Every year 1982 – 2005 we have been in the South of France on summer holidays. The preferred area is around Aups in Provence with the nearby lake, Lac St. Croix, made by a dam across the Verdon river. I have seen some Tour de France stages in the Alpes and also one in the Pyrenees on Col de Tourmalet with a stay in the holy town of Lourdes.