Provence

Day 6

Leaving Nice we headed to Marseilles taking a slight detour through the Provence vineyards.  

This map shows the area of France known as Provence.  It includes the larger cities of Nice and Marseilles, both of which we visited on this recent trip to the south of France.

We stopped from time to time along the way to take a look at the view.

The coastline of the Mediterranean in this area is called the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (blue coast).

We took another detour into popular St. Tropez (population less than 6000).  It was completely deserted.  Not a creature was stirring.  It must truly be a summer paradise.  Exclusively.

It is definitely a quaint place with very few streets meant for driving a car.  I understand most beaches are nude or at least topless and in the high season, you will pay about 500 euro ($650) for a room - per night :)

We've seen a lot of vineyards, but these were the first we've seen on flat ground.  Most often vineyards are on soil that drains really well.  Provence is completely different.

It had rained a lot in recent days, but I assume these type of grapes do not require the constant drainage.

Do you have any idea what this is?

It's a tree I think takes a form similar to that of a small live oak.

Here's a close up of the bark.

It's cork.  Like what's used to make wine bottle corks.

They were growing everywhere.  This is what the trunk looks like when it's been harvested.

Arriving in Marseilles, it was raining again, but it stopped soon after.  This is a typical street and traffic was pretty steady.  We circled the block a few times to find the parking garage :)

We stayed at a really nice, but old hotel right on the harbor.  Some of the rooms had a view of the harbor.  We had a room which touted a "view of the courtyard".  I had to laugh at this courtyard.  This is it.  However, one of those trees did have lemons on it!

As you can see it started to rain, but it was still nice out and we enjoyed window shopping again.

This is the Prefecture Marseille  (government).

Bad moon rising. Ha.

The next morning the skies were clearer and it was very windy.  This is Fort Saint Jean built in 1660 by Louis XIV.  It has been occupied by revolutionaries, served as a prison, occupied by Germany in WWII and now houses a museum.

The harbor in Marseilles has more sailboats that I have ever seen in any harbor to date.

I was fascinated with the number of sailboats and masts!  They seemed to go on forever.

A typical square near the harbor. We were so glad to see the sun!

This is the Palais du Pharo overlooking the Old Port.  Built by Napoleon III in 1858, it now serves as a convention center.

Views of the harbor from the Palais du Pharo were really spectacular.

The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful from this vantage point.  The water really is that blue.

We headed north leaving Provence and once again the vineyards were on more typical steep hills.

Us in Marseille.