France 2022 – Cycling along the Rance River from Dinan

April 25, 2022

On my last full day in wonderful Dinan, my plan was to cycle along the river Rance upstream to the small town of Léhon where there was an abbey and a ruined castle, and then downstream about 8 kilometers to the river port of Lyvet. I headed down Rue de Jerzual shortly before the bicycle rental shop was to open. I couldn’t stop myself from taking pictures of a few more half-timbered buildings on the way down the hill. I would like to live in the blue one, and the house on the right may very well have been the inspiration for ”There was a crooked house…”

Down at the port the young man at the bicycle shop was friendly and efficient and he kindly gave me a full-day rental at a discounted priced of 16 euros. This shop offers several guided tours including a tour where you cycle all the way to the coast and then return by boat up the river Rance, or vice-versa. But I was happy on my own and I knew where I wanted to go. First, I headed upstream and was thrilled with the beautiful morning and the riverside ride. There were huge trees on both sides of the river, and I saw several marked trails along the route that branched off into the forest. The trees were bright green with new leaves and the birds sounded very happy. The cycling was easy on the flat path and I passed joggers, dog walkers, and other cyclists, all of whom cheerily said, ”Bonjour!”

I made a quick stop to photograph the viaduct in the distance,

and I made several other quick stops to try and capture the beauty of the river and riverside trees. I was cycling on the “Chemin de Halage”, a towpath.

Quick as a wink I arrived at the lock just outside of the town of Léhon.

This elegant old bridge led me over the river and into the town which is designated ”A Petite Cité de Character” of Brétagne.

The l’Abbaye Saint Magloire was founded here in 850 but the original buildings were burnt by invading Normans. The current abbey was constructed in the 12th century by the Benedictines, and enlarged through the centuries.

I entered the abbey church and the organist was inside playing so the air was filled with wonderful music during my visit as well as rose-coloured light from the magnificent stained class window behind the altar.

Here is the view looking from the altar towards the back of the church with the pews and the walls all dappled!

The warm coloured light bathed the entire church, including a beautiful wooden statue of Mary carved in the 18th century. The stone plaque is in memory of a revered Benedictine monk of this abbey, Noel Mars, who died in 1611.

Unfortunately, the other parts of the abbey were closed because of a private function, and sadly the gardens were closed as well. I contented myself with the fact that I had a hill to climb and a ruined castle to explore. On the way up the hill, there were many beautiful wildflowers alongside the trail which provided me with a good excuse to stop and catch my breath! There were small primroses, bluebells, forget-me-nots, and orchids as well as tiny purple violets.

There is very little of the castle left. First constructed in the early 12th century, the castle was attacked and destroyed by Henry II, King of England, in 1169. A second fortress was built in the 13th century and faced several sieges. By 1490 the castle was in disrepair and abandoned, and in 1644 it was gifted to the abbey which used many of its stones for its own construction projects. The trail leading up to the castle passed beneath the northwest tower which is the best preserved of the eight towers, and then a bridge led me up to the ruined entrance gate.

Low remnants of the castle walls, and remnants of the towers enclosed a large lawned space that was full of bright buttercups and small daisies.

From the towers there were excellent views of the river and valley,

as well as over the old town and the abbey church and buildings.

After enjoying my explorations up on the castle hill, I headed back down to my bicycle and returned on the towpath back to the port of Dinan where I crossed the old bridge and then continued downstream along the riverside path towards the sea. What a beautiful ride! A sunny sky, a peaceful river, and so much green all around – it was glorious! I stopped often to take a photo looking forward,

or looking back,

or looking directly across. I definitely had to take a photo here!

There were birds in the trees and birds on the river and I was very very happy. All too soon I could see boats ahead at the river port of Lyvet.

There was a large lock here, the Ecluse Le Chatelier and I was able to see the mechanism at work.

As I crossed the bridge that was just a bit further downstream, I could see that the entire river to the left of the lock was dammed here.

I finished crossing over to Lyvet, explored a few streets of the town, and then cycled to the marina. Every time one of these many sailboats or pleasure boats wants to go to the sea or come back home it has to go through the lock!

On my return trip, I stopped to have my lunch at one of the two sections of the path that were paved and where a road came down for people to access the river. Here boats were moored along the shore and there were benches, picnic tables, and lawned areas.

I took my time over lunch and then continued back upriver, pedalling slower because I didn’t want my ride to end! I couldn’t resist taking another photo or two or three (!) of the canola field across the river.

A little further up stream a small tributary joined the river. I had noticed it on my way downstream but I hadn’t noticed the chateau in the distance at the top of the hill!

Soon I arrived back at the river port of Dinan, with the Saint Saveur steeple calling me back up the hill to my apartment. I had the bicycle until six and my plan was to rest for an hour and then come back down to the river and cycle again to Léhon to have a swim in their heated outdoor pool.

I took a photo of the busy terraced restaurant across the river as I locked up my bike,

and then this photo looking downstream from the bridge.

I headed back up the hill and after my hour of rest I was feeling tired so I decided to enjoy my lovely apartment for the rest of the afternoon and prepare for my next day’s journey. In the late afternoon, a took a last walk in my neighbourhood in Dinan to the Basilique Saint-Saveur and behind it to the Jardin Anglais with its beautiful trees, gardens of spring flowers, and views from the Tour Sainte-Catherine down over the river valley.

It was the perfect way to end my visit to the wonderful city of Dinan!

Addendum: I have a book called “Cycling in France” and one of their routes is a four-day loop which begins in Saint-Malo on the coast and follows the Rance River upstream to Dinan, continues up the river a good long distance (passing 20 locks), and then heads to Combourg. From there, it loops back towards the sea and continues on to Mont Saint-Michel (in my opinion the most stunning sight in France), and then finishes back at Saint Malo. I’m happy to loan the book to anyone who is interested!

France 2022 – A tippy tower and a tour of Dinan’s churches

April 23 and 24, 2022

Dinan has a most wonderful clock tower that caught my attention soon after I arrived in town. My first thought upon seeing it was exactly this: ”Whoa, that’s a tippy tower!” Here is the view that inspired that thought.

In other photos that I took from different vantage points the tippiness is less apparent, but I was very aware of it when I climbed to the top of the tower. These two photos are taken from different ends of the same street, but sadly I do not have an image of the clock face at the front of the tower.

On the bottom level of the tower there is the original set of clockworks, made by Hamzer in Germany in 1498.

A spiral stone staircase led up to a room where town councillors used to meet to discuss civic matters. On the next floor up there was a very entertaining and informative computer animated film that presented some of the history of the town and the tower from the fictional point of view of an old sailor, born and raised in Dinan, who returns home in 1750 after many years at sea and becomes a watchman on top of the tower.

About two thirds of the way up this 46 metre tower, the stone staircase ends and a wooden staircase begins, and at the very top there is a steep narrow ladder for the final climb onto the platform for views all around. Warning, this next collage might make you feel a bit vertiginous!

