Gallivanting Grandma

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Today was our last day in France.  We leave tomorrow morning from the Nice Airport to return home;  always bitter-sweet.  We had an early start from Francoise’s house for the two hour drive along the coast.

We had reservations to stay the night in an Ibis Hotel in the city.  We took the tram to the shore and walked on the famous Promenade des Anglais.  It was an incredibly bright blue day!

We stopped at ‘the Blue Beach’ and secured a table under a large umbrella.  We ordered soft drinks and water, relaxed on the beach, and took turns swimming in the refreshingly cold Mediterranean Sea.

After a while, we crossed the street and went to the luxurious bar in the Negresco Hotel for drinks.

We walked to the ‘Old Town’ for dinner at a restaurant recommended by one of Francoise’s friends.  We had gelato for dessert and rode the tram back to our hotel to pack and get ready for our flight tomorrow.  The last three weeks in France were outstanding.  Paris was wonderful and the French Riviera with our cousins was amazing and filled with unforgettable memories.

The naval city of Toulon has a lively huge outdoor market every day along Cours Lafayette.  We took the 20-minute ferry across the bay from La Seyne-sur-Mer to Toulon harbor with Francoise.

The market, called le Marche de Provence, begins near the Toulon harbor, runs along Cours Lafayette and continues onto Cours Paul Lendrin.  The upper part is a farmer’s market for fresh produce: cheese, honey, eggs, fruits, and veggies.

We had seafood lunches at a restaurant on the harbor and took the ferry back to La Seyne.

We changed into our bathing suits at Francoise’s house and went to her rocky local beach for swimming and snorkeling.

Le Castellet is a medieval village perched on top of a hill with panoramic views of  the famous vineyards in the Bandol region of southern France.  According to the guides, it was settled in the year 1030.

We entered through one of the old ‘portes‘ (gateways) carved into the ancient ramparts of the fortified town.

Narrow cobblestone streets and pretty little squares were lined with a variety of shops and restaurants.

We had a tasty outdoor lunch on the terrace of the Auberge de l’Ormeau.

We left le Castellet and drove to the fishing village of Bandol which was established in 1595.  We walked along the shore and stopped for cold drinks.

Later we went to Les Sablettes, the beach near la Seyne sur Mer, where we had yummy pizza and seafood dinners.  We sat and relaxed then strolled through their night market.

Another favorite old fishing village is Sanary-sur-mer just west of Toulon in the Bandol region.  Good restaurants and shops line the boat-filled harbor.  An outdoor market sets up every morning selling fresh produce.

We had a delicious crepe dinner with Jean-Louis, Sylvie, Raphael, and Marie-Lou.  Then walked around the Sanary night market.

We had a fabulous time visiting with our French cousins: family bar-b-ques, seeing the sights, great meals, catching up on family gossip, visiting beautiful beaches and swimming in the azure Mediterranean Sea.

Fabienne and Cloe took us to their favorite beach on Cap Croisette en la Baie des Singes (Monkey Bay).  We followed the narrow path along the stark rocky shore and swam in the cool blue water.

On another day, Fabienne drove us to another favorite beach on the Cote d’Azur: Lavandou.

The first time I visited Cassis, almost 40 years ago, it was a small sleepy fishing village just outside Marseille. Today, it’s an upscale tourist destination with gorgeous Mediterranean homes scattered up the surrounding rocky hills.

Cloe joined us and Nicole drove along the back roads of Marseille to take a boat to see the calanques of Marseille and Cassis.  These are the narrow steep-walled inlets which are characteristic of this region of the Mediterranean.

After the boat ride, the girls went swimming at the beach and enjoyed gelato in the village.  Nicole and I sat and relaxed at the shore. What a wonderful lifestyle!