Another bright sunny day with blue sky everywhere. It got up to 21 but it is all relative I see. While my sun-starved body is thrilled to be in a Tshirt and capris, the locals seem to be bundled up in their winter parkas, sweaters and fleeces?! I guess it's like the kids at Perth Road - if they haven't already started wearing their shorts to school (despite the snow still on the ground and the nip in the air!), they soon will be! Now I understand them - a little bit...!!
I love the little surprises that have made my trips interesting. The escaped horses, the sheep being herded to the next field... Today was a runaway peacock!! I was coming into a village when I noticed activity ahead and a woman flagged me to slow down. There sauntering across the road was a peacock!! His cronies were in a fenced area across the street but somehow he had escaped!! His owner was stalking him and finally caught him by the tail. The peacock put up quite a fight though - he certainly wasn't going back willingly! Not something you see in Kingston!
It was a three hour drive from Cannes to Saint Tropez and the last hour and a half was spent crawling along the coast at the top speed of 20 km!! I guess those people who weren't vacationing in Cannes or Monaco had decided that Saint Tropez was the place to be. No accidents or construction - just sheer volume!! But, unlike most traffic jams, this one was almost a treat! The windows were down, the sea breeze was wafting in the window, music was playing and there were the hills and that spectacular sea! Huge expanses of beach virtually deserted on a work day and the surf rolling in.
There was also the scent of lilacs in the air. They are lacier and airier than the ones in Canada and drape across buildings or droop over alleyways - lovely!
(The woman in the car behind me was impressed by none of this. She spent the slow time plucking her eyebrows!!??)
The Inuit have their many words for snow and I have decided that there need to be more words just for the water and landscape of the south of France!! The assault of colour is almost overwhelming at times! I thought maybe the chorus of "Coat of Many Colours" from Joseph might be a good start! Very little black though - except on the locals - maybe to tone down all the colour around them?!
If what I have seen so far have been markets, then the activity at Place des Lices in Saint Tropez can only be called a bazaar. By far the largest array of stalls and displays I've seen. More in the way of clothing, fabrics, jewellery and art at this one but with the smell of roasting meat in the air to tell you there is food in the vicinity too!
I picked up my baguette for the next few days as well as some croissants and, because I hadn't eaten yet, a pain chocolate! THEN I saw the most beautiful pastry - tarte Tropezienne! (The chocolate bun went back into the bag!!) It was two layers of cake with a creamy custard inside and a raspberry filling!!! I couldn't resist and it was worth it!! DECADENT!! It certainly didn't fit with good lunch by Canada Food Guide standards but it was pure Riviera!
Another word that seems to be summing up this vacation is "wander". I wandered the stalls and town and soaked up the atmosphere. Everyone was happy and relaxed and life was good!!
I reluctantly left Saint Tropez and started to wind my way north again. I stopped in a little village called Grimauld. I had done some reading about it and it looked interesting. And it had a castle!! The earliest part was built in the 11th century!
If I had views like this at home as my reward for walking, doing it on a daily basis would not be any chore at all!!
I started to walk around the outside of the castle and discovered another treat! A 17th century windmill!! Now to figure out how to get to it!! A bit of a hike down from the castle then back up to the windmill but worth the effort! A wonderful old building! The blades were tied down and would have been spinning up a storm if they hadn't been. It was very blustery.
I went "map free" for the trip back to the chateau (mostly because it was in the trunk and I didn't feel like stopping to get it out!). I pointed the car in the direction I thought I wanted to go and drove! At one point I only had two options - Nice or Aix-en-Provence - neither of which were anywhere near my destination! I knew though that if I kept driving, I would HAVE to find a road heading north...and I did. Some of them were narrow, winding country roads but a perfect driving day so who could complain. I meandered through Cote de Provence wine country and there were roadside tasting huts and wineries every few kilometres. No wonder the French drivers are so fearless!! And, I ended up back here before sundown so the map wasn't really necessary. I must get it out and see just where I was! How much more of France have I driven today?!!