The views were tremendous in all directions! The image on the left is of the Basilique Saint Saveur (I see the steeple from my apartment window), and the image on the right is looking down to the river valley.

While up here on the tower, I will magically transport you to the interior of some of the principal churches of Dinan. The Basilique Saint-Saveur was founded by a knight who had safely returned from a crusade. Begun in the 12th century, it was not completed until the 16th century and has been built in a combination of Romanesque and Flamboyant Gothic styles. The altar was very elaborate.

I liked the simplicity of a peaceful side chapel that featured beautiful stained glass and a statue of the Virgin Mary, and I also appreciated the fatherly tenderness that is evident in the sculpture of Joseph and Jesus.

In this basilica, the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin, a son of Dinan and hero of the Hundred Years’ War, is entombed in a vase. There is also a statue of du Guesclin in the area which served as the town’s fairgrounds during the Middle Ages.

The next view from atop the tower is of the Eglise Saint-Malo which is just a five minute walk from the Basilica! This second large church also took 400 years to build and its planned steeple was never completed.

Pillaged during the Revolution, the interior was very stark but I appreciated the bareness and simplicity and absolute quiet of the space.

The lack of excess ornamentation helped one to focus on the beautiful modern stained glass, most of which depicted scenes from the bible or from Dinan’s history. There was also a case which displayed some liturgical objects that must have been hidden away somewhere during the pillaging!

From the film in the clock tower I learned that many religious orders established convents and abbeys in Dinan, including the Benedictines, the Franciscans, the Clares, the Ursulines, and the Dominicans. I will point out a few of their edifices to you, as the old sailor did to me in 1750! The large church in the middle ground of the photo, plus the adjacent buildings to the left, was built by the Cordeliers (Franciscans) who first came to Dinan in 1247.

Now used as a private Catholic school, parts of the “Couvent des Cordeliers” were open to the public for an art exposition so I visited here on Sunday. (My favourite photo is of the lovely rose bush behind the old yellow and purple glass.)

This steeple belongs to the 1662 chapel of the Benedictines who arrived in Dinan in 1631 to found their monastery. After damage by fire, the monastery became a college in 1775. It was closed during the French Revolution until 1841 when it re-opened as the College Roger Vercel.

I do not have a view from the tower, but I did visit the Chapel of Sainte Catherine, built between 1661 and 1664 by the Dominicans. Here is a collage of photos from the very beautiful chapel, elegant in its simplicity and with a stunning wooden ceiling.

The convent buildings adjacent to the chapel were taken over during the French Revolution and converted into barracks, then a prison, and then a hospital in 1817. After restorations in 2005, the stately building now contains the library of Dinan. There is quite an expansive esplanade leading down to the old convent lined with sculptures by Dinan artist Roger Vene, including this statue entitled ”Homme.”

Now that our tour of some of Dinan’s many churches is finished, we are back up on the tippy tower. Here’s a somewhat scary view looking as “straight down” as I was brave enough to achieve leaning (a bit!) over the wooden railing.

And here’s the bell, which did ring when I was up here. This bell was recast in 1906 from the iron in the original bell which was gifted to the town by Anne of Bretagne, Duchess of Brittany, in the year 1500, and which range for more than four centuries.

And, finally, here is my favourite photo taken from atop the tower. I have given it the rather obvious (but pleasing to me) name of ”Rooftops of Dinan.”

France 2022 – Down to the river and up to the castle in historic Dinan

April 23, 2022

On my first full day in Dinan I got up early in order to be able to photograph the wonderful buildings in this town without having to wait for tourists to exit the frame! It was cool and fresh and a light rain had fallen just before I left my apartment. My first destination was the Rue de Jerzual which would lead me down to the river Rance. This steep street was the route between the port on the river and the city on the hill, and was continually busy with the flow of people and goods. It is still a busy pedestrian street for tourists and locals but this morning I had it all to myself.

The buildings, many housing artists’ and crafters’ studios are beautiful!

The road continued steeply down the hill past half-timbered and stone houses and shops.

Part-way down was the Porte Jerzual which was the gateway between the river port and the city. This particular defensive gate was built in the early 14th century, but a gate has been at this location since as early as 1123. The lumber in the archways is there because this is one of the places where stones fell from the ramparts.

From the Porte Jerzual the road (now named the Rue du Petit Fort) continued steeply downhill,

and further downhill,

until finally reaching the River Rance. I walked a short distance upstream to take this photo of the old bridge which crosses the river.

I then walked onto the bridge and took these views looking first upstream and then downstream. The river meets the sea downstream some twenty-five kilometres away at Saint Malo and Dinard.

Returning to the shore, I walked downstream along the cobbled walkway. This river is largely responsible for the growth, prosperity and importance of the town of Dinan during the early middle ages as it provided maritime links with Flanders and England for the trade of linen cloth, leather goods, wood, and agricultural products. Ships were hauled upstream by mules and men!

Looking back upstream, the tall viaduct was built in 1852 to bring goods and people into the upper city as an alternative to the narrow and steep Rue de Jerzual. The viaduct was routed to bring traffic to the city along the outside of the medieval walls, thus helping to ensure the preservation of most of the town’s ramparts and towers.

I returned to the old bridge,

and then turned right to return up the Rue de Petit Fort as far as the Porte Jerzual.

Rather than passing through the gate, I took a staircase to the left which led to a pathway leading steeply uphill along the base of the ramparts. Soon I reached the base of the Tour Sainte-Catherine, one of the oldest towers in the 13th century walls.

The trail continued uphill to the next tower, and before passing through it I took a photo of the trail below, the walls leading towards the Tour Sainte-Catherine, and the view down over the viaduct, port, and river.

Once I passed up and through the tower, the path continued along the top of the ramparts, with an excellent view towards the back of the Saint Sauveur church and the tall trees of the Jardin Anglais, and also more views down over the river valley.

I was able to walk on the ramparts almost all of the way around to the 14th century castle which consists of a tall keep with its roof top terrace, the Tour de Coetquen which I am standing on for this photo, and the Porte du Guichet entrance gate which is built in the wall between the keep and the tower.

The castle keep looked small to me from the outside but there was a lot to this castle and it was presented really well. The tour route began with a walk on the ramparts, past the four flags to where I am on Coetquen tower which was built in the late 15th century to strengthen the defences of the keep. The keep, or ducal tower, was the principal residence of the dukes of Brittany for several centuries.

In the guard room of the Coetquen tower there was a model of the ramparts and towers of Dinan and some information about the strategic importance of the site and of sieges over time.

On another floor, there was a small display of armour and armaments from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

A tunnel at the base of the tower allowed guards to pass undetected from the Coetquen tower to the keep.

After entering the keep, the tour led first down to the large kitchen in the basement with its massive fireplace, well, and water drainage system.

Rising up to the next level I entered the banqueting hall, a large reception space meant to impress guests. Elaborate meals with an abundance and variety of dishes were served to display the duke’s wealth and prestige.

