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.

Colors Galore!

So, when it comes to colors in Toulon, I wouldn't say they over do it....but they definitely DO IT.
From houses and schools down to the small details,
Toulon is covered with a noticeable vibrance typical of French coastal towns.

A modern art gallery and personal residence compliment each other beautifully!

And for the Toulon specialty...A car to match your gate anyone?

Nearly each entrance is bejeweled with not only a brightly painted fence, but also a
colorful plaque showing the house number and sometimes a cute name.
We know people who name their boats, and sometimes their cars....here they name their houses...

Even the older, more run-down houses have a little spunk, character and of course... COLOR!

The building on the right is an école...I'd be excited to go to school
too if it was in a building that looks like the sun rising out of a sea of orange.

All shades of blue in one.

While graffiti is usually seen as dirty and ugly, it can also provide color and has an
undeniably artistic quality to it. The back alleys and small, less traveled streets are chock full of interesting displays of self-expression.

Red, white and blue REPRESENT!

The people in the south seem much happier and relaxed than up north in Paris.
It's difficult to be in a sour mood when you're surrounded by so much color and liveliness!

Who Likes Mimosas? WE DO!

A new favorite town has been found! This is our last joint adventure before Hannah heads back to the Chi and leaves Erika seul en France.

So, we were originally under the impression that a mimosa was solely a wonderfully refreshing drink to sip on in the summertime...but we now know it is all that and MORE. The town of Bormes-les-Mimosas, which means 'the Sunny One', goes back to Roman times and sits high on a mountain top right off the coast.

It is full of Mimosa trees, which are the most beautifully blooming flowers around, and
such bright, bright yellow. The best time to enjoy the flower display is the end of January
into February, but we were lucky to catch a little glimpse of the wonder!

The colorful buildings and private gardens were picturesque- so lush and overflowing.

Lily fit right in that day with her bright pink dress and yellow dandelion.
*Fun fact- dandelion in French is "Pissenlit"- literally 'piss in bed'- because
they are a diuretic and make you pee yo' bed. Dandelion soup all around!!!

A child's playground! There were so many arches with hidden passageways, you never knew where you were going to end up on the other side.

Our hike up to the old Château. The grounds are now a private residence- lucky
owners whoever they may be!

The Chateau from way down below...but we finally made it up and stood on the grounds overlooking the beautiful Med and the clouded-over rolling landscape.

Since it is right on the coast and very open to invasion, Mimosa was constantly
attacked and plundered throughout the Middle Ages. The town has been restored, but
very little original architecture remains.

More passageways, we couldn't get enough of them.

Beautiful flowering vines and vines turning golden and orange from the cold
covered the already brightly painted buildings.
This was the perfect send-off back to snowy Chi-town.
Goodbye dear friend Hannah and good luck with the new job- you will be missed greatly!!!!

Hopefully we will be able to make it back for the real flower show in the future,
but for now we will be looking for a vacation home here too, so again,
anyone interested in going in on it with us?

Toulon Toulon, ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ!!!

Yea TOULON! Wooo!

So, we decided to put on our tough game faces and head to an Albi V Toulon rugby game. Since this was a first for both of us, we looked up the Rugby Union Rules before setting off...but were only slightly better off for our self-education of the game.

We will share with you what we picked up along the way watching these athletes, with no guards or padding, pummel each other into the plush earth of the Toulon home stadium...

And out come the teams- Toulon in red, Albi in yellow- emerging from a mysterious cloud of smoke from the far end of the field. Talk about first impressions...we knew these guys were up to no good.

The ceremonial waving of the flags-
Let the games begin!

This dedicated fan was up there aaaall night long, waving his Toulon flag for the good ol' home team. Will it help? We'll have to see....

This move here is called the scrotum, oops, scrum... and um, it is one of the 3 restarts of the game(along with a free kick or a penalty kick). The ball is thrown under the interlocked heads of the players, and each team tries to kick it backwards toward their own side to start the play.

The reds and yellows line up for a Free Kick, each team holding a player up to try and snag the ball that is kicked from the sideline to restart the game.
And THIS guy has been up, out of his seat, for minutes on end hollering about who knows what.

Classic move directed at the poor, poor ref's by the distressed crowd. And the classic phrase that accompanies this move is... "Qu'est qui à?" "Qu'est qui à?" (What happened?) We must have heard this at least once every 30 seconds throughout the 80 minute game.

