Cassis 2002

Leaving Biot earlier in the morning, we headed further west and spent the night in Cassis, just east of Marseilles. Cassis is one of many many port communities along the Med. They all seem to have the same "plan." That is, they are built around a small horseshoe shaped bay which has been turned into a small harbor. In earlier times, the harbor was doubtless a working harbor for fishermen and traders. Today, most of the boats are pleasure craft.

Cassis was one of our favorites ... unpretentious ... a sunny time-out in the middle of the vacation part of this trip. Outdoor cafes line the harbor. The beaches are topless. The water is crystal clear. And there are boat trips to the local attraction, Les Calanques. These are fjord-like inlets, sometimes with a beach at the end, and sparsely populated by boats anchored out of the wind. Have a look below. These pictures were taken in April 2002.

Cassis has been a resort since Roman times. Above the town square, you can see the ruin of a Roman Villa. The harbor is to the right of this square, and that's where we got our boat to Les Calanques.
The harbor is small and tight quarters for boats navigating to find a slip. Today, Cassis is a favorite French resort, sort of a poor man's St. Tropez. It's tucked into the limestone hills too far for a day trip from Nice but close enough to Marseilles to prosperous.
Just off the square, we paused for a cool drink and watched the world go by. While there aren't a lot of people here, there isn't a lot of room for them either. It gives the impression of a busy place during the day. And Cassis kind of rolls up the sidewalks at night. Peaceful.
Okay, time for an adventure. We bought tickets to the 3 Calanques boat ride and off we go. This is the view of the harbor as we head out into the Med. Turns out there are big swells on the Med. Quite a ride! And I have a tendency toward sea sickness. This was a short trip so all was well, but we got a little wet with water coming over the bow. Well ... some of us got a LOT wet!
As we leave Cassis, we begin to see the limestone cliffs that form the landscape in these parts. These are close to town and seem to be favored by sun bathers. Based on my observation, none will have tan lines at the end of the day and not for lack of sunshine.

Here we enter one of the best fjord-like Calanques. The limestone cliffs rise maybe 200 meters above the water. There's a small beach at the end and a very nice sailboat moored here. Turns out to be a bit of a problem since it's moored just at the spot where our boat will pick up a few passengers. After much shouting and arm waving, eventually all is well.
Looking up from the water toward the cliffs, they are dotted with pine trees clinging desperately to the rock. Very pretty. It's a bit hard to get worked up about these Calanques from the pictures but when you're here ... they are pretty neat.