MARSEILLES

I HAVE SO OFTEN THOUGHT OF MARSEILLES AND WANTED TO VISIT IT BUT I HAD TO KEEP REMINDING MYSELF THAT I WAS ACTUALLY THERE YESTERDAY.  IT IS A GLORIOUS PORT CITY AND SHOWS EVERY EVIDENCE OF ITS MIXTURE OF MEDITERRANEAN, AFRICAN, GREEK ORIENTAL AND NUMEROUS OTHER CULTURES AND PEOPLE.  IT IS BUSTLING AND VIBRANT.  ESPECIALLY DOWN BY THE OLD PORT THE STREETS ARE VERY WIDE, THE OCEAN IS A SPARKLING BLUE/TURQUOISE COLOUR, THERE ARE BOATS OF EVERY SIZE AND FISH STALLS BY THE QUAY.  A COVERED AREA HAS A CEILING THAT REFLECTS ALL THOSE WALKING UNDER IT AND THE SHOWS TAKING PLACE - PEOPLE TUMBLING AND DANCING AND DOING ACROBATICS.

THE MUSEUM AT THE END OF THE PORT IS UTTERLY AMAZING.  IT IS NAMED THE MUCAM which stands for Museum of civilisations of Europe and the Med. IT WAS BASED UPON AN ANCIENT SITE FOUNDED BY THE GREEKS WHEN THEY ARRIVED HERE HUNDREDS OF YEARS BC.

The old port

Entrance to the MUCAM

TOP OF THE CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME
WHICH OVERLOOKS THE CITY

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AIX EN PROVENCE

I'VE BEEN STAYING IN A REALLY NICE, QUIET CAMPSITE FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS.  IT'S ONLY 20 MINUTES FROM AIX AND THE BUS STOPS RIGHT OUTSIDE THE GATE.  IT'S GREAT TO GO IN TO THESE BUSY CITIES AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PARKING.  IT HAPPENS TO BE OVERLOOKED BY THE STE. VICTOIRE MOUNTAIN SO BELOVED OF CEZANNE WHO HAD A STUDIO CLOSE BY.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF AIX IS THE AMOUNT OF WATER FOUNTAINS - MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY DO A TOUR OF ALL THE FOUNTAINS.  LOVELY IN SUCH A HOT CLIMATE.  COMING FROM IRELAND IT ALWAYS SEEMS SO GREAT THAT ONE CAN JUST PLAN EACH DAY WITHOUT NEEDING TO THINK ABOUT RAIN OR COLD.
I WENT TO AN EXCELLENT EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS HERE - THEY WERE COLLECTED BY A MAN NAMED JEAN PLANQUE, HIS PRIVATE COLLECTION AND THEY ARE STORED IN A MOST WONDERFUL CHAPELLE, CLOSE TO AND PART OF, THE GRANET MUSEUM.

FOUNTAIN DRESSED IN GREEN

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CHAPEL WHERE PLANQUE COLLECTION IS SHOWN

ST. TROPEZ

I would have avoided St Tropez because of too many tourists and fame but just a few Kms away there is an area called Ramatuelle where there are lovely empty beaches and lots of friendly camp sites so that's where I am and I love it.  I am based on a little farm campsite amid the vineyards.  Like many houses here this one is that sunny biscuit colour with purple little doors and shutters.  It's a working farm so there's tractors and machinery housed in sheds.
I went in to St Tropez twice once for site seeing and yesterday for the big market.  It is much better than I expected, a friendly fun place.  Of course the prices are high and the yachts are big.  It's been a long time since there were fishing boats here.  All the famous design shops are represented but there's also long quiet streets and parks with glorious blossoms and bougainvillea covered walls.
The bus service here is free and there's a lovely walk to the bus via the paths of the vines.  Most of the houses are very large and private - almost all are that sunny colour and hide behind large gates.  When the occasional one is open there are great gardens in there.  I love the pastel coloured shutters.  Here in the camp site many people stay for the whole Summer usually in a motor home that they leave parked here.  A much cheaper way than renting a place.

My path to the bus

The port of St. Tropez

Inviting piazza

Lavender

ST.PAUL De VENCE

I came here to visit the famous Maeght Museum,  a private foundation in this town where Marc Chagall once lived so it has his works along with those of Matisse, Braque, Leger and especially Miro who designed a Labyrinth - an outdoor sculpture garden with lots of pools and mosaics.  It's housed in a most beautiful building and is wonderful for it's architecture.
All these little towns perched on hills above the sparkling blue sea are full of tiny winding streets, very little parking and very attractive.  People like Yves Montand used to live here with his wife Simone Signoret and there's a famous restaurant filled with works of Picasso, Braque etc who used to pay for their meals with their creations.

