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!