Tour de France 2008 Stage 14 - Nîmes to Digne-les-Bains

Saturday July 19, 2008

Today's Tour de France route takes one of the more scenic journeys, one in fact made famous by the writings of Peter Mayle, through the lovely Luberon, into Provence and the Alps. It begins in historic Nîmes and ends in the enchanting Digne-les-Bains.

Here is the Tour de France description of Nîmes:

Nîmes is proud of its many top-flight teams, not to mention more than four hundred clubs representing a wide variety of sports and thousands of amateur athletes. The legendary Nîmes Olympique in football, the Arc club de Nîmes (archery), the Nautique Club Nîmois (swimming), the Rugby Club Nîmes Gard, HBCN and USAM (handball) have all proven their skill for developing young talents, many of whom went on to shine on the national and international stage.
Blessed with top venues (Costières stadium, Le Parnasse arena, Estanque petanque ground, Kaufman stadium, Némausa Olympic pool) as well as facilities throughout the town, Nîmes has hosted many international sporting events, such as the Davis Cup, the Mediterranean games, world championships in fencing and archery, to name but a few. In 2004, following a long absence, the Tour de France finally made it back to Nîmes, which gets once again to host a stage in 2008.

Here is the blurb about Digne les Bains:

Principal district town in the department of Alpes de Haute- Provence, known as the capital of lavender, Digne-les- Bains is a thermal spa ideally situated between Provence and the Alps. Nestled in a well-preserved environment, it is the ideal spot for all outdoor activities. The air is so pure that many species of butterflies can be admired. The reputed hydrotherapy center draws many visitors. The geological society of Provence has set up a trail near the Dalle aux Ammonites, a rock shelf covered with 1500 ammonite fossils, unique of its kind in the world.
The Gassendi museum is home to both a fine arts collection and botanical specimens. Alexandra David-Neel, famous explorer and writer, spent the last years of her life in Digne-les-Bains. Her home has been turned into a foundation and museum. In the Digne countryside can be admired quite a number of contemporary art works. Here and there lie the masterpieces of Andy Goldsworthy and Herman de Vries.