The principal room on the next floor was the ”Facing Room” where the dukes received homage from their vassals and rendered justice. The dukes would sit on a high-backed seat that was set on a dais bearing their coat of arms.

Also on this level was a small chapel that would have been reserved for the use by the duke and his family.

Here is the retiring room where the duke would meet with his family and closest advisors, and there were also private apartments and garderobes adjacent.

As well as these principal rooms, there was access to and information about many other rooms and anterooms. The top level of the castle keep was reserved for guards and in this room there was an audiovisual presentation that showed the evolution of the castle over the centuries. It was amazing to me how many changes occurred over time with entire walls being moved, dry moats dug, drawbridges added, gates and towers fortified etc. The physical changes to the castle evolved in partnership with the fortunes and ownership of the castle through time and through wars with England and the King of France. The castle was abandoned in the mid 17th century as it had fallen into disrepair and it was partially restored at the beginning of the 18th century to be used as a prison for captured English sailors and soldiers. (It would have been a terrible imprisonment in small, cold, dark and dank stone cells.) Finally, it became a civil prison from 1817 until 1904 and then was bought by the city of Dinan to be used as a museum. The current, excellent restorations, tour route, and educational displays were completed in 2019. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Dinan!

I exited the castle through the Porte Guichet. Flanked by two towers, the gate’s defences included a portcullis, murder holes, and seventeen arrow slits.

From here, I had a good view of the keep from its base. I walked past the keep and along the wide promenade that paralleled the eastern edge of the city walls.

Along the walk I passed another large tower, a narrow tower which once held a bascule drawbridge, and a very narrow tower which very well could have been the tower which held Rapunzel.

And that was just my morning! After lunch and a restful hour or two in my apartment I explored more of this wonderful town, but this post is surely long enough already so I’ll end here. Apologies for all of the historical details – I did try to whittle it down! (Though I know several readers of this blog who love this stuff as much as I do.) As always, thank you for reading.

France 2022 – Hello to Bretagne, and wonderful Dinan

April 22, 2022

I said goodbye to Montmartre, found my way to the Gare Montparnasse via the metro, and took a TGV to Lamballe, Brittany. We travelled mainly through relatively flat, agricultural land with expansive fields of new green growth as well as bright yellow fields of canola in bloom. There were fields with small herds of black and white cattle, and occasionally we passed a farm with a few sheep or horses. There were glimpses of towns and villages, each with a tall church steeple visible from a distance, and sometimes the train paralleled a main freeway for a distance and easily out sped its cars and trucks.

At Lamballe, I transferred to a small, and seemingly very slow train (after the TGV) to Dinan. I loved the journey to Dinan as we travelled a very good distance through a deciduous forest, fresh with new leaves, and the agricultural fields we passed before and after the forest were smaller and wilder-looking with many hedges, large copses of trees, and old farm houses. I was very happy to see three raptors on this journey, a small swift and two beautiful hawks. Also, it was like I was having a second spring as the trees and plants that were in bloom a month ago in Provence are in full bloom here like cherry and apple trees, lilacs, camellias, and wisteria. Very fun!

I was immediately charmed by Dinan as I walked through its medieval streets headed towards my apartment. This walled town, full of half-timbered houses from the 14th to the 17th centuries, sits atop a hill high above the valley of the Rance River and my apartment is located on a quiet street just a few minutes’ walk from the centre and all of the town’s historic sights. I am so pleased with my apartment and feel very lucky to be here for four days. Here it is!

And, even better, here is the amazing view out of my living room window (left photo) and then my bedroom window! Wow! I invite you to click on each photo for a larger view. How exciting to stay here!

After taking a few moments to settle my things, I eagerly headed back out to explore the nearby streets. Here are some of the beautiful half-timbered houses in Dinan, many of which expand outward as they go up. Property taxes were based on the amount of square footage of a building, so clever merchants built smaller ground floors with overhanging second and third stories. This had the added bonus of providing covered space on the ground floor for setting up tables and selling their goods.

I loved the small panes of old glass in some of the windows.

Some of the buildings were quite colourful, and there was a wide variety of patterns in the placement of the wooden beams as well as a surprising amount of asymmetry!

Some of the buildings had carved wooden figures tucked under the overhangs or in little alcoves.

This building, built in 1559, was moved to Dinan from the small town of Lanvollon when it was threatened with demolition. It features 14 carved figures sporting weapons and clothing typical of the 16th century.

Here is the last half-timbered house that I will show from my afternoon walk though there were many more! The dark slate roof tiles on all of the buildings here, and the preponderance of granite as a building stone, are typical of Brittany and an obvious change from the building styles that I saw in Provence.

I also took photos of the exteriors of the two massive churches in medieval Dinan (they are located only blocks from each other!), but I will save presenting those until after I have viewed the interiors. It is predicted to rain on Sunday so I will save my visits to the churches until then. Walking away from the town centre I found this quiet street lined with stone houses and followed it to the gate at the end.

This is the Saint Malo gate which was built in the 13th century to guard access to the northern part of the city. Extra defences and a drawbridge were added during turbulent times at the beginning of the 15th century.

To the left of the Porte Saint Malo was the Tour de Gouveneur. A walkway for pedestrians atop the tower and adjacent walls was recently closed after stones fell from the wall during a storm. Turning to the right of the Porte Saint Malo, a walk of about 100 metres brought me to the largest of Dinan’s towers, the Tour Beaumanoir. There are almost three kilometres of ramparts surrounding Dinan, with ten of the original fourteen towers still standing, as well as the four gates that provided entrance to the city. The ramparts are the largest in France north of the Loire to have survived to the present day.

I continued my walk around and beyond the Tour Beaumanoir and there was this view back that shows the remains of a second wall that was added at the end of the 16th century in front of the curtain wall to give extra protection against cannon fire.

From here, I wandered back into the city to the main square and then on to my apartment, taking pictures all along the way. I will leave you with only two more photos though, again from my apartment windows but now with the sun lowering in the sky. The view from my front window is zoomed in on the steeple of the Basilique Saint-Saveur. Goodnight from Dinan, Brittany.

France 2022 – Mid-journey musings, and a bit about food

So, it’s a quiet rainy Sunday in Dinan (I haven’t yet finished my post about arriving in and exploring this wonderful town in Brittany), and I wanted to relate a few thoughts now that I am a bit past mid-journey on this trip to France. I loved my time in Provence, especially in Avignon and Arles (so much to see!) and in the beautiful hill towns of the Luberon. I also greatly enjoyed my time by the sea in Cassis and on the Giens peninsula but it was very busy there with too many people and too many cars. And, it was somewhat heartbreaking to look at that gorgeous blue sea and not swim in it! If I am lucky enough to return to Provence, I would visit in the early Fall once the kids are back in school, the grape vines and trees are turning gold and orange, and the intense heat of the summer is gone but the beautiful Mediterranean is still warm enough to swim in.

