Thursday we drove down to Cassis, a town east of Marseille on the Mediterranean. It's a smaller town, with a harbor and a small beach - sort of a mini-Riviera type of place. We went out there because it was projecting to be in the mid-90s in Provence, so we wanted to get out to the ocean. It was cooler there, but the salty humidity made up for it. Unlike most of the inland towns, the sea towns are more colorful, with buildings and shutters of various colors. We were far enough east that the Italian influence was kicking in, and were able to enjoy some of that fabulous gelato that we remembered from Italy a couple years ago.
The most famous physical features of Cassis are the calanques, and the Cap Canaille. A calanque is a Mediterranean version of a fijord, on a smaller scale - a bay surrounded on all sides by steep, rocky shores. Although a couple are walkable, generally people take boats into them, and then picnic, sunbathe, and swim off the shores. Some of the calanques have small beaches near the back, and all of them have beautiful blue water. Marie, Sophie and I took a boat tour of a few of the calanques, and the people hanging out in them were having enough fun that if I came back I'd definitely look into renting a kayak and going back to spend a day in one of them.
On our way out of town, we took the cliffside road along Cap Canaille, a winding Trail-Ridge-Road type of highway. As the highest maritime cliff in Europe (about 1500 feet straight down), the view from the top was spectacular.
One night we took a drive up to Gordes, only a few kilometers away, for supper. Although the mistral winds were blowing strongly that evening, we found a nice little place where I got my first taste of foie gras - a much sweeter taste than I expected, although I couldn't quite get used to the soft texture.
Every morning, Trish or Marie walked out the the boulangerie/patisserie and got us yummy baguettes, croissants and pain au chocolates, which was truly a treat.
The seaside town of Cassis - I love how the tans of the buildings inland change to more colorful buildings on the ocean
A calanque, with a beach in the back of it - looks like a great place to spend a day
Sophie going full out to enjoy a Nutella crepe
The highest maritime cliff in Europe, overlooking Cassis - the road wound above on the top of that cliff
Sophie on the cliffs overlooking Cassis
Pete and gelato "rose" in Cassis
Sophie enjoying breakfast in the villa - it was really a nice house to stay in, and we really relaxed there
The streets of Rousillon, the "Colorado of Provence", because of the ochre rocks, which is reflected in the color of the houses
The ochre cliffs of Rousillon, with the pine trees adding to the Colorado feel
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