Provence | ch3 - blog

66km of 2819km so far…

Overlooking Cassis

Cassis isÂ surrounded by hills and that’s why the camping was full of rock climbers. In the morning I had to go down to the center and buy a few things, so right after I had to climb a very steep road. Then looking for the road I needed to take to the next town, I got confused and tried two different roads for a couple of kilometers, both uphill and both wrong. Then I realized the road was down the village, close to its center. So there I was, first thing in the morning going up and down the mountains for no reason.
Even from the day before I was feeling a little tired and was thinking about taking the day off. Cassis was too small though to spend a whole day, so I decided to take the day off in Toulon which has a few more things to see and wasn’t that far away anyway.

One ofÂ the bays I went through

At midday I stoped at Bandol and bought some pate and a few other goods for a picnic style lunch at its port by the luxurious yacht. Since Toulon wasn’t more than 20km away and it was still early, I decided to take my time, have a drink at a cafe with wifi, until it gets a little cooler.

The small port of Bandol

As I was leaving, I noticed my back tyre needed some air. I pump it up, but a few kilometers down the road it went completely flat. I took it out and found the hole, which this time was on the inside. The protective tape was a little misplaced and I believe one of the spokes puncture it. It worries me a little though, as it’s the back wheel that was grinded on the tarmac the other day. Anyway, I fixed it and I moved on.
Once again, I got a little confused with how to locate the road I wanted. There were two roads to get to Toulon, each going around the different side of a hill. One of the passing drivers helped me to find it and suggested to take the upper one as it is faster. When I got to Toulon though I realized that the camp site is not actually inside the town but at the nearby town at the west. I ended up doing an extra 10km to find Seyne on the other side of the hill and close to where I was talking with that driver. That’s one of the reasons I am still in France, even if I’ve just reached my initial estimation of kilometers. But who said I am in a hurry?

64km of 2753km so far…

Sunrise by the camping

I woke up earlier than normal as the night before I had collapsed straight after my dinner. Today’s day was all about Marseille. I didn’t want to spend the night there, just to have a quick look, so I am glad I wasn’t that far away. Even though, it took me three hours to get into the city, because of the hills that I had to go up and all the highways I had to avoid.

A nice but louder way of traveling

I knew Marseille is a big port but only when I first saw it after exiting a small tunnel, I truly appreciated its scale. In order to get to the center, I had to go through its massive port, under highways and loads of construction sites. It was a little hard and didn’t really enjoy cycling there. At the center it was extremely busy, with loads of tourists and had a massive traffic jam. I kind of wanted to leave straight away, but in the end I did stay for a few hours, to eat some lunch and wonder around a little bit.

First view of Marseille

Looks like a human made beach

One of the street in the city

The old port

A market

As I was about to leave, I noticed my front brand new tire was flat, even if it claims to be bulletproof. I repaired it quickly and started cycling again to the south. On the way out of the city, I stopped briefly to see one of Le Corbusier‘s building that is build there. I am sure there should be an apartment open to visitors, but it was getting late in the day to look for it.

Le Corbusier Meuble Court

and the famous Modulor

Marseille from the near by hill as I was leaving

Right after I exited the city, I started climbing the nearby hill to pass to the other side. My destination was Cassis, for which I heard it is a nice fishermen village with a camping. I found it, put my tent and after my dinner I went for a walk in its center and its nice port.

For all those that think that cycle touring is dangerous, hard and way too much effort, I met two German girls in the center that are on their bikes for the last month, cycling all around France, going up and down the mountains and sleeping in the wild. Rosy and Antonia are 19 and 20 years old and they still have another three weeks to go. I wish I had started touring at that age.

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Cycling Adventures

Tag Archives: Provence

Day 41 – Cassis to La Seyne

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