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France

Calanques and Cassis

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, overlooking Calanque de Sugiton

Although my life would be considered by many to be an extended vacation, work and the stress of my upcoming visa renewal have been weighing on me lately. Fortunately, my and D’s vacation to visit his family in Marseille couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, Calanque de Sugiton

We arrived on Saturday and on Sunday met up with two of my Parisian au pair friends who are traveling around before returning to their homes in Germany. They wanted to visit the calanques, so we picked them up in the early afternoon and took off.

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, Calanque de Sugiton boat party

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, sparking water Calanque de Sugiton

The intent had been to meet up with D’s brother and his girlfriend somewhere in the calanques, but the map he’d sent us showed a hike that was going to take at least an hour and a half. After being advised several times to just go back to Sugiton, we ended up following the path anyways until we ended up… nowhere. No beach, no brother, no nothing. The view was incredible, of course, but the calanques are very rocky, and it’s hard to appreciate any kind of natural beauty when you’re staring at your feet to make sure you don’t trip or slip.

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, beach plage Cassis

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, palm trees in Casis

After a couple exhausting exhilarating hours, we got back to the car and made our way to the little seaside town of Cassis (did you know that in French that means blackcurrant, like the fruit?). We were finally on a beach! And there were palm trees! Never mind that the water was bone-chillingly cold.

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, marina port downtown Cassis

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, evening light downtown Cassis

We found a restaurant for dinner and relaxed until the breeze became too chilly to stay seated and outside. The way the marina and fort light up at night was absolutely magical, though, so I had to stop my friends and snap a few photos on our way back up to the car. We dropped the girls off at their hostel and declared it was “not goodbye, just see you later”. Perhaps there will be a trip or two to Germany in the not-so-distant future?

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, marina by night Cassis

The Glittering Unknown, Calanques and Cassis, downtown Cassis night

À bientôt!

  • Reply
    Natalia
    at

    This makes me so excited about my trip to Marseilles! Definitely will be heading to Cassis for a daytrip 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

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