Cassis

Cassis is a lovely little resort town on the Mediterranean that I had the pleasure of visiting twice during my stay in Provence. As the second time was a surprise that caught me without my camera, these pictures are all from the first time I went— on July 2, 2000.

If you're still interested in more pictures of Cassis after seeing mine, check out Cassis-Calanques.org for a huge page of links.

The Way There

After initially missing the bus from Aix, I caught the train over and took an approximately 45-minute walk down to the seaside. The weather was gorgeous— warm and sunny all the way— which made it all the better to jump into the nice cool water when I got there.

• Le Gare SNCF.
• I passed a vineyard on my way to Cassis.
• The trees lining the path provided some welcome shade.
• I was very impressed by one particular cliff, and took several pictures of it besides this one.
• A church in town that had just finished its morning service.

On the Waterfront

• The beautiful beach.
• Looking down at some rocks at the water's edge.
• The tide coming in.
• A tidepool below the quay.
• A statue of a legendary fisherman.

A Small Hike

• Le Château Michelin, which sits atop a hill overlooking the city.
• The mountainside as viewed from the hill on my way up to the villa.
• ...And framed by some lovely flowers.
• I can't get enough of the windows in Provence.
• I can see why they built the place up so high!
• The walls around the château are quite attractive.
• The walls were as far as I got, because the place turned out to be proprieté privé. As I was standing here, a big black dog walked out along the top of the wall and implied that I should vacate the premises.
• A view back up at the château.
• A 100-year-old drinking fountain, erected when the town was dedicated.

Calanques

The Calanques, which are huge limestone cliffs that project into the sea. They're truly incredible formations. Furthermore, divers have gone up underneath them and discovered submerged cave paintings, some of the oldest known to exist!

• Boats encircle the harbor.
• We leave the port.
• A little calanque.
• My classmates Gloria and Helen, whom I encountered by chance at the prow.
• Trees growing on the cliffs.
• A large calanque with a cave in it.
• The same calanque from a different angle.
• A close-up of the cave, which goes all the way through.
• The weathering on this calanque makes me think of guano.
• The rocks here resemble closely-packed stalagmites.
• More caves.
• Can you see a face in this one?
• A rather sheer, somewhat vegetated rock face.
• A calanque with a beach at its base.
• The water was gorgeous!
• Looking back out to sea.
• A close-up of a tree growing on a calanque.
• A calanque with some of that beautiful water beneath it.
• A view of Cassis on the way back in.
• Another side of the port.
• Another gargantuan calanque that we didn't visit. (I told you I took lots of pictures of it!)