"ALLEZ! ALLEZ! ALLEZ! TOULON!"
...Note the flattering red scarves.
We tried to find the vendors before the game so we too could look that good.

Lip-biting anxiety...what's going to happen...is Toulon going to pull through...?

A very nice place kick by Jonny Wilkinson, right through the goal posts. Jonny was far and away the most popular player on the field. Makin' it count with his stunning kicks, his name was announced over the intercom every single time....which was a lot.

And every once in a while as many of them as possible jump on top of each other to see just how high their man pile can get. From here the play is often over, but every once in a while the ball magically pops out from the depths and the play goes on.

Number One! Number One!!! Final score 41 to 13...Lookin' bad Albi, better luck next time....NOT

And the victory lap around the field at the end of the game.

The bright lights were dimmed in the whole stadium. A slow, sappy French song that reminded us of Titanic filled the air. The players walked along together, followed by a spotlight. They bent down periodically to pick up dirt balls that were kicked up during the game and hurled them at one another. We're all still kids at heart...

TOULON FOREVER

Le Castellet & Cassis

One of the many benefits of staying with family in the south of France is that we actually have the time and the means to act like tourists. Instead of slaving away for hours in old farmhouses (we know, we know, you feel so bad for us), we have the chance to go out in the countryside and explore some of the hundreds of cute villages of Provence.

Up first was Le Castellet. We took a trip to this little town perched on a mountain top overlooking the Var on a crystalline late December day.

We went early in the morning on a Sunday during the holiday season which meant that for the most part, we had the entire town to ourselves.

Though it was almost eerily quiet, Le Castellet showed many promising signs of life -- lots of delicious looking restaurants and artisanal shops. Unfortunately, everything was locked up tight so we have a perfect excuse for coming back another time.

Most of the structures in the town, including the church (above left) and the old city wall, are constructed from this sandy colored limestone that is extracted from the valleys nearby. The old wall was surprisingly well preserved, reaching almost entirely around the base of the village.

Meandering through the narrow, winding lanes of Le Castellet, we were frequently treated to views like this out of the many archways built into the ancient ramparts.

Besides providing stellar views, those sturdy arches are great for running through!

Lily was fascinated with this old water basin where the women of Le Castellet used to fetch water. There were a few goldfish swimming around the freezing cold and some dead ones resting on the bottom...we graciously neglected to point those out.

Like most views that look out over vineyards and the sea, the one from Le Castellet's little hill was truly a sight to behold.

After our brief visit to Le Castellet, we all decided it was time to get a little closer to that sparkling sea in the distance. We had a sunny day on our hands and we weren't going to waste a minute! So, we made our way to Cassis, a little fishing town on the Mediterranean.

Upon arrival, we were immediately taken by this place. The sea was an unbelievable shade of blue (a true "cote d'azur") and people were out in large numbers to enjoy the weather. It was nice to see a French town actually appear inhabited in the winter -- apparently not all French go into hibernation in December.

The shores of Cassis have long been popular with people in this region. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, and Cathaginians all lived here and traded on its shores. The town was rebuilt over the ancient Roman ruins in the 17th century and over the next few centuries, continued to be popular with fishers and pleasure-seekers alike looking for a place to bask in the sun.

Cassis was a truly picturesque place with wide open pedestrian streets, trees casting dramatic shadows and vibrantly painted buildings, all made more lovely by the clearest sky imaginable. It was also surrounded by tree covered hills, dramatic limestone cliffs, and the ocean, so each little street led to a different natural wonder.

Another realllllllly nice thing about Cassis was its offering in the Patisserie Department. Over the past several months, we have been doing our best to embrace the French custom of partaking in the small joys of everyday life. One of the most integral of these small pleasures is the pastry...some of our favorites include croissant aux amandes, pain au chocolat, brioche, chaussons aux pomme, and the little beauty you see above, the macaron. Admiring the beauty of macarons is almost as enjoyable as eating them. They come in the most vibrant shades and exciting flavors.

But, let us return to that beautiful coast!!

On this particular day, happiness was definitely in the air. The French came out and did what they do best, sat in cafes and talked about life. People seemed more animated here than normal. In general the French are relatively reserved in public. However, in Cassis the spirit of the Mediterranean is definitely in the air...some people them even dared to wear colors and laugh out loud in public! Sacre bleu!

Hope you enjoyed this little tour to some of Provence's little gems. Happy Winter!