Castellane and Trigalance

When exploring the mountains in the South of France, the little towns and villages are a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time. The towns are usually very small, so you can hit a few of them in one day. This trip included Castellane and Trigalance, two adorable towns very close to each other. As soon as you enter Castellane, you'll spot a church high on a mountain cliff overlooking the village. I immediately blurted out, "Can I go up there?" Of course!

After stopping in a cafe to have an espresso (which I only seem to drink in Europe) I set out on this epic, steep hike. Along the way, there are really cool ruins of where the old village used to live. Ravaged by war, all that remains are a few stone walls, but I can easily imagine myself in the 14th century, running through that old town.The ruins really have a presence to them, I could feel an amazing energy there.

After about 45 minutes of hiking through the ruins, I finally made it to the top where the church sits. The outside of the church was beautiful, but the inside was nothing special. But I don't think seeing the church was the prize for all that hiking; making it to the top just felt great and looking down on the town below, which sits near Le Verdone, was just breathtaking. A must for anyone in this area who is able to keep up with a moderate hiking pace.

After all that, it was time to treat myself. Trigalance is town a few minutes drive away from Castellane, and it's so small, you can drive through it in a few short minutes. While the town wasn't much to look at, at the top there lives an ornate caste. And if you read by blog often, you know I just love castles!

So what else to do but visit the castle for a spectacular 5 course meal? This was honestly the best meal of my life. Each course melted in my mouth. One course alone was a sampling of 15 different cheeses! I really love French cuisine and I've just got to learn how to replicate that experience in the States...