SOSPEL

Sospel is a lovely quiet town in the middle of the mountains north of Menton on the Cote dAzur.  The roads to it are very very winding and it is nice and cool as one goes higher and higher.  There is a quiet really nice, leafy, shady camp site here - it is free of charge and really nice although it is plain it has running water.  I went there for a night or two and ended up staying 5 nights.
French camp sites are very quiet.  Most of the French don't sit outside at night so all the motor homes are closed by 8 pm.  Here however, a group of Italian men arrived and they had guitars and sang although the French did tell them to be quiet at 10 pm.  They invited me to join them for their special Schnaps drunk out of a "Griolla" (I think that's how you spell the name"  which has many sprouts and the liquor is mixed with sweetened coffee and tastes delicious.
The next night they invited me to a BBQ - they grilled every kind of meat including their sausages, lamb, beef and chicken.  We had fun there.
I had a nice neighbour named Mark from Edinburgh.  He was also invited by the Italians.  After they left he cooked supper twice with the rest of their sausage and a Ratatuille with spuds so the whole visit was grand despite rain several days.

Enjoying sharing the traditional drink

The Italian cyclists

A laugh and a sing song

Mark cooking our supper

Sospel

NICE

I drove Alex to the airport at Nice early on Thursday morning.  She flew to Amsterdam.  Since I was in the city I decided to explore a bit although I don't really like cities.  I found Nice to be nicer than Cannes.  It was just as full of tourists but the old town was lovely and the promenade much nicer and not as crowded with up market restaurants that rather spoiled the view of the blue sea.
I was lucky and met a nice man from Liverpool who has been there in his motor home for a long time.  He took me in to the city on his motor bike so it was fun riding all along past the beaches and having a bit of a breeze.  We went to a Cambodian restaurant and then to an Irish Pub to watch the first game of the World Cup with Brazil against Croatia.  There were a lot of Brazilians there and they are always so much fun so it was a good night.

need a hat in this heat

part of the Promenade

This was before the match

CANNES

I. had a lovely visit with Alex staying in her apartment that is full of light.  I had dinner with her and her friends Angelo and Evelyn.   From there it was a short bus ride in to the centre of Cannes so didn't have to worry about the parking    The Promenade is a lovely stroll along the fine beaches and the old city has great lanes and winding streets and intriguing steps in narrow passageway but the city is just too busy and the shops of every expensive designer  are glittering around all the famous named hotels.  It is getting very hot now these days and I want to get away from all the fashion and crowds.  Still it was fun to stroll around and see how the other half live with the enormous yachts and bronzed bodies sunning and enjoying food and drinks.  There are very few fat bodies around here but I've often noticed that rich women are very often very slender.

Alex and Angelo cocktail time

Cannes

 

CASTELLANE

I stayed in a lovely quiet campsite here named La Ferme.  It seems that there are many campsites that have evolved on farms so they are out in the countryside, fairly simple, usually with animals, lots of trees and birdsong.  In this one there was even a covered terrace for those connecting with WiFi and one could also order a continental breakfast with fresh croissants or baguette and hot coffee.  This style of campsite is cheap because there's no swimming pool, restaurant or bars.  I went in to town on my  bike (Molly) and walked up to the Roc De Notre Dame.  This is a pilgrimage track with a small church on top and great views from there.   The town itself is small and very nice although most of the shops are selling touristy goods.

Molly secure in town

The Rock with chapel of Notre Dame on top

View from above

The chapel

GORGES OF VERDON

I've been to Tiger Leaping Gorge in China and rather expected these Gorges to be similar but have to say I've never before seen water that colour of vivid Turquoise.  Unfortunately there were many cars as it was a Sunday so the parking places to take pictures were full but I did get a few.  The scenery is magnificent - towering cliffs all around.  Have a look for yourself.

RUSTREL AND THE COLORADO

Rustrel is a very tiny village and people mainly go there to walk in the Colorado region where all those Ochre plains contrast with an almost white desert clay.  All of it in contrast to the green fir trees.  There's 3 lengths of walks laid out but in the heat I only walked five kms and actually got a bit lost (signs arn't great) and think I wandered another few kms.  There were very few people about - a good reason to wander before high season.

This one is called the desert

ROUISSILLON AREA

Rouissillon is an area well known by artists who have been inspired by the Ochre colours of the town and surrounding area.  Every where is a deep red since the surrounding clay was used in building the village.  It is striking with the while cliffs around and all the green trees.  Even the gravestones were red and the large tombs.

Red ceramics

GORDES

This area has "Bories" that look very similar to the Beehive huts of Clochans in Ireland.  There's a whole village of them near there although I didn't go as I have visited many beehive huts including those wonderful ones on the Skelligs.  Here though they were used until the 18th C although they were built in the Bronze Age.  Some here are even 2 storey.  They were again used as wine cellars, storage places and workshops and are unmortared limestone.
Gordes is again a lovely village and has many tourists.  I rambled around a bit and went in to the main Chateau.