As we drove out of the campsite on Monday morning, we realised that we had actually been parked almost under the Trois Sautets Bridge which was much favoured by Cezanne; he used to paint many pictures of the bathers in the water and on the beach below. It’s now a rather built up area, with no sign of beaches on the riverbank and certainly no sign of any bathers, but it was a lovely campsite.
We left Aix-En-Provence and drove east, out towards the mountains of southern Provence. We were very quickly stunned by glimpses of Mont Sainte Victoire and as soon as we found a car park we pulled in. It was definitely time for us to do a walk that wasn’t tramping the streets, but out in the fresh air amongst the wildflowers.
We followed a route up towards the Oppidum and then continued on further to a crag that looked way out to the west. We then doubled back and followed a path below the main cliff and out on to a wider path that led us back down to Eileen. It was a beautiful walk and the cliff walls are a spectacular sight.
We probably walked for about two hours, including all the photo stops, and it was fascinating watching the mist try to clear from the top and then finally do so, annoyingly, just as we headed away. I can see why Cezanne liked to walk in this area so much and he apparently painted Mont Sainte Victoire over sixty times.
We drove on a little further east and then finally turned south, stopping to picnic near Peynier with views back towards the mountains. Then after a supermarket stock-up, we drove into Cassis and found Camping Les Cigales (cicadas, to those of us who love them in Sydney). It’s a big campsite with over a hundred pitches, but it’s nicely laid out and apparently only a fifteen minute walk downhill to the harbour. We’ve glimpsed the sea already and also the massive cliffs that stand behind the town, which as the sun was setting, turned a beautiful peachy colour.
And the next morning we meandered downhill from the campsite until we finally popped out at the harbour. The guide book describes Cassis as one of the prettiest towns on the Provence coastline and we certainly weren’t disappointed. The water was a lovely turquoise blue and the buildings look as if someone handed out pots of paint in every pastel hue. The back streets are narrow and winding and there are numerous restaurants, which by lunch time all looked to be very full.
We decided to catch the Petit Train and acquaint ourselves with the area immediately, as we could see from the map that the train wound its way up and down the steep hills and right out to Calanque de Port-Mieu and the chapel of Notre-Dame-de Bon-Voyage passing a couple of pebbly beaches and some gorgeous houses on route. It was a great ride, though rather bumpy at times and it did save us a lot of walking. When we got back to the harbour, we strolled along to the lighthouse and then managed to get a seat, front row, in a restaurant right on the Plage de Grande Mer. We only ordered salads, but in typical, laid back, French fashion, the ordering and delivery took over half an hour; but we didn’t care, sitting in the sunshine and watching the beach filling up with sunbathers until you could hardly see the pebbles.
After lunch we strolled along to the far side of the harbour, licked our ice creams and finally started the steep plod back up to the campsite. We took a break at the local supermarket to buy some ripe tomatoes and a lump of buffalo mozzarella for our dinner and got back to Eileen late in the afternoon. We sat outside in the sunshine for a while, reading and resting our feet before a cool shower and an early night. We have to walk back down that hill in the morning for our next adventure.
Another sunny day, happy days! And it’s also Neil’s 60th birthday, happy birthday greetings big brother. It was actually warm enough to sit outside for the first time, so we enjoyed our still warm baguette and croissants for breakfast in the sunshine.
Later in the morning we pottered downhill to the harbour and hopped aboard the Notos II as it was about to leave its berth. We spent a wonderful hour cruising along the coastline from Cassis to five of the nearest Calanques (inlets). Port Miou, Port Pin and En Vau are all very different, but equally lovely, especially from across the deep turquoise water.
The cliffs gradually increased in height, up to 130 metres and we counted numerous rock climbers working their way slowly up various sections of the cliffs, apparently they come from all over the world to climb this area.
At one point our boat squeezed into a huge crack in the cliff and we could see right through to the bay on the other side. At Devenson the boat turned around and we headed back to Cassis, marvelling still at the cliffs beside us and at the enormous cliffs of Cap Canaille ahead of us, on the far side of Cassis. We’ve been told that these are the highest cliffs in France and the third highest in Europe at 394 metres above sea level. They’re certainly impressive and tomorrow we aim to drive along the top and enjoy the views on route to La Ciotat.
Our late lunch was eaten outside a tiny restaurant in a back lane and then after sitting by the beach for a bit of ‘people watching’, we plodded back up that darn steep hill to the campsite, for the last time.
