La Londe-les-Maures, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
We’ve traveled quite a bit over the last couple years, and people always ask us the same question: What is your favorite place? It can’t be answered, as there are so many different aspects from scenery and weather to culture and food, adorable villages, impressive city architecture, friendly locals or special memories with friends and family. La Londe is the one that really ticks all the boxes, and we both agreed that if we had to return to a home, it would be this one. So, almost exactly 2 years later, we did! The family who owns it also loves Kanab, so we organized a second long exchange where they could hike the desert and we could walk 5 minutes to jump in the sea every morning.
We managed to hit up a totally different batch of little towns and hike some new, if very similar, stretches of coastline. The fun part was actually connecting different segments we did last time, so that we have covered a pretty solid stretch of the coast near our home base! Directly east from the house, and around much of the T-shaped Presque Île of neighboring Hyères.
Hyères was one of the familiar spots, but we still discovered new sides of it. Ma copine and I took a sailboard lesson there last time, and this time, we took 3 hours of lessons as a couple. We also walked around its salt flats to see the flamingos, explored the artsy old town and hiked up to the castle ruins.
Some new, very old towns included the perched villages of Bormes-des-Mimosas and Ramaruelle. The former was bursting with flowers and scenery, the latter a chill, less touristy village.
Speaking of hilltops, we made the mistake of taking one hike far from the sea, up the nearly 2000-foot Mont Feron above the busy port town of Toulon. Good views, sweaty experience.
Then there were the two longtime tourist hotspots, Saint Tropez and Cassis. Crowded with mega-yachts, Saint Tropez was just too bougie for us. We visited on a Sunday so we had time for the long, gorgeous coastal hike with a lot of swim stops. Afterward, we didn’t feel comfortable dining at any of the upscale spots in town, and paid too much for some mediocre food. Cassis was even more striking, and that day consisted of a short hike and a very fresh seafood lunch that was a great bargain!
Farther Afield:
July 18-19 - Southeast France
We had two full weekends in La Londe, so we used them to travel a little farther afield. The first weekend was in the height of la canicule (heatwave) so we didn’t dare leave the seaside. We drove an hour east to Antibes, which turned out to be the most charming town. A walled medieval old town center, vibrant spice market, the impossibly clear and blue water, and hiking wild Cap d’Antibes. We capped off with the most artistic and creative French dinner, and a night in the most basic charmless motel.
The next morning we drove another hour to a whole new country, Monaco! We were able to see pretty much the entire 0.8 square-mile micro-state in a few hours on foot. We started with coffee and a too-sweet crepe in the Vielle Ville, featuring the Prince’s palace, some charming old alleyways and glorious sea views. Then we walked down to the harbor, more mega-yachts, and some ‘Monégasque’ specialties. One was like a spinach and cheese empanada, the other a pizza or flatbread with caramelized onions and anchovies. Of course, we couldn’t miss seeing the Monte Carlo casino. To avoid losing all our money there, we high-tailed it out of town.
A little further east lies the last French town before Italy, Menton. You could certainly feel the influence: Italian restaurants, gelato, granitas, and lemon EVERYTHING. It was painfully hot for the short climb up to the church for a view, and we made that climb back down to the sea very fast to cool off with a swim and a lemon sorbet.
Our last stop was just on the west side of Monaco, a very different feeling village, the perched medieval fortress of Èze. Carless, winding, maze-like streets full of art galleries and candy shops. It was the wrong time for a French meal, so we got some picnic supplies at the market and ate along the way home.
July 25-26 - Gorges du Verdon
For our second weekend, the heat had subsided, especially at higher elevation. We drove two hours north to the dramatic Gorges du Verdon, where I have long wanted to hike. The route wasn’t a highway with rest areas, so we stopped for a break in a random town called Villecroze where we got coffees, an eclair and a surprise view of some Troglodyte cave dwellings.
There are a few towns inside the regional park, and our first stop was Moustiers-Sainte-Marie where we climbed up to 12th-century Notre Dame de Beauvoir Chapel for incredible views over the Verdon River valley. We also shopped for picnic supplies, local specialties which include tapenades, lavender products and goat cheese.
Even though it wasn’t too hot, I couldn’t resist a dip in the large manmade lake. We wanted to rent a kayak or pedal boat, like all those pictured here, but were informed by the first actual rude-frenchman stereotype I have encountered, that it was too windy for rentals.
No matter, it was late enough to check into our little auberge, a French B&B with lovely mountain views. We just dropped off things and took off for a scenic drive along the 14-mile Route des Cretes. Wow, the viewpoints were spectacular, and gave a nice preview of coming attractions. We could look down on the river gorge and the huge Griffin vultures circling below. We shared a cheesy gratin in a little hotel restaurant with a view over the very trail that brought us here, the Blanc-Martel.
The next morning was an early hotel breakfast of pure carbs and coffee to fuel us for our 10-mile trek along the river gorge. The trail rises and falls constantly, including some long stretches of tunnel through the canyon walls, dips down to the river’s edge, and some steep stairways where even the insane switchbacks couldn’t climb. We passed under some of the same viewpoints from our drive, now looking up at those vultures thinking, I may be exhausted, but I’m not dead yet!
After the hike we drove to the other larger village in the park, Castellane. It too had a perched church, but we were happy to view it from below. We had tried the local savories, but now we got to taste the lavender ice cream. Not my usual flavor choice, but this one was delicate and not at all soapy. Again it wasn’t French meal time, so we couldn’t find a restaurant. A roadside rotisserie was open and we very happily polished off half a chicken.
I’m so happy to have returned to this lovely part of France. We have now spent 6 weeks here, and still could find new things to discover. The best part though, is just the gentle daily lifestyle of swimming in the placid morning sea, walking, paddle boarding, wind surfing and playing along its striking coastline, living on fresh baguettes and seafood. I’d gladly come back, but I’m excited for the next stop, a new city: Montpellier.
