Provence and Corsica May 2016
Jan 1st, 2017, 11:19 AM
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Provence and Corsica May 2016
We spent a month in France, dividing our time between Provence and Corsica. I’ve been a long time lurker on Fodor’s forum and have gotten many helpful tips. I hope my husband’s trip report (with help from me) will be of value to others. There doesn’t seem to be a lot written about Corsica. We found it to be incredibly beautiful and would love to return.
https://qumahobby.wordpress.com/2016...a-spring-2016/
https://qumahobby.wordpress.com/2016...a-spring-2016/
Jan 1st, 2017, 12:23 PM
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Nice report and some nice pictures. I am considering a trip to Provence in the spring as well, and this will help.
FYI, your husband (or you) use the same Wordpress theme I use for my travel blogs ("Twenty-ten"). I like the link to his tech pages at the top ("Java classes") - most people aren't going to get that. ;-)
FYI, your husband (or you) use the same Wordpress theme I use for my travel blogs ("Twenty-ten"). I like the link to his tech pages at the top ("Java classes") - most people aren't going to get that. ;-)
Jan 1st, 2017, 01:45 PM
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I enjoyed your report and your photos. My daughter lives in Provence, and when she first moved there, she lived in Aix, so we visited many times. I always enjoyed just walking around, especially through the old town; love the architecture, fountains, cafes, etc. We visited Cezanne's studio, and we did visit an art museum, but I don't remember the name.
We have also visited Marseilles several times, and spent a day in Cassis during one trip. We did the boat tour of the Calanques. Was the hike you took difficult? I believe the road you were on is called the Road to Crete (not sure why Crete). We started to drive it, and stopped at the first stop where you could get out and take photos. However, the wind was so strong that my husband and daughter had to crawl on the ground to get some photos. I stayed behind the car door for protection. The wind was amazing. We continued driving upwards, but within a minute or so, the French police were driving towards us and made us turn around and go back. They were closing the road due to the dangerous winds. So it was nice to see your photo since I never made it to the top of the cliffs!
We have also visited Marseilles several times, and spent a day in Cassis during one trip. We did the boat tour of the Calanques. Was the hike you took difficult? I believe the road you were on is called the Road to Crete (not sure why Crete). We started to drive it, and stopped at the first stop where you could get out and take photos. However, the wind was so strong that my husband and daughter had to crawl on the ground to get some photos. I stayed behind the car door for protection. The wind was amazing. We continued driving upwards, but within a minute or so, the French police were driving towards us and made us turn around and go back. They were closing the road due to the dangerous winds. So it was nice to see your photo since I never made it to the top of the cliffs!
Jan 6th, 2017, 08:41 AM
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Thanks all for your kind comments.
KarenWoo: Yes, the road we were on was the Road to Crete, apparently Crete can mean crest. We also experienced that amazingly strong wind (Mistral?), and like you, were reduced to crawling back to our car in fear of being blown over the cliffs. The road was not closed, and we were careful at subsequent overlooks to stay in a sheltered area. The boat trips to the calanques were shut down, and we had to wait a couple days for the wind to die down to go on the tour.
The hike along the top of the first calanque, Port Miou, is quite easy, flat and shaded with pine trees. We continued on about another half hour to the second calanque, Port Pin. This part of the hike was rockier and not sheltered from the sun, but not too strenuous. At this point we opted out of hiking to the third calanque, En Vau, which looked to be a difficult steep up and down trail. We had walked from town, a gradual 30 minute uphill climb to the trailhead, and our excuse was the need to return in time for lunch. (Our round trip hike was about 3 hours including stopping for photos.) I wouldn’t attempt hiking onto En Vau without bringing A LOT of water on a hot day. There is a frequent shuttle bus from Cassis harbor to Port Miou and also a small paid parking lot there if you want to drive. The Cassis tourist office has good information and maps.
KarenWoo: Yes, the road we were on was the Road to Crete, apparently Crete can mean crest. We also experienced that amazingly strong wind (Mistral?), and like you, were reduced to crawling back to our car in fear of being blown over the cliffs. The road was not closed, and we were careful at subsequent overlooks to stay in a sheltered area. The boat trips to the calanques were shut down, and we had to wait a couple days for the wind to die down to go on the tour.
The hike along the top of the first calanque, Port Miou, is quite easy, flat and shaded with pine trees. We continued on about another half hour to the second calanque, Port Pin. This part of the hike was rockier and not sheltered from the sun, but not too strenuous. At this point we opted out of hiking to the third calanque, En Vau, which looked to be a difficult steep up and down trail. We had walked from town, a gradual 30 minute uphill climb to the trailhead, and our excuse was the need to return in time for lunch. (Our round trip hike was about 3 hours including stopping for photos.) I wouldn’t attempt hiking onto En Vau without bringing A LOT of water on a hot day. There is a frequent shuttle bus from Cassis harbor to Port Miou and also a small paid parking lot there if you want to drive. The Cassis tourist office has good information and maps.
