Sanary-sur-Mer

Nick, Sarah and I went to Sanary-sur-Mer last Saturday. Although on our list of “places to go” for a year or two, it was our first visit to this quaint, seaside resort. Located less than an hour’s drive southeast of Aix, Sanary is a small town (pop. 18,ooo) sitting right on the Mediterranean Sea. It was first established as a fishing village in the 1600’s. In the harbor, we could still see evidence of a fishing industry and many pleasure boats as well.

Upon doing a little research post trip, I discovered Sanary was a haven for a colorful list of writers and artists, particularly in the 1930’s when, due to the rise of Nazism, a great number of German writers and intellectuals left Germany and settled here, where the cost of living was lower than in Paris. English writers were also attracted to the town and had quite a community up until the declaration of war in 1939 when the French government treated these exiles as enemy aliens and interned them in camps. After liberation, the little village that had been known as "Sanary-les-Allemands" chose to ignore the whole episode until about 20 years ago when the volume of German and Austrian tourists encouraged the unveiling of a small plaque and some signposted tourist itineraries.


Today, Sanary-sur-Mer still looks every bit the fishing village it began as but now has a thriving tourist industry as well. It also appears to be popular with retirees. Along the boardwalk, there are many restaurants, shops and cafes to visit. A bit father on, several lovely but deserted sandy beaches await the summer crowd and in the harbor, there are a wide variety of boats to choose from for those who wish to get out on the water. Nick thought this looked like a nice one to try....

but he could also see himself going out in a boat like this one....

or maybe just stick with one which has the right name...

We stopped at La Marine and had a delicious lunch of moules frites(mussels steamed with white wine and onions served with a plate of fries), salad, baguette and a light rose from nearby Bandol . A cafe noisette(espresso with a tiny bit of milk) and a crisp, Speculos biscuit put the perfect finish on the meal.

When asked how she liked our day in Sanary, Sarah said it was "Much better than I expected". Coming from the mouth of a 13 year old, Nick and I take that as a two thumbs up and we're planning to return in the spring.

A la prochaine!

Vallée de Saint Pons

On the most recent outing with our hiking group, we went to the Vallée de Saint Pons and hiked to the foot of the "Pic de Bertagne"(in the photo above) which is the highest peak in the "Bouches-du-Rhône(the district we live in in France)!! Only a 45 minute drive southeast of Aix, once off the autoroute we passed through the small town of Gémenos and found our way to the parking area for "Parc de St Pons".

Our route commenced at the magnificent Parc de St Pons, with an old chapel from the 13th c, abbey and mill...

Having just had a huge snow storm of historical proportions the week before, there was lots of water coming down off the mountains. The waterfalls were everywhere and beautiful!









Along the valley floor we went under bridges...

and passed more rushing waterfalls...

We proceeded up(of course that always has to happen!) toward the foot of the Pic de Bertagne. There were gorgeous views all the way to the top!

A bit futher along we got to see a “Glaciere”. This is not an ice cream store or a glacier! A glaciere looks like a Jolly Green Giant-sized well at the top of a mountain. A technique used since the 1600’s, these deep ‘wells’ held enormous quantities of blocks of ice to be used in the summer months. This particular glaciere supplied ice to the Marseille region.

We enjoyed our picnic lunches basking in the warm, winter sun before making the return trip down the mountain.

Neige en Aix!!!

This corner of Provence became a winter wonderland before our very eyes yesterday. Around 6 am the pretty white flakes began to fall and by 7 accumulation had begun. What ensued is indeed a rarity in this part of the world....one Aixois said this last happened in 1996, another said sometime in the '80's. No matter that exact date, there were many who experienced their first blizzard of a life time yesterday. Today, Aix is snuggly blanketed in white and the city resembles one of her many sister town up north in the Alps. All is silent here-no buses are running, few cars have ventured out and schools are closed. Yes, I have some quiet time to catch up on the blog!!





Sarah's school "recommended" she not attend yesterday so we had nothing to do but go out and enjoy the rare experience! By 9 am, the snow was really starting to accumulate so bundled up and went out. We all agreed, a snowstorm is different in a city than what we're used to in the country. Last night, Sarah said, "I really enjoyed the snow here in Aix today! It was definitely the first time I ever went sledding through a crosswalk or had a snowball fight during a "walk/green" light!" She met up with one of her buddies at La Rotonde where they made a snowman. Then they proceeded to go all over town giggling, sledding and throwing snowballs at people's faces....on billboards that is!

Nick and I walked through town together enjoying the winter scenery. Here we are on the Cours Mirabeau....

The little side alleys were picturesque...

We met up with Hilary to go for a photo walk around the town. We started up on a rooftop apartment where we found the whole town truly blanketed...








Back at ground level, we visited many town landmarks beginning with the Hotel de Ville and it's Plaza...

Next, we made our way toward the Eglise de la Madeline and the Palais de Justice...

Benevolent Roi Rene looked cold but regal as we passed him on the Cours...

A visit to one of my favorites, Les Quatre Dauphins, found the four little dolphins hardly recognizable!

Walking back to our flat, it was clear it would be days before these cars or their owners would be going anywhere! Don't think there is any snow removal equipment in Aix whatsoever, only the hand shovel and the broom! Looks like we're going to be snowed in for a while...or a few days, who knows!?!

A la prochaine!