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Published: September 26th 2012
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Although yesterday we had little idea where to go but then we had a breakthrough thought. The short drive to Sisteron had always been an option after speaking to the young couple from Chichester. So it was to be Sisteron. Neither of us have been before so it was to be a first for us. It sounded a lovely place and worth a detour on our way home.
Our journey followed the River Durance which ran just alongside the main road. The town itself is situated on the banks of the river and the town is sometimes called the Gateway to Provence.
There is an excellent small aire in the lower town with parking for cars and around 10 or 12 motorhomes. Motorhome parking is free and there is a water borne on site. I imagine it would be a lovely aire to stop over on although we didn’t stay overnight. The aire has views over the surrounding mountains and the river below.
The citadel is in the upper town and can be seen from the aire It is very impressive and built in grey stone. Quite imposing. It is possible to reach it either by walking around
the lower town which is perhaps the easiest option or by climbing up the steeper walk from the car park. .It took us about 10 mins to walk from below up the slope to the citadel but we didn’t rush. . The cost of entry was a little over 6 euros.
The fortified citadel crowns the city and overlooks the river. It was damaged during the religious wars. The citadel is a mixture of styles ranging from the 12
th century right through to the 19
th century. It perches on a rock and inside is a small museum and a church. The church itself was restored in 1935. Inside was an exhibition and a shop selling prints of Sisteron at around 23 – 25 euros. The town and the citadel was not too busy but during the summer months it might well be heaving.
After visiting we walked back into the town and had a coffee and a meringue cake which tasted of apple. Our last chore of the day was to the local Intermarche. Probably not the best of supermarkets but at least we were able to stock up on cakes and bread and basics. Our destination for
the night was to be near to Chambery. Our route took us through and around the outskirts of Grenoble which we could see in the distance.
We had picked a small municipal site in Chambery as our night stop over. The site was closed when we arrived and there was a barrier which prevented entry. A notice stated that the site opened in the mornings until 12.30 and then closed until 4.30. At 4.30 the receptionist turned up and we booked in. She spoke perfect English and had been born in Chamonix but worked in Llangollen a small town just 8 miles away from where we lived. Small world.
We were offered a large plot and a key to let us out of the site which we declined. We had no intention of leaving the site so had no need for a key. There was free WiFi but only in a small room above reception and it was very slow. Costs for parking up were 12 euros 50 cents which is the cheapest we had paid throughout the trip. She told us about the buses into Chambery and produced a map of the town which she had marked
up the points of interest and the bus station. The buses ran from the town into Chambery every half hour and we planned to visit tomorrow .
After settling in we watched a group of French paying boules in the next plot to us. Their dog kept trying to catch the ball and run off with it.
We also watched the gliders soaring in the sky in the mountains above the campsite. The planes took off from the nearby aerodrome and landed all evening. We also met Dave and his wife. Dave had been motorhoming for 17 years and decided to impart onto us his vast knowledge of motorhoming. Having built his own motorhome he felt that he was well served to tell us what we had done wrong and how to put it right. .Not sure we took much notice of his helpful suggestions.
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