The people here in France have been incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful, from my accommodation hosts, to bus drivers, to shop keepers, museum attendants, and people I have chatted with at bus stops, on trains, and on park benches. My friend G. (who is very much a people person) has asked me several times about my conversations with others. My longer conversations have been limited to easy, casual topics due to my level of spoken French but they have all left me feeling that I have connected well with the person or persons I spoke with. I am missing conversations with my friends and family back home, but I do also very much appreciate this time to be by myself and I do not mind long stretches of being alone and silent.

I have written with enthusiasm about all of the wonderful things that I have seen and experienced while here, but I do have a few disappointments to share. First, the level of litter and graffiti that I have seen (especially in some parts of Paris) is quite shocking coming from a very clean Vancouver. I really don’t know how people can stand it. Next, there seems to be very little recycling going on which surprised me and again makes me very appreciative of my home. It has been almost painful for me to put cardboard, plastic, glass and even organics into the regular garbage when I am so used to recycling it! Finally, the lack of wildlife and truly wild spaces has also been disappointing, but I guess is to be understood when this land of almost seventy million people, but only half the size of British Columbia and one eighteenth the size of Canada, has been settled, farmed, mined, quarried, traversed, fought over, and developed for thousands of years. Thank goodness for the birds I have seen, my two lizards, and yesterday at dusk I saw bats from my window which was very exciting. I’ll look for them again tonight!

Now about food as I seem obsessed with it since arriving in Dinan! Up to this point in my journey I have only had one restaurant meal and several purchased sandwiches. For budgetary reasons, and also because grocery shopping and cooking provide some downtime from my sightseeing, I have subsisted on these main staples: oranges, apples, bananas, peppers, carrots, salad greens, milk, yogurt, eggs, ham, baguettes, butter, jam, coffee, and simple pasta dishes made with tomato sauce, mushrooms, zuchinni, chicken once (meat is expensive here), and herbs de provence, especially rosemary plucked fresh and free from the hillsides. I have also bought cans of sardines in various sauces (basil and lemon, olive oil and lemon, sun dried tomatoes) when I was craving fish and they provided an easy, inexpensive, and surprisingly delicious source of protein and omega 3’s. Here is a very easy recipe for a delicious meal that I enjoyed more than once (photo top left): Boil up some carrots and potato pieces and add asparagus pieces in the last two minutes. Meanwhile, in a fry pan, melt a pat of butter with garlic and fresh cut rosemary and spoon it over the drained vegetables. Then, swirl the ham around in the residual hot butter, garlic, and rosemary in the pan for about a minute. Quick, simple, and very very delicious!)

But, since entering Dinan with its very many boulangeries, ice-cream shops, creperies, cafés, and restaurants (prices here are better than in Provence and Paris) I find myself reading every other menu board to see what’s on offer! Yesterday, I splurged on a lunch of Chinese food, of all things, (it was delicious), and I bought an amazing local specialty – a Kouign Amann aux Pommes. Not cheap at 3 euros, but omg, buttery, caramelized on the edges, flakey, buttery, a spiral of apple hidden in the centre, and did I say buttery?

And this afternoon, I visited the same shop to purchase another local specialty – a Far aux Pruneux. There is no line up at the shop in my photo, but every other time that I walked by this bakery, there was a big line up. The Far? Also delicious, but the Kouign is in another league!

On my outing this afternoon, I purposefully stocked up on healthy groceries to last for the rest of my stay here in Dinan so that I am not tempted to splurge on a restaurant meal. I know that I’ll soon be sampling another Bretagne regional specialty, crepes or a gallette, on one of my hiking days when I won’t be able to cook. I’m already looking forward to it!

Okay, I’m done obsessing and writing about food! The sun has come out so I will go for a late afternoon walk in lovely Dinan. Hello to everyone at home. 🙂

France 2022- Montmartre, Paris

April 21, 2022

My flight to Orly airport went well as did my transport by tram, train, and then metro to Anvers station, Montmartre. My last (and only) visit to Paris was over thirty years ago. I had stayed four or five days and covered ”the basics” of Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre, the Rodin museum and gardens (my hands-down favourite), Versailles, and a boat ride on the Seine. While in Paris, I saw the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur in the far distance on a hill, shining white, and that memory has stayed with me all of these years so that is why I chose Montmartre for this one day visit to Paris. I love my room at Le Village Montmartre Hiphostel! Close to the Basilica, the hostel has kitchen facilities and an outdoor seating area with a peek-a-boo view of the towers of Sacré-Coeur.

Although my travel day went smoothy, I was feeling tired so I just walked a little bit in the neighbourhood to get my bearings, and then I sourced some groceries for my dinner and next day’s breakfast and had an early night. The next morning, I was up early for the short walk to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica which sits on Paris’ highest natural point. The five-domed Roman Catholic church was built between 1875 and 1919 in the Roman-Byzantine style, and the exterior is treated with gypsum which whitens with age.

I feel very lucky to have had this view almost all to myself. It would have been impossible to take this photo an hour later because of all of the tourists entering and exiting the church and posing in front of it.

The interior was quite striking and had beautiful mosaics accented with gold, including the large principal scene on the dome above the alter and a series of mosaics representing the twelve stations of the cross.

Here are just a few more photos from the massive and elegant interior of Sacré-Coeur.

After touring the interior, I was a little bit too early for climbing up to the top of the central dome so I walked around the exterior taking photos from different angles and vantage points. The last photo in this collage is my favourite.

I also had a look at the hundreds and hundreds, possibly even thousands of ”love locks” that are attached to the railings of the steps leading up to the church (and in other locations throughout Paris). Couples personalize the locks with their names and sometimes the dates of weddings or anniversaries or their visit to Paris.

I returned to the church to begin the long climb up the narrow spiral staircase to the top of the main dome – that’s 292 steps! I was the first one in line so I couldn’t dilly dally on my way up! At the top, visitors can view Paris in literally all directions.

This view looks down over the steps and lawns in front of the church, and then over Montmartre and to Paris beyond.

The skyscrapers are in the ”La Défense” business district.

And of course there was a view of the Eiffel Tower!

After visiting the church I decided to wander about and visit some of the more well-known locations in Montmartre. I came across this one by accident. Known as the ”Mur de Je T’aime”, “I love you” is written in white script on blue tiles in all the languages of the world. Tucked into a tiny garden, this place was full of young couples and others taking selfies in front of the wall. It’s a wonderful art installation by artists Fréderic Baron and Claire Kito that definitely inspired excitement and happiness among the crowd of visitors on this sunny afternoon, and I could see people from all over the world looking for the ”I love you” written in their home language.

Next, I located the 17th century Moulin de Galette, one of only three wooden windmills remaining of the many which operated in Montmartre over the centuries to grind flour and grapes. The Moulin de la Galette was famously painted by Renoir, Van Gogh and Pisarro. A series of information boards nearby detailed van Gogh’s time in southern France and featured images of some of his works including his painting of the Moulin de la Galette.

Also nearby was one of the few remaining vineyards in Paris, the small but pretty Clos de Montmartre which featured a border of spring flowers around its edges. It has been here since the 12th century when monks tended the vines and produced the wine.

