Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Hurray! Nick's medicines have worked and he is well enough to drive today and it's bright and sunny. We give Nick and Grete the anniversary card Ali made with wild flowers from the lanes, then go to say goodbye and thank Madame but she does not work on Saturdays so we leave a little note with her colleague, who politely says our French is 'parfait' and set off at 11:00
We drive our last few miles of the Carmargue on smooth dual carriageways through wide flat plains until we see the Etang de Berre, a large lake, on our left side and the industrial skyline ahead. As we approach Marseilles we get fantastic views of the Mediterranean, the towering limestone coastline and cork trees and marinas full of expensive boats.
In Marseilles the two vans are separated at traffic lights and there is nowhere to stop and wait. To compound our problem the 2-way radios decide to run out of battery. The city centre traffic is manic, scooters squeezing around the traffic with what can only be described as a death wish. Ali phones Grete and suggests we make our own ways through and meet at Cassis, which we arrive at by completely different routes. Theirs took them south along the Calanques coast road, ours took us up into the hills on the Col de l'Ange at Roquefort la Bedoule, limestone cliffs long steep hills, hairpin bends with long drops and all the time glimpses of the azure sea. Cassis is perched on a steep hill and is a pretty town of pink plaster and tan pan-tiles famous for its dark black currant licquer but we are stopped by a traffic warden in the tiny town centre and told no motorhomes are allowed. He directs us to and aire where we meet N+G and Ali walks back to buy baguettes for lunch.
After lunch we visit a nearby fruit and veg shop 'Le Melonniere'. There is a huge range of fresh vegetables, salads, herbs, cheeses and meats all under a sheltered market stall. We buy Mozzarella, basil and tomatoes for starters, a cooked chicken and a load of other stuff to see us through the next few days.
Our ride to our site for the weekend is stunningly beautiful with more up-and-down-hairpin-bend roads and a lovely run above a long beach at Le Ciotat. We reach the site at Le Parc Mogodor near Bandol and set up on its small pitches. In the evening we celebrate N+G's 45th wedding anniversary with a meal Ali makes using some of our fresh goodies - MBT starter, chicken and rice salad and a fresh fruit salad with some of Mas de Rey's wine.
- comments
Rog. Etang de Berre ! takes me back to 1965 and my first trip to sea; used to discharge at Port du Bouc for the BP refinery at Lavera. In later years on the VLCC's we discharged at Fos sur Mer on the very edge of the Camargue. Hope your back's OK now Nick.