The Côte d'Azur, oh la la!
What a wonderful, travel-filled weekend I had last week with my host family!
On Sunday, they were excited to take me kayaking with them, an at least twice a year tradition with several other families-- about 15 people in all. We arrived early in the morning a couple of hours from Salon-de-Provence, and caravanned down winding back roads past vineyards, lavender, and sunflower fields. The river itself is a tributary of the Rhone, and is settled deep in a canyon.
When these people say they love kayaking, they mean it. We paddled for seven hours (SEVEN!) down the river, with many white water cascades to keep it exciting. It was a great experience and I loved meeting the close friends of my host family, but after our 24 km trek, I'm surprised my arms didn't fall off ;)
The next day, my host "mom" Caroline, 13-year-old Suzy, Suzy's friend Amelia, and I left around 9am to head for Pourquerolles, one of the several islands of the Hyeres, in the Côte d'Azur. It was supposed to be about a one and a half hour drive to the port; but about 30 minutes into the drive, our car broke down. However, my host mom is the most mellow person I've met (they say the south of France is laid back for a reason!); and we simply left the car behind and rented a car to get us to the coast. Then we boarded a ferry, and twenty minutes later: voila! We were in Pourquerolles, which won the most beautiful beach of Europe award last year.
In Pourquerolles, we stayed on a small houseboat among huge yachts; and we had an absolute blast. The island is breathtakingly gorgeous: centuries-old forts sit atop the mountain, the forest has hiking/biking trails lined with olive and eucalyptus trees (no koalas though, unfortunately), and the small village has a number of upscale cafes and shops.
The thing that most intrigued me was how the coastline changes on an island just 4 km in length. On one side of the island, the coastline is dotted with sandy beaches; yet across the way, the beaches are rockier and surrounded by cliffs. The water was freezing, but there is no way to resist the turquoise water of the Côte d'Azur. We snorkeled and paddleboarded (well Suzy and Amelia did-- I learned quickly that I lack the grace to effectively stand on the board for more than half a second, haha).
As a literature major, I couldn't help but think of all the writers who have been inspired by this landscape: Hemingway's Garden of Eden and Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night both are set in the Côte d'Azur region. I am certain that I will return to explore more of the Isle de Hyeres: maybe next time as an expatriate myself!
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