Cassis & Calanques

Today we took a guided tour of a nearby town, and while there, a boat tour of the creeks that surround it (called Calanques). The boat tour was so relaxing that B closed his eyes several times and nearly took a nap. I, on the other hand, spent the 1-hour ride darting back and forth from side to side snapping pictures of the cliffs surrounding the beautiful, azul waters. We saw many little boats heading towards the small beaches inside each of the creeks. I imagine it must be a wonderful way to spend a warm, summer day! Speaking of warm, the weather has been gorgeous, unlike what we experienced in Paris. The high today was 80 with little humidity, and the sun was shining all day.

After the boat ride, our tour guide drove us to the highest point in the area. It turns out that that cliff is the 2nd highest cliff in all of Europe! Can you believe that they didn't have any guardrails or fences around the edge? Like, none! Apparently, the city doesn't want to take any responsibility for people's safety. As a result, the view was literally breath-taking. I never did look straight down.

When we got back from our tour, it was only 1pm, so we decided to wander around the "Old Town," which has many medieval buildings, squares, gates, and cathedrals. We also were able to see the excavated site of an original Roman Bath from 1 B.C. It is so old, it was surreal to be looking at it.

Since tonight is our last night in France, I wanted to take a moment to say that we have truly enjoyed our time here. The people have been really nice to us. Before coming, we both had been given the impression that people here could be uncompromising and difficult to communicate with. Instead, we have found that people have put themselves in uncomfortable positions to try and speak with us in English, even though they all claim to speak only "a little bit." What a wonderful experience!