Continuing on my stroll, I passed by this theatre which caught my eye, and then the ”ethnografilm” poster also caught my eye. The beautiful illustration on the poster, and the words ”Understanding the social world through film” compelled me to open the door and ask what it was all about. I was told, ”It’s on now, go ahead in,” and inside they were screening documentaries about the human condition, through a wide variety of cultures and viewpoints, and the directors were present to answer questions about their work. I won’t go into detail about the films that I saw but they were all excellent, moving, thought provoking, and illuminating. Later, at my hostel, I googled the event and learned that it is a Director’s festival where directors view each other’s work and learn from each other. But, they just let me in, and there was free food! It was a very special and unexpected way to spend a few hours of my afternoon in Montmartre!

After leaving the theatre I decided to head down to the Pigalle district to see the Moulin Rouge. Initially I wasn’t planning on seeing it but I decided that I would probably regret not doing so. And, despite the hills, Montmartre is extremely walkable and there are interesting buildings and people to see en-route so off I went. And, here it is, the famous cabaret that opened its doors in 1889.

I walked for a while on the main street of the Pigalle district where the Moulin Rouge is located. It still operates as a red-light district and there were many ”sex shops”, most of them rather non-creatively named, ”Sex Shop.” At least one of them had “souvenirs sexy”!

Leaving Pigalle, I found several more notable Montmartre landmarks. Le Consulate is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the district and the likes of Picasso, Sisley, van Gogh, Monet, and Toulous-Lautrec have all sat at tables here for drinks or a meal. La Maison Rose has been serving guests for over 100 years including Picasso and Albert Camus, as well as other artists and writers. Finally, the Lapin Agille is one of the more famous of the many cabarets that were to be found in Montmartre during La Belle Epoque and it has been in operation since1860.

Here are a few last images from my walk around the streets of Montmartre. In the bottom right photo, the motto written on the sign of ”La Bonne Franquette – Café, Restaurant, Cabaret” is ”Aimer, Manger, Boire et Chanter” which quite nicely sums up the history and ambiance of Montmontre I would say.

France 2022 – A change of plan, and an opportunity

April 19, 2022

On my last full day on the Giens peninsula I was looking forward to taking a passenger ferry to visit the Île de Pourquerolles where I would rent a bicycle and visit the island’s fort, windmill, and four southern beaches, two of which have earned the designation of ”Europe’s most beautiful beach.” I travelled by bus and arrived at the ferry terminal just before the eight a.m. sailing but this is what greeted me!

The line was horrendously long! (The line in the photo on the left heading towards the end of the terminal building hides several more rows of line!) And it was not moving. How many people could fit on the boat? Was this a one sailing wait? A two sailing wait? More? There was no one around to ask and I lasted less than ten minutes before deciding to abandon ship (even though I never got on the ship). Visions of a carefree day cycling the beautiful island had been replaced by visions of a crowded boat, line ups and waits at the cycle rental shops, and then crowded roads and beaches. No thanks. There was a perfectly good beach very near to my apartment (perhaps not one of “the most beautiful beaches of Europe”, but certainly a beautiful beach!), and suddenly the thought of an unplanned day was very appealing indeed.

I left the line and started walking towards the town of Giens as the next bus was not scheduled to arrive for another hour. I was happy to be moving rather than standing in that line, and as I walked cars continued to stream past me, headed towards the large and very full parking lots at the terminal. If I had known that Spring Break would be so incredibly busy I would definitely have altered my dates for this destination. I think that the pent-up demand for travel because of the last two years of Covid was definitely contributing to the numbers of people I was seeing. Never mind all that, I saw a lizard on my walk! And, more happy news, there just happens to be a guided walk of the lagoons tomorrow morning and I definitely saw flamingos today as the bus travelled south to the ferry. Here is a very lame photo from near my apartment looking over the canal and towards one of the lagoons where the teeny tiny white specks are flamingos with their heads down, feeding.

Tomorrow, thankfully, there will be binoculars to use and I will be lucky enough to have the opportunity to walk out on those dike trails surrounded by water and sky. I just hope that I will be able to understand at least half of what the naturalist guide says!

Now, I’m off to buy a ”consolation croissant” and then I have no plans after that other than to perhaps leave you with one last photo later today from my time on the Giens peninsula. Thank you for reading.

April 20, 2022

Here is a last photo from yesterday, as promised – an afternoon shot of a sailboat on the Mediterranean Sea, taken from the beach at La Capte. (By the way, I enjoyed my ”consolation croissant” and the rest of my unplanned day.) 🙂

I am currently at the Toulon/Hyères airport, waiting for my afternoon flight to Paris where I will spend two nights, with one full day in between to explore Montmartre. Then, I’m off to Brittany for several weeks of coastal walking. I have time now to share a few photos from my lovely walk this morning on a guided bird watching tour of the salt marshes of the Giens Peninsula.

Tour of Le Salin des Pesquiers

It was a beautiful morning!

Our guide was an ornithologist with the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux and I was very happy that I could understood almost all of what he shared with us about these salt marshes and the birds who visit here. Some birds are resident year-round and others make a stop here on their migration route north or south. They might stop over for several days, weeks, months, or maybe even just for an hour or two.

The water in the basins and larger lagoons between the two tombolos of the peninsula are at an elevation of 50 metres below sea level. Sea water from the canal at La Capte continuously enters the system and there are 15 kilometres of channels that circulate water throughout the basins. The circulation and constant refreshing of the water help keep it oxygenated which is vital to maintain the abundance and health of the aquatic plants, crustaceans, mollusks, insect larvae and plankton that the various species of birds feed on.

Our guide had good binoculars for everyone and a powerful spotting scope and it was wonderful to see the birds with such clarity. The flamingos were beautiful and it was definitely very special to see them in the wild. We also saw elegant avocets (it’s in their name), egrets, a curlew, tadornes de balon (France’s largest duck and very beautiful), and a graceful white stilt as well as gulls and several small songbirds that take advantage of the shrubs, grasses and wildflowers on the verges of the dikes.

Now, I did take photos out towards the flamingos and avocets but without a decent zoom lens they are just little tiny spots on the photo. For what it’s worth, here are some ”avocets elégantes”.

Yes, the tiny blips just to the right of centre in the photo are avocets. I must admit that I was somewhat envious of the several group members there who had very decent cameras and lenses for shooting wildlife!

There are several bird blinds on the dikes and the ornithologists who care for this wildlife refuge do a bird count every ten days and keep meticulous track of all the birds that visit here. They are also responsible for adjusting the water levels in the different basins to suit the specific needs of the various birds for their feeding and nesting requirements.

In the photo above, our group is heading west across the peninsula on one of the main dikes. We stopped about half way across and I took these three pictures.

A view due south of the largest lagoon and towards the Presqu’île de Giens.

A view, zoomed in, towards the western tombolo of the peninsula.

A view, zoomed in, towards the eastern tombolo, with its buildings and beautiful tall pines lining the main north/south road.

