Located at 500 meters above sea level, we endure (hopefully) the last heat wave of the year in Entrevaux. Every day, we walk into town, take the ‘Pine Cone Train’ to nearby villages in this sparsely populated area, and swim in the lake.
Entrevaux – Middle Ages in the Haute-ProvenceVauban, the Architect, who designed Entrevaux 1690 remotely. Engineer Niquet executed the plan afterwards.Cathedral Notre-DameIn the early morning Rolf conquers the pass without coffee, cookies and companion… to take the photo in the morning light.The river Var offers little relief from the heat. (Also the mediterranien sea is 29 degrees Celsius.)Preserving traditions in Saint-André-LesPicture Puzzle for Owners of Magnifying GlassesVideo in the Lakeside Alps
Finally, the tropical nights on the coast are over. We cycle a second time this year to Nice. This time further to the West.
Cagnes-sur-Mer: The colourful city in the shadow of Nice
The Massif d’Esterel between Cannes and Fréjus is wild, secluded nature at the Côte d’Azur. If you have an accident here, you will take the risk not to be found soon. We bravely scramble uphill over coarse gravel. It is a sweaty climb, however very beautiful, and everything is going smoothly. Saint-Tropez—beautiful and luxurious, an artists’ and fishermen’s village, a small town full of charm on the gulf of the same name—can be recognized from a distance.
On the Sentier du Littoral you can walk on the water’s edge.The police station, where the comedian Louis de Funès used to play his pranks.
Brigitte Bardot is ubiquitous
On the cemetery with sea viewTraditionally the locals still play Boule each afternoonTwo Café Grand Crème in Toulon, Big-City bustleSanary-sur-Mer near Toulon: View to the medittaranien sea. Far away at the horizon is Algeria.
Via Toulon we are heading to the sun-drenched city of Aix-en-Provence, where most French people would love to live:
Aix: City Hall with Clock Tower, one of countless places in the city with 150.000 inhabitants.Pavillion VendômeStylish down to the last detail. That is how you think of Provençal life style.Place de Charles Aznavour: Memorial to the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century.Camp Les Milles, Internment camp and former brick factory in the suburb of Aix
Including our campground, ‘Arc en Ciel’ (means rainbow) —which has been family-run since 1950 and features many nooks and seating areas, as well as a river where people fish as the sun sinks low—we like it so much that we decide to stay here for five days.