OLLIOULES & SANARY NEW YEAR SOUTH OF FRANCE

I had the chance to celebrate New Year with my friends living in Ollioules  a charming little town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur a region in France near to Toulon. Located 5 kilometers inland, Ollioules is near the lovely beaches of the Provençal coast and only 200 km from Ventimiglia in Italy.

That's why I always think that I am in Italy only the people speak French !  The architecture is the same as on the Italian side and many names in Olliloues are from Italian origin.



The city hall decorated for Christmas



The narrow little streets with the laundry hanging outside from the windows



Tunnels through the houses





It's better to have a small car here !



Although it is winter there are still plants and trees which remain green



The police office looks very friendly !



A view on the main street







Although it was warm for me coming from the North, I was freezing when I saw this young woman in a T-shirt taking water out of the well !



Pansies are still blooming which looks quiet strange to me with the Christmas decoration



The St. Laurent Church which dates from the X to17th century



hosted a creche in form of a quiet big village, with houses and people during Christmas time.

Each day we went for a walk to Sanary-sur-Mer.  The seafront location once belonged to Ollioules. In the 16th century  a fishing village was created here. The port was constructed and the harbor deepened in the mid-16th century. It has become a tourist rendezvous, and the village underwent a strong decade of growth in the 1980s.

Sanary unlike most small towns on the Mediterranean coast is an active village all year round. It is probably the sunniest place in France, with an average of only 61 days of rain, mostly in winter. I was lucky it didn't rain at all, only one day it was a little cloudy.



View on Sanary from the seafront



The habor



Each day fresh fish and seafood is sold here, right from the sea



and in winter also roasted chestnuts



A strange view for me, to see a Christmas tree between palm trees !



The plane trees look a little spooky



It was so nice to be able to sit outside and have a coffee in the middle of winter !

I wrote already about Sanary in spring here