Back to the wind

The weather forecast is getting better - as announced, we are greeted by an almost black cloud cover and an increasingly strong wind. So breakfast in the van today. Strengthened, we say goodbye to the failed comedian and hit the road again. Since the weather today doesn't really invite us to a day at the beach, we decide to go for a little hike in the Calanques near Cassis. The wind won't blow us off the trail.

The website of this small tranquil harbor town recommends using one of the many public parking lots and starting the hike from there. Haha. Many parking lots - good joke, everyone laughs. We believe we have found the side job of our receptionists. Upon arriving in Cassis, we realize that a Citroen Jumper is not exactly made for small streets. Or for small roundabouts. Or for the oh so numerous parking lots in Cassis.

The outstanding parking guidance system in Cassis claims that there are always parking spaces available at all parking lots. Encouraged by this motivated digital display, we maneuver through all the small streets, occasionally maneuvering back and forth in a roundabout, only to find that all the larger parking lots, where there is still some free space, have the well-known two-meter boat installed at the entrance. So we move on. After about half an hour of searching, the frustration grows and just as our plan is starting to crumble, we find several adjacent public parking lots that are even long enough to accommodate the jumper with a negligible overhang.

First, we feed the parking meter with plenty of small change, then ourselves. Such a little search for a parking space can be quite draining. A little refueling before our hike, which now takes 3.5 hours instead of the theoretical hiking time of 2.5 hours due to our somewhat remote parking lot.

Quickly fishing the water out of the trunk, we start our tour into the Calanques. Passing the harbor through the city, we reach our starting point after about half an hour. From there, our little hike begins through forests, rocks, and majestic cliffs, past inviting small fjords and with a view of the islands in front of Cassis. Overall, a very beautiful, almost alpine, hike that demands a lot from us due to the humid weather combined with the increasingly strong gusts of wind. Especially the gusts of wind enriched with sand bring tears to our eyes more than once out of joy.

Completely exhausted and depleted, back in Cassis, we replenish our lost energy reserves with two cans of wonderful cola.

Speaking of lost - as we slowly make our way back to our jumper, we notice a wallet lying next to us. It was left behind by a gentleman, judging by the contents of the wallet and the credit card, Mr. ABELGALE. Unfortunately, a local search turned up nothing, so we also stopped by the Police Municipale. Pleased with the slightly more relaxed bureaucracy compared to what we are used to at home - found item report - this little detour didn't even take two minutes of our time.

Back at the jumper, after a short break, we start our journey to the Verdon Gorge, our chosen destination for the next few days. Since we have already gotten used to the questionable road conditions in Cassis and our jumper can handle any curve, we decided to leave the highway again after a short time and take the country road to Verdon. Including a 10-kilometer long one-way road through the forest, judging by the width of the road. Since no one came towards us, it could actually have been an unmarked one-way road - or we were just lucky.

Arriving at the road leading down to Verdon, we are greeted by a sensational view. Below us, the lake in the deepest turquoise amidst green landscapes with a mountainous background. With a big smile on our faces, we snake our way down the last meters to our desired spot.

At the campsite, we realize that this time our luck has probably run out. Ten minutes too late. Campsite closed and despite our experience at Lake Garda - "rien ne vas plus". At least the owners were kind enough to hang a sign at the reception indicating which campsites in the area were more lenient with arrival times. Confirmed by Google, we find a picturesque alternative two kilometers away. Following the route guidance against the occasional, this time actual and clearly marked, one-way street, we arrive at a beautifully landscaped campsite in the middle of the greenery five minutes later. Maybe our luck hasn't completely deserted us. After a little snide remark from the receptionist, "you're coming from the wrong direction", we once again manage to get the last spot - this time for real, as the ones arriving behind us were not so lucky. Their own fault for not knowing the shortcuts. We park our jumper in the designated spot amidst greenery and with a view of the lake, with the feeling that we will be able to enjoy it here.