No trip to the coast is complete without a boat trip, and when the water is crystal clear in a gorgeous shade of blue? Well, that makes the boat ride even more enchanting. On our vacation to the south of France, we rented a boat and headed out to see the Calanques firsthand. My parents, Tom’s parents, Tom, me and Dagny climbed aboard and off we went. It was the perfect way to spend the morning…
Read on!
Just off the coast of Marseille, France (and other areas along the Mediterranean coast), there are limestone structures called the Calanques that look like mountains jutting out of the sea. The word calanque is from a Corsican word meaning inlet. If you explore a little bit, you’ll find hidden coves that lend themselves well to private swimming sanctuaries with the most breathtaking turquoise water. The morning we were there, it was a little too cold for a swim, so instead of donning a wetsuit and diving in, we decided to stay on board with our hoodies and take pictures instead.
Seagulls were perched on rocks up above and watched us make our way in and out of little seaside hideaways nestled within the Calanques. As the morning went on, the wind picked up and although the boat hit a few waves as we cruised on, no one seemed to mind. Even Dagny, the trooper that she is, seemed to be enjoying herself snuggled up in Tom’s hoodie basking in the intermittent sun. Not a bad life, eh?
On our next stop, our guide pointed out the nude beach, la plage naturiste, that was completely empty — and then we saw the one beach goer that was visiting that day.
He was piloting his kayak IN THE NUDE.
We snapped a blurry picture of the older gentleman without a care in the world as we passed him by, but I decided to spare you. His tan, leathery thighs were thankfully covering the goods. Yikes!
The water off the coast of Marseille is jaw droppingly gorgeous, and if you didn’t know better, you might think you’re looking at an aquarium — not unspoiled nature. Intense blue, green and sometimes dark and gray, the Mediterranean coast was everything I’d hoped for.
When your starting point is the “vieux port”, then everything looks beautiful . It’s the only positive thing of this town.
Arnaud (From Marseille…)
We actually didn’t start at the Old Port. But that’s definitely one point of view!