We arrive at Christine and Anne-Laure's little cottage around 5 pm. They gave us excellent directions and other than tight parking on their little lane, we get there in one piece.
The "girls" are very sweet and nice. Anne-Laure teaches English and is studying for her PhD in English and Christine has very good English too. But the teacher makes us try and use our french as much as possible which we do much to their delight and giggles. We walk down into the town along the water for crepe's and cider for dinner and switch to English as the night wears on as we find we have much to talk about.
As we had hoped they have some really good ideas for our weekend and are happy to join us for a grand adventure on Sunday.
We fall into bed - they gave us their room - they are sleeping in guest room on fold out couch. Just very nice people. Our room has a partial view of the harbor.
Saturday morning we go down to the weekly market in St. Mandrier and have coffee and croissant at the little cafe watching over all the activity. We wander around the market - the girls buy some things - we just look and take photos, I'm sure embarassing them with our tourist activity.
Then based on the girls recommendation, we drive down the coast to Cassis but take a side trip to drive up a scenic route called Route des Cretes. Some grand views of the cliffs and surrounding coast line. Had lunch on the rocks overlooking the sea,
On to Cassis where we have been advised to take a boat tour of the Calanquers - small steep inlets up and down the coast. Not really canyons or creeks, no real English translation for these...a Calanquer is a Calanquer - Anne-Laure could find no English translation.
We got to Cassis but it being a Saturday and 90 degrees the place was packed. So we ended up parking way up the hill and hiking down to the waterfront. Our first experience of a Cote d'Azur beach town. Brown beautiful bodies everywhere. Tiny little bathing suits and wall to wall people enjoyig the lovely Saturday. We get our boat tickets and head out for a 45 min tour of the Calanquers which were indeed really impressive - see photos.
After our boat trip, we headed back up the coast towards our dinner reservations. At our request in an email way back, Anne-Laure had made reservations for us to have proper Bouillabaisse a' la' Toulon. We found the little seaside village of le Brusc and had to park and walk into the inlet and the "Au Royaume de la Bouillabaisse" restaurant (Kingdom of Bouillabaisse). Not a tourist place at all.
What a meal, we had a local Provence rose wine and then they serve the fish soup first (which has been cooking all day since morning fish catch) you add croutons that you spread with Rouille a aioli type spread made with saffron and it all dissolves together into a very yummy soup.
THEN they bring out a platter of fish - and it was enough fish to serve 6-8 people! We could have easily shared a single serving, but they only offer it for two. Piled high with all sorts of local fish, mussels, calamari, potatoes -- incredible. You intersperse the fish into the soup - yes there was more soup. We ate until we couldn't anymore and then asked to take the rest home, thinking Anne-Laure and Christine could have dinner for days. But NO, they were apalled that we would even ask such a thing...they just don't do that in France - no leftovers. Quelle dommage! We sadly watch them take it all away. But a wonderful, memorable meal.
We found our way back to the house and crept in - it was late the girls were already asleep. We fell asleep right away as well. Windows open and a cool coastal breeze.
