Awaking the next morning in the shuttered darkness of our bedroom at the end of the tiled hallway, we both felt infinitely more relaxed. We spent a lazy first morning around the pool and summer kitchen, which is where we had almost all our meals for the five days. It was nice to feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun on our skin and to enjoy the peacefulness of a dip in the pool.
We spent the afternoon looking, rather fruitlessly at first, for the Gorges du Vendon, a stunning piece of geology. The lake and river that flows into it and forms the gorge are a magnificent shade of turquoise, one that has to been seen in person to truly be appreciated. Renting two kayaks we set off up the gorge, sweeping past towering cliffs that made you truly understand the power of nature (see the small tiny white speck on the second photo below - that was a raft with two people - just to give you an idea of how immense these cliffs really were).
With the afternoon sunlight filtering over the hills and mountains on either side, the gorge itself took on a coolness that had not been present so far that day. We paddled aimlessly, well CW did at first until rightfully corrected by Cora, up the river, stopping several times for quick dips in the inviting clear water. With the competitiveness that can only exist between sworn enemies, Team America/England defeated Team France in two out of three impromptu races.
Exhausted from our exertions, we retreated to the quiet mountainside village of Moustiers. This quintessential Provencal village was oozing charm and since it was still not high season, we had the village streets and alleyways largely to ourselves. As little shops closed up for the night and people huddled around TV’s in street-side cafes, the four of us meandered around the enchanting village, finally settling into a courtyard bistro for a light alfresco meal.
The next day dawned bright and sunny and we made our way for the Ile de Porquerolle, just a fifteen-minute ferry ride from the mainland at Hyeres near Toulon. This old army outpost now is populated by just 350 full time residents, but many thousands flock to it for day trips on largely uncontaminated shores. While renting bicycles is an option, we chose the slower but more thorough method of walking. We set out for the old fortress on the far corner of the island and after a pleasant hour and a half walk/hike, we found a nice secluded cove set out of the wind. A quick bout of swimming gave way to a casual picnic and then to a rather spirited series of rock throwing games, namely skipping rocks. After a well-spent couple of hours we traversed the interior of the island before ending the day on one of the sandy beaches by the harbour. It was an excellent day spent out in the sunshine and was capped off by a barbeque of Moroccan style sausages, merguez.
Our one morning of rain blotted out any thoughts of going to one of the local markets, so instead we spent the time running errands in anticipation of the following day’s birthday event for Adeline’s mom. Food was bought in large quantities and daughter and son-in-law were proudly displayed, whether they wanted to be or not. Luckily for us the afternoon brought sun and dry conditions, perfect for spending three hours in the trees. We went to a ropes course, which is a series of stations from tree to tree during which you swing, glide and clamour over the drops of up to 15 meters (45 feet). It is a lot of fun, especially the last section that is all over 10 meters (30 feet) high and contains the trickiest obstacles, not least of all when you drop the tool that allows you to zip down the decent lines (as CW managed to do at one point). At the end of the entire course you are greeted with a 120 meter long zip line through the trees, which is just about the closest thing to flying I have ever done outside of a plane. It was a tiring experience, but one I would gladly do again and highly recommend to all those who do not have a debilitating fear of heights, sorry mom.
With our muscles largely overworked, certainly the arm muscles which almost never get worked in a 9-5 office job, we had a more relaxed end to the holiday. After taking Thierry to the train station, Adeline took us to the old city of Hyeres. It is built up a rather precipitous hillside and the old narrow lanes and alleyways made for great exploring in the late afternoon, even if my 5 Euro flip-flops from Finland struggled to keep my feet in one place on the descents. We had a very enjoyable couple of hours wandering this way and that, including up to some of the old ruins of a hillside manor way at the top of the old town, which afforded very nice views out over the Med.
With our trip at a conclusion, we said some rather tearful goodbyes to Adeline at the airport. This was the first time since mid-April that Cora and Adeline were going to be apart, with the exception of our long weekend in Paris and the few days between Jyvaskyla and Provence. I can only say that the last two months have been great experiences for the both of us and we have to give our heartfelt appreciation for all that Thierry and Adeline have done for us. We thoroughly enjoyed the time Adeline lived with us in Waterbeach and the week Thierry stayed as well. Your help with Guinness and the offer of your flat for the weekend in Paris was so generous and it meant a great deal for us to get away like that. I know Cora had a great time living with Adeline in Finland and then certainly everything you did for us in Provence was so much fun! All the activities and also inviting us to stay at your mom’s home was so wonderful - a big thanks to her of course for hosting us! It was a great holiday and for that we are very thankful. As for the next holiday blog, who knows where it will find us, but next autumn look for the one from Oman visiting Adeline and Thierry in their new digs! With the best of luck to them both and gros bisous!!