It was a cool, fresh, and blustery morning, and the scenery all around was uplifting. I was so happy to have had the opportunity to walk the dikes and see the birds and learn many new things. It was an excellent way to spend my last morning on the Giens Peninsula and in the beautiful south of France. See you in Paris!

France 2022 – Visiting Medieval Hyères

April 18, 2022

My original plan for this day was to finish hiking the Sentier Littoral around the Presqu’île de Giens, but given that I had abandoned the first part of the hike, and also because I would be doing a lot of coastal walking in Brittany, I decided to visit the medieval centre of the town of Hyères instead. I was back in the mood for narrow streets, historic sites, and a ruined castle so I set off early from La Capte in order to arrive before the town became busy.

From Place de la République, I entered through the 14th century Porte Massillon which was once the principal entrance to the town, and the streets were indeed quiet with the shops not yet open.

I arrived to the next square, Place Massillon, which is dominated by the 12th century Tour des Templiers, the Tower of the Templars. The restored tower is all that remains of a commandry established by the Knights Templar who were here to guard a large agricultural domaine nearby.

From here I headed uphill, passed through another historic gate, and then continued on narrow and steep cobbled lanes up towards the castle ruins. Soon I reached this section of the outer wall and I continued up on the rocky trail at its base.

At the wall’s end, I arrived at these two towers which were part of the fortifications from the outer of two defensive walls.

Beyond these towers was another tower higher up on the hillside as well as other castle ruins.

Climbing higher, I was very happy to be the only one at the castle and I took my time to explore every nook and cranny.

From the very top of the castle hill there were wonderful views all around, including a view south to the Giens peninsula and the Presqu’île de Giens at its base.

A view to the northeast showing the extent of habitation beyond the town, and some beautiful peaked mountains.

I love this beautiful view to the northwest overlooking the castle’s walls and a vista of forested mountains. I would love to walk on that curving road that leads over the hill and beyond.

And, of course, there was a terrific view down to the historic centre of Hyères.

There were many trails on the castle hill and I explored them for a while before descending back down to the cobbled streets and then proceeding to the Castel Sainte-Claire. This villa was owned by the American writer Edith Wharton who stayed here every winter from 1919 until her death in 1937. Hyères was a popular resort town with writers, artists, and affluent travellers during the 19th and early 20th centuries and the castle ruins were frequently visited and very much romanticized.

From the terrace in front of the villa there was this wonderful view of the Collégiale Saint-Paul, the town’s massive 14th century Gothic church which retains some of the features of the original 12th century Romanesque church that preceded it.

From the Castel Saint-Claire, I wove my way back through the streets and then up again to explore the Parc Saint-Bernard with its beautiful gardens set on narrow terraces connected by stone steps. Established in 1925 by Charles Noailles, he had the garden built below his villa with the aim to feature many different varieties of plants from the Mediterranean. (His villa now houses a modern art gallery.) Here is my first peek into the garden upon entering from the top gate.

Midway along this first terrace there was a view down towards a small maze and over the town.

It was so beautiful here, and this garden was definitely a highlight of my visit to Hyères!

Some flowers and plants were familiar to me (there were many kinds of roses for example), but many were new to me. The fragrances were varied and strong, and the place was humming with very happy bees of all sorts. Here are some images from the beautiful garden of the Parc Saint-Bernard.

After six wonderful terraces, the garden exit led me down to the Barbican gate, another of the original entrances to the 13th century walled town.

From there, I made my way back to the Place Massillon and the Templar Tower where tables were being set up in preparation for the lunch crowd.

I had about an hour left before the next bus would take me back to La Capte for my own lunch hour so I wandered about through the narrow and colourful streets of the old town, happily turning left or right when something caught my eye.

I very much enjoyed my visit to the historic centre of Hyères!

France 2022 – The Giens Peninsula and the beachside town of La Capte

From Cassis, I took a train east to the town of Hyères. It was a very scenic train ride as we paralleled the coast, with views down past hills to the Mediterranean. The south coast through which we travelled is quite developed many with towns and the city of Toulon, but there were some areas of green fields and vineyards, as well as views of forested hillsides to the north. From Hyères, I took a local bus down to the small beach community of La Capte which is about half way down the Giens peninsula.

The Giens peninsula is a rather unique landform. At its southern end is the hilly and rocky Presqu’île de Giens, which translates to the ”almost island of Giens.” At one time though it was an island and over time two parallel spits of land joined Giens to the mainland, with acres of lagoons between the two long sandy spits. Technically, the Giens peninsula is double tombolo, one of only five double tombolos in the world. (A tombolo is formed when a narrow spit or bar of deposited sediments connects an island or islet to a mainland.) This is when I wish I had a drone to take photos from the air as that would be the best way to show the unique structure of this peninsula. Please do have a look at a satellite image of the area to see what I mean!

So, why did I choose to come here? For hundreds of years, the shallow lagoons of water between the two spits were used to produce salt. When that industry ceased in 1995, the lagoons and adjacent wetlands were designated as a wildlife refuge for migratory and resident birds. Over 260 species of birds have been found here including pink flamingos, herons, and avocets. I very much wanted to see this wildlife area as well as the two long stretches of sandy beaches. Another reason I chose to come here is because of the Île de Pourquerolles, which is just to the south of the Giens peninsula and easily reachable by passenger ferry. The Île de Pourquerolles has the distinction of having had two of its beaches named as ”the most beautiful beach in Europe.” Reason enough for a visit I think!

I went first to my rented apartment to drop off my backpack and groceries for my four day stay. I feel very lucky to have found this place (roomy, comfortable, and with a full kitchen and private outdoor space) at a very good price!

Once settled, I headed out to the Rue des Marchands, a quaint little commercial area with a grocery store, cafés, bars, restaurants, and shops selling beach gear and souvenirs. The vibe was very relaxed and very summery and reminded me of California. Passing by the lovely outdoor restaurant seating areas I felt a bit regretful about my fridge full of groceries. But, then again, I can have one restaurant meal for about 20 euro, or I can buy groceries that provide me with enough healthy food for four days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the same price!

The beach is straight ahead at the end of the street, and only five minutes away from my apartment, while the start of the lagoons are only a two minute walk in the other direction! Here is the beach, just east of Rue des Marchands. It goes on and on.

The beach at La Capte, on the eastern side of the Peninsula. The Île de Pourquerolles is on the horizon to the left of centre, and the Presqu’île de Giens, at the foot of the peninsula, is on the horizon to the right of centre.

I took off my shoes and chose to walk north towards a small marina,

and then I continued a short distance and crossed two wooden bridges built over shallow canals that allow fresh sea water into the lagoons.

This wide beach of golden sand stretched as far as the eye can see towards the mountains of the mainland.

I walked with my feet in the cool water for quite a ways up this beach, nice and easy, and took this image looking directly out to the blue blue sea.

A little while later I turned back south to return to my apartment where I made a delicious pasta dinner, complete with a glass of wine to celebrate this first day of my little holiday within a holiday.

