14 January 2010

Give Me Some of That Southern Sun

Just like winter in Florida, people flock to the south of
France with the hope of feeling that lovely southern sun on their faces.

It is actually the rainy season here now, and last year at this time the region got 80% of its annual rainfall in just 2 months...ugh...I guess I happened to pick the perfect time to visit!
On a good day though, we are lucky to catch some rays from sunrise to sunset.
And when that happens, it is beyond words...
Just a 5 minute walk from the house...

Peaking through the trees!

With a sunrise like this, the entire sky is an amazing multicolored splash.

And as the sun wakes up, so do the people of Toulon. It is market day today in
Mourillon- one of the very chic areas on the eastern edge of Toulon.

Typical market stands consist of tables stacked with piles of fresh produce and
maaaaybe some type of covering if it's rainy...
but one man in Le Mourillon prefers to sell his meat right from his truck.

We have yet to discover who truly wears market clothing....it's expensive and not all that wonderful. But the ladies selling the clothes are always dressed to the nines-
which by their standards means- extra tight pants, metallic puffy coats with faux-fur hoods and heals that suggest clubbing, not marketing.

When the sun is at its highest, it cuts through the
tall buildings and narrow streets of Old Toulon.

The southern sun dries clothes out like no other.

Mother and daughter skipping along into the sunlight. We took
the long way home from the market to work on our tans, but it also
meant a lot more walking... Beauty is pain, right?

There is no better place to end a beautiful day than right along the water's edge...

AND playing on slides at the park!

We waited to see the sunset before we packed up and went home for the night,
and we could not have made a better choice.