An American in Provence

Alain and I went with his friends Guillaume, his girlfriend Laure-Ann, and Olivier on August 4th to visit Les Calanques. We hiked along the cliff, found a spot where we could go into the water, and changed into our bathing suits. The guys went in, but the sensible women did not. The water was absolutely freezing. Painfully cold. They swam and showed off for one another climbing on the rocks, (all three are very much into rock climbing).
After we went back and had dinner at a little restaurant, called Le Mange-Tout. I tried pastis for the first time, and didn't like it very much. It is a very typical Provencal achololic drink, made with licorice flavors and star anise (badiane), anethol, various herbs, alcohol and water. "Ne perdez pas le sud"- Don't lose the south, is the advertising slogan for one of the brands. We also had little small fried fish, Mangetouts I think, for an appetizer.

Here is the description of Les Calanques from the guidebook Provence & The Cote D'Azur

Between Marseille and Cassis the coast is broken up by calanques - enticing fjord-like inlets lying between vertical white cliffs, some 400 m high, drop vertically into the tempting blue water. Continuing deep under the blue waters, they offer safe natural harbours and fascinating aquatic life, with glorious view from the high clifftops. Their precipitious faces provide a challenge to climbers. Pine and oak trees grow on the rocky slopes, home to woodland birds such as owls. Access to some inlets is by boat....

In 1991, a cave was found with its entrance 100 m beneath the sea at
Sormoiu. It is decorated with pictures of prehistoric animals resembling the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux in the Dordogne.