Last week, Nick and I went on The International Hiking Group of Provence's year-end hike to Les Isles du Frioul, just off the coast of Marseille. After weeks and weeks of rain, we were blessed with a warm and sunny day! The group met at the quai des Belges on the Vieux Port in Marseille for the 30 minute ferry ride to the island. On the way out of the harbor we had a great view not only of the port but of the city as well.
Notre Dame de la Garde(on top of the hill)...
A 12th century fort...
An old palace at the entrance to Vieux Port...
En route, the ferry made a brief stop at the island of If, made famous as Edmond Dantès penal setting in Alexandre Dumas' adventure novel "The Count of Monte Cristo".
Our next stop was the Isle de Friol. This mostly deserted island has a small port with several cafes and some apartments but for life that is it. Almost entirely limestone, the island has little vegetation and has a very dry climate. We hiked along the rocky, 'white' roads enjoying the sun and the views...
My good buddies, Julie and Nathalie...
Nature's 'key hole'...
an organic fish farm...
The rocky crags go right down to the sea so there are not many 'bathing beaches'. Frioul was formerly managed by the military and while we were hiking at one end of the island, we came across bunkers built and used by the Germans during WWII.
At the end of the day, we got our tired, sun baked selves back on the ferry for the ride into Vieux Port. In Marseille, we said our goodbyes...but only for the summer as we'll be back on the trail again in September!
A la prochaine!
Our fearless leader, Isabelle, takes great photos of all the hikes. Here's her album if you want to see more of this one: http://hikinggroup.free.fr/album/2008-2007/2008-06-10%20Iles%20du%20Frioul/
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