We could really get used to the laid back holiday town vibes in La Londe les Maures along the Cote d’Azure in southern France. We were here long enough, we HAVE gotten used to it. A 5-minute walk to the beach means, no matter how busy work became, I could start pretty much every day with a swim in the sea. 

Part 1: July 14-23  - en famille

We made the drive from Toulouse to La Londe on le quatorze juillet, and were welcomed to town with a fireworks show! Bastille Day was very docile compared with what we encountered in Barcelona, but a nice little display. 

We got out for several little outings to nearby towns, including Sanary and Bandol on the seaside,

La Garde and Le Castellet up in the hills,

and Grimaud, which had a bit of both - a castle up on the hill and an adorable port section built all on canals.

A highlight was the day we spent on the water with our home exchange host’s friend, who took us out for a sail around the Île de Porquerolles. We dropped anchor for a swim, a paddle, and a lovely lunch.

We had such a wonderful visit with Nathan’s parents and were sad to see them go. We did get one last little outing together as we dropped them off for their flight out of Nice, and stopped by the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Western Europe, actually property of the Russian Federation! 

Part 2: July 2-August 1 - avec une amie

A few days later, our college friend arrived by train. Since she didn't get in til after 10pm, we took advantage of the cooling temps for an evening hike and picnic dinner along the way. 

We had some beach days, playing on the paddle board, hiking another stretch of coast (this time way too hot, even with swim breaks) and even a sailboard lesson! No photos of that, but it was really fun trying it out and telling the French instructor about my grandparents' skills.   

Finally, we couldn't come to France this summer without getting in on some Olympic action! We got cheap GA tickets to the sailing qualifiers, which included small skiffs, 2-person catamarans, windsurfing, kite boarding and for the first time, wind foil. The first few raced that day, the last 2 did tricks for the crowd. The best part was getting to watch the action from the water. Not a boat, but the beach!

I'm sad to be leaving this spot. I have been working hard but really getting to feel like I'm getting a vacation being in this holiday town. We are ready for different sites and cooler temps next week, as we head north into the Alps!