Salt Marshes Restricted – No Access!

The next morning, I had a great plan. I would walk to the access bridge over the canal that separates the lagoons from the main north/south road, and then make my way across the peninsula via the trails that crisscross the lagoon on low dikes. Once I reached the beach on the other side, I would head south and do half of the Sentier Littoral (coastal path) that circles around the Presqu’île de Giens. But…., the first problem with this plan was a locked gate with a big sign that said that access to the lagoons is restricted except for guided tours. What? Nowhere in my research had I read that. No wonder I hadn’t seen anyone out on the dike paths yesterday afternoon or this morning. I looked longingly out at the birds that I think were flamingos but they were too far away to know for sure. Darn! But, conversely, I did feel happy that the birds are able to get as much peace as possible from us humans while they feed and nest.

So, I had to head off south down the main road but there was a constant stream of cars driving past me heading for the ferry to the Île de Pourquerolles. Road walking and traffic, yuck, and just how far is it anyway to the Presqu’île? Rather farther than I had thought (I really hadn’t researched this properly) so I decided to hitchhike my way south to end the agony of walking right beside all of those cars. A couple from Toulouse, on their way to the ferry, kindly stopped to pick me up and then they dropped me off where the Rue de la Madrague branched off from the main road at the end of the lagoons and headed towards the western shore of the peninsula. This road was also busy, but a cycle and walking path soon branched off from it and provided a little more peace as well as good views of the lagoon and its silty shore.

There were few birds to be seen at this end, but I could see small fish in the canal that was between me and the lagoon.

Soon I reached the north/south road on the western edge of the peninsula. The side of the road was full of tightly parked campers and vans and I could see some sailboarding kites in the sky. This side of the peninsula is typically quite windy and is very popular with wind surfers and kite boarders.

Partway along this road I reached a very enticing beach access,

and after climbing up and over the small hill I descended to views of a beautiful sea with many windsurfers and kite surfers skimming along at speed.

Here is a view of the beach looking north where some sort of event was taking place,

and the view south.

I headed in that direction and stopped often to look out at the windsurfers on the water.

Some were rising up on foils and doing jumps into the air.

This is my favourite picture of the day.

The dark line in the foreground of the photo above is caused by a kind of seaweed which is being washed towards the shore. The tideline here, and also yesterday on the eastern beaches, was full of it. It looks and feels like paper-thin strips of wood. There was also another kind of seaweed in pellet shapes that was fibrous like coconut husks. Strange!

The brown ribbon-like seaweed lay in thick carpets over some parts of the beach.

As I walked further south I came upon great mounds of it piled up six feet high against a sea wall.

This little knight, standing upon his castle mound of seaweed and looking out to sea, actually had a toy sword which he brandished in the air just moments after I took this picture.

I took one last photo of the windsurfers,

and then I carried on until travel along the beach was no longer possible and I had to rise up to the road near this small marina.

Looking out at the point beyond the marina I admitted to myself that I had grossly underestimated my distances when planning to do the coastal path. Definitely too far. I consulted a map on my phone and decided to cut across the Presqu’île on roads and then join up with a trail on the other side that would lead me to the coastal path, except that it didn’t. After rising to the top of the hill, access to my intended trail was blocked by a private gated community. Another ”No access” sign! Now, I had to head back down the hill and then find another route up. Grrr. At this point, I decided to just give up on my plan of hiking the coastal path, and so I took some pictures of roadside flowers to make me happy again.

And that worked wonders. All ambition and regret was gone and I just enjoyed the lovely sun and the warm breeze on this Easter Sunday morning. It was calm and peaceful where I was walking and I enjoyed looking at people’s houses and gardens. I decided that this old unoccupied house, with its nice big yard and a sea view, would be very worth the effort to bring it back to life.

I made my way to the small town of Giens where I knew I could catch a bus back up the peninsula to La Capte. Located in the town was a little park on a hill with an observation deck, and I was very happy and excited to find this excellent view north of the peninsula and its beaches and lagoons. Here you can see the western tombolo stretching to the mainland with the lagoons to the right of it.

And, panning a bit eastwards, the lagoons are now in the centre, edged by the eastern tombolo which is covered in vegetation, on the right.

My morning had not gone to plan, but it was still a very good morning exploring the Giens peninsula. Now, it was time to head home to my comfortable apartment in La Capte for an easy afternoon, a post-dinner walk to the beach, and a quiet evening of reading. Good-bye from the unique Giens peninsula.

France 2022 – Cassis, by the sea

April 13-15, 2022

From Saint Rémy I said good-bye to the hills of the Luberon and Les Alpilles and travelled by train south to Marseille and from there to the town of Cassis and its protected harbour on the Mediterranean. In his guidebook “Provence and the Cote d’Azur”, Rick Steves had assured me that Cassis is a small town that has yet to be discovered and does not see the crowds that other Mediterranean coastal towns see. Hmmm, not so. It has actually been very crowded here with people on their Spring Break holiday, mostly French families but I have also heard a lot of German, some Italian, and some British and American accents. I blame it on the calanques. (More on those later!)

I went straight to my apartment, located just one block away from the busy waterfront street, and when I remarked on the crowds to my host, Guy, he advised me to walk to the Plage de l’Arene, the quietest and easternmost of Cassis’ four beaches. So, after settling in, that is what I did.

Plage de l’Arene. The red cliffs of Cap Canaille are the highest cliffs on the Mediterranean and rise up to 1,200 feet.

Following Guy’s advice, I walked the length of the rocky beach (thankfully, someone had fashioned a path through the rough jumble of rocks) and then climbed up and over a small rocky outcropping that that hid a tiny cove.

There was a French family of three there and the dad had just been out with his snorkel gear spear fishing, but without any luck. I sat for a while and watched the waves come in. It felt good to smell the sea air and see and hear gulls again. I retraced my steps along the beach, climbed up to the road, and then headed back towards Cassis but first I stopped in for a quick peek at the next beach over, Plage du Corton.

C’est moi, at Plage du Corton. Cape Corton is behind me, with the Plage de l’Arene hiding behind it and Cap Canaille behind that.

The next day was a very easy day for me with lots of relaxing. I went out fairly early in the morning to take a few photos of the town before everyone was up and about.

Here is a narrow street, just around the corner from my apartment, and a view of my sunny room where I spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon doing some email, trip planning, and blogging. (Yes, the bed is not made. I told you I was having an easy day!)

In the late afternoon I took the local bus up the hill to the public swimming pool. It was a real treat to swim again, and fun to be amongst all of the French families. When I returned to the waterfront, the streets were very busy with people strolling about or sitting outside at a café or restaurant. Here, people are on a tour boat ready to head out to see the calanques (more on those later!)

