Road trip!
It’s off to the Mediterranean coastal village of Cassis today. It’s a surprisingly short drive from Aix to the coast – some 50 minutes along nice roads (tolls though). Attempts to find parking in the city center fail miserably as it’s market day. The place is a zoo. Many of the streets are closed to house vendor tents and there are people everywhere. We took the easy way out and found a parking spot in a free lot high above the town and shuttled down to the waterfront. A guy and his very large, well-behaved dog boarded the shuttle just after us. It didn’t appear this was the beasts first bus ride as he sat quietly in his seat checking out the views. Hilarious.
Cassis’ harbor is lined with restaurants and brasseries. We found a small place with a nice view of the harbor and enjoyed salads for lunch.
Cassis is one of the entry points to one of France’s finest parks, the ‘Parc national des Calanques’ and a major attraction in the area is the ‘calanques’ where creeks enter the sea through deep gorges. We took a short boat tour which included views of 3 of the calanque. Beautiful. Of interest along the cruise is an old quarry from which the plinth of the Statue of Liberty was sourced.
D.
We decide to change things up a bit today and wander down to the Mediterranean. A short drive, once we get through downtown Aix to the lovely coastal town of Cassis. A renowned wine region (it is its own AOC), and also the home of Cassis liqueur a very necessary ingredient in a Kir Royale.
After attempting parking in town, we head to Parking at des Gorguettes, free parking and a small fee to shuttle to the center of downtown, a much better alternative.
We find a lovely place to have lunch overlooking the harbor. Salad Nicoise for me and an Octopus salad for Dick, and, of course, a Kir Royale to start.
Lovely boat tour on the Mediterranean Sea exploring small coves. There were a lot of people sunbathing and cliff diving. The weather was perfect, low 80’s and not a cloud in sight. The water is so blue, it almost looks black. Special.
A nice drive back home and watched the sunset from the terrace.
M.
