Rosemary Kennedy | Article and Photos

Imagine a beautiful small town on the Mediterranean , surrounded by gentle vineyardcovered hillsides , leading down to a sheltered port lined with outdoor cafés and restaurants , on a coastline of cliffs and fjords . In the fall of 2018 , we spent two sun-filled weeks based in Cassis , staying in a small apartment in a private home on the outskirts of town .

The Parc national des Calanques surrounds the area , and the coast west from Cassis toward Marseille is studded with mini fjords . We walked to the closest ones , like the local pleasure-boat harbour of Port Miou , but also took a boat tour along the coast . The waters were so clear you could see fish swimming and the ocean floor below . East of Cassis , the coast is more rugged with the golden limestone cliffs of Cap Canaille as the Route des Crêtes leads toward La Ciotat .

The Rhône River flows into the Mediterranean at the Camargue . The main town of Saintes-Maries-dela-Mer has a Spanish feel , with restaurants showcasing huge iron pans of steaming paella . The locals enjoy bullfighting , but most bulls are raised for food . Many Romani people frequent the area ; their patron saint , Sarah , is said to have arrived here from the Holy Land .

Local horses are born black but turn white as they mature . We saw both horses and bulls on our boat trip up the Petit Rhône , where ibis and herons stalked the waters . Flamingos abound in the huge salt-water lagoons

outside the town and in a local nature reserve . We had lunch in the impressive walled town of Aigues- Mortes — “ dead waters ” — from which Louis IX left for the Crusades in 1248 .

On a Saturday market day , we drove northwest to Aix-en-Provence . Artists and vendors lined the streets and squares . Wedding parties gathered in front of the city hall where civil ceremonies take place , and dancers in Renaissance costumes performed for passers-by . Further north , we visited Roussillon , a lovely hill village of coral , pink , and pale-yellow houses surrounded by ochre pits . We walked along Le Sentier des Ocres amid the red hoodoos before wandering through the town ’ s narrow , cobbled streets . Provençal food is excellent and generally available at affordable prices . Cassis locals held a harvest sale where we bought fruit , cheese , and local white and rosé wines . Other vendors sold savon de Marseille and Provençal linens . Chefs from neighbouring towns gave cooking demonstrations in tents in the central square . Schoolchildren watched the chefs produce little treats for them as they excitedly chattered away at this departure from the classroom routine .

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