The Beaches of France

We had an amazing time in Cassis, France with beautiful weather, rocky beaches, the cloudless sky, and for the first time ever...travel buddies! Jeff and I were really excited to have travel companions during this trip; one of my best friends (& sorority sisters), Kristin, and her husband, Christian.  Although, they had some unfortunate issues with transportation (President Obama was flying out the same time they were trying to leave from Chicago), we were able to see each other bright and early on Day 2.  While waiting for their arrival, we enjoyed lunch in a small cafe.  Unfortunately, none of the menus were in English, so we guessed based on 1 or 2 words that looked similar to English.  I think we both got lucky, and to be honest I am just telling myself the meat on my salad was chicken...

 Lovin' the beautiful weather. What a change in scenery, too!

 Chicken?

We, as well, had some hiccups on the way to Cassis, as we learned transportation isn't the most reliable to/from Marseille.  We tried to take a bus from Marseille to Cassis (about 30 minutes away).  We waited an hour for the bus and it never showed.  This was the first time we had ever bit the bullet on a trip and took a taxi.  We were pretty bummed until we saw the amazing cliff views of the sea and beaches.  That took all the pain away of having to pay for more expensive transportation.  Fact, American friends: Look out for a Bachelorette episode in Marseille. Although we weren't there during the filming, one of the destinations later in the season was filmed there. Beautiful city. 

Our hotel room overlooked the beautiful sea.  It was amazing to fall asleep to the waves crashing and wake up to a beautiful sky.  We had an all-day beach day the next day with Kristin & Christian.  We were able to get some sun, although it was an interesting experience laying our towels down on rocks.  But we were super excited to not have sand all over us at the end of the day.  We grabbed dinner at the port in the city centre where all the boats were docked.  We all had great meals and shared a bottle of wine. It was a great start to our extended holiday and quality time with great friends.

 The next day we traveled to three chateaus for some wine tasting around Provence.  The first chateau was amazing and the estate was just gorgeous.   We were able to taste some rose and red wines as well as take a tour around the vineyard and estate. It made me think of my grandpa, who made his own wine for a while. We were able to learn a few things about the process, so Grandpa, I'm looking forward to chatting about it next time we talk. Jeff and I purchased a couple bottles of wine and are looking forward to opening them soon.

 The outside of the estate. The vineyard & a personal pool. I think I could manage living here. 

 Great drinking buddies friends!

Jeff made a friend. This dog was so sweet. 

 

After 3 chateaus, we were all exhausted. Our tour guide was probably laughing as all 6 of us (2 Canadians joined us as well) took little naps on the way back to Marseille. We enjoyed some coffee, crepes, and drinks before we hopped on a fast-speed train to Paris. We arrived in Paris around midnight. What a long, but lovely experience in Cassis, Marseille, and surrounding areas.

Look out for a few more posts this week. Lots of traveling recently...