Last week I went on another great hike! This time, with the International Hiking Group of Provence. This group is primarily made up of parents from Sarah's school and led by a wonderful, former parent named Isabelle. What I found out that day is that this is not a 'girls only' group; a good number of husbands come along too, so Nick can join this group in the future. We left the school about 9 and after battling a horrible rush hour commute to and through Marseilles, we arrived at land's end at the edge of the city limits to begin the hike.
This rocky, rugged mountainous area called the Puget Massif is located between Marseilles and Cassis on the Mediterranean coast. These "calanques" are inlets, or mini fjords, carved by melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. They are flanked by steep-sided valleys and sheltered cliffs which are sparsely covered with maritime pines. In the inlets are delightful beaches which for many are the whole reason for hiking in this area in the first place. All in all, definitely worth visiting! So, we're off!
We climbed and we climbed and along the way the views just became more and more spectacular!
Here is a fantastic view, looking north, of the whole city of Marseilles...
When we reached one crest, the wind was blowing so hard we hung onto the rocky hillside for balance!
The view was TRULY incredible!!
Here, our leader, Isabelle, had to consult her map for a safer way through the rocky path....
Finally, at 2 o'clock, after a 4 hour ascent, we stopped to rest and have a much needed lunch. Naturally, the French hikers had red wine with their lunch!!
After lunch, we began our descent and rewarded with a delightful swim at this little beach! The water was fairly warm for the end of September and it sure felt good!
I'm looking forward to the next hike...and Nick joining me!
A la prochaine!!
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