After a nice dinner at my apartment (made by Chef Moi), I strolled over to the town’s biggest beach, Plage de la Grande Mer. This wide, family-friendly beach is composed of small, pastel-coloured pebbles that are soft underfoot. Children were having fun and shrieking in the way that they do when they run into the receding waves and then run away from the bigger-than-expected incoming waves. It was a very typical and happy beach sound. Parents and small groups were chatting while they watched their kids or looked at the sea, and a few brave souls were swimming though the water is still quite cold. I took just a few pictures…

and then I sat and spent quite a bit of time sifting through the pretty pebbles, choosing a small assortment of those that pleased me. It was a very easy day indeed.

Les Calanques

Okay, so I’m very very tired because I hiked the calanques today. The calanques are long narrow inlets along the coast between Marseille and Cassis that are edged with steep and craggy limestone cliffs. They are very beautiful and dramatic-looking as the water in the calaques is a turquoise blue and the cliffs are white and accented with dark green pines and other vegetation. Most definitely they are why Cassis has become so popular as there are amazing photos of the calanques on many travel websites and blogs, especially the Calanque d’En-vau which has very high vertical cliffs. In an instagram world it is a dream destination for a wow photo – but you do have to work for it! (Spoiler alert, I did not get that wow photo!)

I woke up early and was out the door by 7:30. I wanted to hike in the coolness of the morning and I also wanted to beat the crowds and the boats that visit the calanques. After a 30 minute uphill walk on narrow town roads, I reached the trailhead to the first of the three calanques on this hike, the Calanque de Port-Miou. A level dirt track paralleled this inlet which is completely lined with pleasure boats.

Then the trail narrowed and rose up, heading toward the beach at the end of the Calanque du Port Pin. It was another hazy day and looking out over the Mediterranean it was difficult to see where the sea met the sky!

A quick descent brought me down towards the beach at the end of the Calanque de Port Pin.

Beautiful! There were only a few other hikers about, the sun was at my back, and the gorgeous pine trees were kindly providing plenty of shade. I didn’t linger as there was still at least 90 minutes of hiking to arrive at the next, most dramatic, calanque. (I do wish they would post distance rather than time. Ninety minutes for who?)

I choose the blue trail which is longer and more challenging but which has more view points over the Calanque d’En-vau. First, the trail climbed steeply up for views down towards the end of the Port Pin inlet. One can walk all the way out to the end of the point which is what I did on the return trip, even though I was very tired. Half-way across the point, and on the other side, is where I met the monster!

Now, a word about this trail. Along most of the route, the trail is on rocky, lumpy, bumpy, uneven limestone and jumbled limestone rocks which makes it very challenging underfoot. This image, looking downhill, shows the typical, but not worst, trail surface on this hike.

So, I had to focus very much on foot placement while also enjoying the scenery as the trail weaved its way, generally uphill, to the Pointe d’en-Vau, and then along the top of cliffs on the north side of the inlet. It was very scary getting close to the edge for views down to the water! Here is a view near the beginning of the inlet,

then further along the inlet,

still further along,

and then a glimpse of the small beach at the end of the inlet!

Here is a zoomed in photo of that beautiful water. See how precipitous the cliffs are!

The trail continued along on the cliff top for some distance past the end of the beach, with views back,

and then a surprising view of the Mediterranean view opened up in a dip in the cliffs across the way.

After about another ten minutes or so along the cliff top, the trail began a slow descent, and then I reached this point. Uh oh. Way way down there are people on the trail (near the centre of the photo, in a little white backwards crescent shape).

Here they are, zoomed in. Where they are walking looks flat in the photo, but they’re actually heading down a fairly steep wide trail of jumbled rocks. But, it’s the part in-between, from where I am looking down and where they are that is considered “challenging” in all of the route descriptions. I really really didn’t want to go down, mostly because I didn’t want to come back up again! I sat for a bit, had some water, ate an orange, and tried to figure out if it was too much for me to go down there (“it’s just a beach and some blue water, I don’t really need to go down” vs. ”I’ve come this far, I’ll regret it if I don’t, slow and steady and I’ll be fine”).

I went down. Hands, bottom, and careful manoeuvres were definitely needed to go down this very steep section of rough limestone, and thank goodness there were some trail-side trees and bushes to act as anchors of support. Finally, phew, on the flat, between two walls of limestone, it was nice and cool and I could smell the sea in the light breeze. Here is a photo for Sophie and Aaron. There is a climber, with a blue backpack halfway up that wall of limestone!

I turned this next corner,

and here was the beach.

I walked to one side, sat myself down on the pebbles with this amazing view, and took a well-deserved break.

I couldn’t completely relax though because I knew I had to go back up! I ate half my lunch, watched the few brave swimmers and a couple of paddle boarders who paddled their way in to the beach, and then got back up again to start the return journey. Good-bye Calanque d’En-vau!

The long slog up the jumbled-rock trail was not fun, but I really enjoyed the climb up the steepest part. It is definitely less scary going up than down. A lot more people were coming down the trail now and I had plenty of opportunities to stop and catch my breath while I let them pass. At the top, I considered re-doing the blue cliff top trail but decided that I had had enough challenges for one day and so I chose the easier red trail which was a rather tediously steady downhill slog that led fairly quickly back to the beach at the Calanque de Port Pin. It was so busy there! It was close to noon now and people were all over the beach and the rocks and coming down the hill towards the beach like a line of ants! Wow. I was so glad that I had started out early.

I was very tired, and many of my parts were hurting, but the trails leading out to the end of the point were appealing so I headed up and out towards the point, and then over to the other side where I found a monster!

Beneath this crevice there must be a sea cave. There was a small crack in the rock surface on the cliff top, about 40 cm long and 5 cm wide, that expelled air with a loud, strange moan each time a wave came in, like a hurt whale or monster exhaling with belaboured breath. It was a very unsettling sound!

Once I understood the cause of that strange, repetitive sound, I decided that I rather liked the monster and so I sat near the edge of the cliff, off to the right, beneath the pines. This time, I was able to fully relax as I finished my lunch and looked out over the sea, with views down into Port Miou to my left and across to Cap Canaille in the distance ahead of me.

Heading back towards Cassis, I couldn’t resist taking this photo looking into the boat-lined Calanque de Port Miou.

And, as I neared town, I also had to photograph the westernmost and last of Cassis’ four beaches, the Plage du Bestouan.

At the far end of this beach there was a small rocky outcropping that I was compelled to explore as I was leaving Cassis the next morning and knew I would not be back here again. Sigh, stairs down from the street, then more stairs up and around the outcropping, but it was worth it for a view of the harbour that I had not yet seen.

Then, I as returned back around the headland to the end of the beach I heard happy shrieks and looked down to see three girls, huddled together on the rock below, waiting excitedly for waves to crash onto them. What fun!

Now, by this point, I had been walking fairly steadily, and often strenuously, for about six hours. I won’t name all of the parts that were hurting but the list is quite long and I was seriously wondering if I’d make it up the stairs to my apartment. Yet, when I got to the harbour-front street, the lighting was so lovely, and there was some blue in the sky, so I just had to take these last few photos of the town of Cassis, by the sea. Thank you, calanques, for bringing me here!