hair- pin bends and I am a meandering sort of rider.

I stopped here simply because I wanted to walk across the 11th century stone drawbridge over the river Var. My stop was rewarded further when I visited an unpretentious 17th century church where I found the relics of St. John the Baptist encased in a golden, life size portrait bust.

Earlier today, I was in Le Moustier Ste. Marie, another delightful medieval village which precariously clung to a rock face. It had a church, initially founded in the 10th century, dedicated to the Virgin Mary perched even higher on a chunk of rocky outcrop. It was approximately 200 steps, but some of them were very long steps, to the top. A service is held here on the birthday of the Virgin, 8th of September, celebrating her miracles. Parents would bring their mort-nes, their still- born babies, to be baptised which enabled them to be buried in sanctified ground. News got around that sometimes this ceremony would bring them back to life which started a new pilgrimage destination.

The numerous fountains generously poured out sweet cold water. One fountain, Le Diane, was where the musicians of the village would meet for a week before the birthday. They would tease the town's people and play the same music over and over again. Then lead the march up the mountain in the dark for the birthday Mass that started at 4 am.

Alas the tourist office is shutting.