Route des Cretes between Cassis & La Ciotat
We enjoy not making any decision as to where we may be traveling until the last minute, something easy to do out of Nice. This is especially so in the spring and fall when the weather can be hit and miss. So we don’t make reservations, (usually not a problem at this time of the year), but wait until a day or two before to see what the weather is like in a few different places, miles apart from one another. We were considering Beaujolais for the wine festival, Cinq Terre to explore an area of Italy we hadn’t seen yet, or the area around Marseille. Marseille won out. Looked very cold with a lot of snow north of Lyon, with some people without electricity because of the snow. And in Italy it was raining.
Marseille was cold but no rain, and we had mostly cloudy/sunny days. We began with two days at a gites in La Redonne east of Marseille. Wonderful, out of the way place that right on the coast, just 50 meters from the water and lovely view looking back at Marseille. It was a full apartment with two bedrooms and cost us under $100 euros.
We explored the coastline along the “sentier” coast trail, but the going was tough at times. A lot of stairs, difficult to find the trail at parts, and as it was a little windy with waves, some places were difficult to get past. Certainly not like what you’d find along the Cote d’Azur. But what we saw was quite spectacular and worthwhile. By car we visited the towns of Carry and Carro and enjoyed very much the coastal drive between the two with many summer homes and smaller villages. We went a little north and visited Martigues and although interesting, it is overshadowed by the industrial park next door and a freeway. We preferred the coast between Carro and Carry. Continue reading
