ST. TROPEZ, FRENCH RIVIERA

To go to St. Tropez you have to go early because it seemed to me that everybody had the same idea during these Easter holidays and it was on a Thursday !

This once little Fisher town has become a place of pilgrimage, since Brigitte Bardot discovered it in 1956 and bought a house there called "La Madrague". It is located on the French Riviera, and it is still known today for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires. (You can read more about this here).

Now you don't see so many famous people anymore because too many "normal" people are able to go there too and therefore the town is so packed that it is a miracle that it hasn't cracked yet. Everybody wants to come here it's like going to Hollywood at least once in your life. In high season it must be awful !

We arrived in St. Tropez

A miracle, we found a parking space right away

First look on the port and the yacht habour, yachts sized from middle, to big to floating hotels !

I had to show that I owned one

like this.

just in front of the habour are cafés and restaurants

Le Senequier is the most famous one and if you a lucky you can even see famous actors or models there. The café is a family business, already in its third generation. In the season, more than twenty waiters serve drinks and canapes in three shifts. Sitting in the café, one can watch the world go by: people having lunch on exclusive yachts, elegant blonds going about their daily shopping rituals and wives of American millionaires strolling along the pavement.

Lots of artists are exposing their paintings for sale. I am only posing.

The tower was once part of the town wall

A part of it became a restaurant

along the seaside is still a part of the wall

very old anchors laying at the beach

beautiful view on the sea.

The ancient Bailly de Suffren castle

this memorial plaque was placed there in 1830

I do my photographers duties

of the small streets full of boutiques and little shops

very narrow little streets,

and romantic looking places

A nicely decorated boutique.

The prices were nice too. But we also saw clothes to reasonable prices. At least you can say "I bought this blouse in St. Tropez". I bought a key ring.

on this beautiful and shady place I saw some very strange tree trunks

It looks as if they have a bosom. But as there are so many more or less covered bosoms to see in St. Tropez it's probably normal that trees have one too. Conclusion, I was happy to have been there once, but I would certainly never spend my holidays there or nearby ! If you want to know more about St. Tropez it's here in Wikipedia

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FRENCH RIVERA, SANARY-SUR-MER AND BANDOL

My blogfriend Claudie who lives in the South of France had invited me to spend a week with her and family in Ollioules at French Rivera and Provence.

The first day she took me for a visit to Sanary-sur-Mer which is located between Bandol (direction Marseille) and Toulon, at the western end of the Cote d'Azur.

In the centre of the houses along the port you see the tower which dates from the 13th century and was once part of an important defensive system for the town, and the village developed in the middle ages around the tower.

Sanary-sur-Mer has a a pretty harbour lined with palm trees and pastel coloured houses, which reminded me very much Italy, which I know far better of course due to my Italian husband.

I learned that it was in the waters off Sanary-sur-Mer that Jacques Cousteau developed the diving equipment that is still crucial to deep-sea diving.

I didn't know that quiet a few German authors exiled to Sanary-sur-Mer before the second world war. Many were subsequently interned by the French as enemy aliens. The writers included Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann among many others.

A warm welcome ! attention to your car !

views on the little town and the habor

the city

and the seafront

lots of boats big and small were parked here waiting to be used in summer although the season had already started.

The tower

and a very curageous lady half naked with only 18°C (64 F)

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Bandol

I found Bandol to be a cute little seaside resort in a sheltered bay, cradled by hills and protected from the wind. It is popular in summer but especially pleasant to visit out of season, when the crowds have gone and you can savour the beauty in the clement climate of a Mediterranean winter. It is very popular to French families from Paris or Lyon, who descend to their summer houses for the long summer vacation, jealously protecting their privacy from the eyes of the world. I haven't seen any !

The sheltered situation of Bandol provides excellent conditions for grape growing and there have been vineyards here since 600 BC. There are five different appellations grown on a variety of terrain, producing terrific whites and rosés on the coast (a marvellous accompaniment to fish and seafood) and stronger red wines grown on the terraces inland. Thousands of people visit for the annual Fete du Vin in December.

First thing I saw was a Casino ! I thought I could play some roulette there, but it turned out to be a supermarket ! Of course that there were so many "Casinos" in this region !

People playing "Petanque" a typical game with metal balls in Southern France

There were also some quiet big yachts

and the first tourists enjoying the beach

On our way back we stopped at this beautiful bakery. The inside decoration was just gorgeous !

My first impressions of my first holiday day with Claudie is here on my blog Writer's Cramps

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