Getting My Feet Wet

Last Thursday I left Paris by train in the dark, when you can still see the shadows of rats scurrying around beneath La Madeleine.  A new friend invited me to go with her on a girls' trip to see the lavender just before it was harvested in Provence.  After the race to make it to our train when we arrived to a barred entrance at the Metro, we collapsed into our seats eager to sleep as much as we could for the four-hour journey.  When we stepped out of the train station into the hot dry air of Marseilles our eyes were greeted by this amazing sight.

The entire trip was filled with churches, cities, and/or fortresses on hilltops.  

Exploring Marseilles was not on our agenda, but I snapped lots of pictures from the car window as we drove by the boardwalk.  It was my first sight of the Mediterranean! 

The blue water and white rock were stunning.

Maria was a great driver going up the sides of mountains in a stick shift.  We had to pull over to get this shot of Marseilles from the side of the mountain.  I think I knew we'd be in the foothills of the Alps, but it was still more mountainous terrain than either one of us expected.  It was beautiful to see hills, valleys, farmland, and the sea all in one trip.

At the recommendation of a lady working at the rental car place, we stopped in the town of Cassis.  The colors were gorgeous walking through the squares and into the little shops.  We walked as quickly as we could across the painful, pebbly beach to dip our feet into the Mediterranean.  

 

This was my first trip without husband or children in nearly ten years.  It was wonderful to have freedom and space to get to know my new friend, and there is a lot of simple pleasure to be found in only being responsible for feeding myself.  I was happy to come back home to my family, but my first back to reality thought was definitely, "I guess I have to make a meal plan and go to the grocery store again."

Do you spy the fortress on the top of the hill?

I'm planning to start back to school with the kids next week, so this was a great end of summer get-away.  I don't think I'll wait ten more years for the next one.