Vive la France - part 2
This is a picture of Cap Taillat that I took on our hike (when I still thought we were close to home - far from!). In the evening we went for aperitif and dinner in St. Tropez. We had Pastis at the main place and watched the participants of an oldtimer ralley where all the drivers were female. Afterwards we had dinner at a very nice restaurant (snails with garlic and pastis, daube de boeuf and tiramisu à la maison - did I make your mouth water? :)). Afterwards we watched those incredible yachts that were harbored there. I cannot imagine their price. It's hard to believe that people can be that rich!
The next day we made our nicest day trip. We drove over crazy hair bend roads to the Chartreuse de la Verne, a cloister of the Kartäuser (no clue what that is in English, sorry!). It was interesting, they only meet for two services a day and one meal a week (I think), the rest of the time is spent in their cells (Kartausen) in silent prayer.
Afterwards we drove on to Collobrières. That's a nice little town over a river with a church ruin above. We had lunch in a restaurant on the terasse which went across the river and just enjoyed ourselves. Collobrières is famous for its chestnut products, so Markus had chestnut creme for dessert.
Then we spontaneously visited Notre Dame des Anges, a church on the hights mountain in that range (Massif des Maures). It's a church dedicated to Mary worship and there were all kinds of pictures and other gifts there related to things Mary supposedly did for those people - there was a stuffed crocodile hanging under the ceiling!
Markus' aunt and uncle were there for the weekend, so we had a nice time together.
We also toured Grimaud and La Garde Freinet, visiting the castle and the mill in Grimaud and hiking in the mountains above La Garde Freinet to get to a cross above the village and see the ruins of a fortress built by the Sarazenes. And we went to a beautiful botanical garden right at the sea.
There's so much more we did, but that would fill far more posts than just these two ... :)
posted by Mrs. D at 2:20 PM
<< Home