28 December

DSCN2866 December 28 - morning clouds as seen from our hotel in Grasse DSCN2867 The storm had blown thrown... DSCN2868 leaving these residual clouds and cold temperatures. DSCN2871 New snow on the Mercantour, above Fréjus/St-Raphaël
DSCN2872 Mercantour on the border with Italy DSCN2873 The Med from Les Issambres DSCN2875 le Massif de l'Esterel DSCN2876 Coastscape
DSCN2877 St-Tropez: you need a Big Boat to stay here DSCN2878 All the same model? DSCN2880 A blustery day, so only a bit of the main sail DSCN2881 The breakwater at St-Tropez
DSCN2882 Indeed, the entire Riviera seemed not only closed but empty of people! DSCN2883 We came here too back in 2000 DSCN2884 Quiet, except for the wind DSCN2887 We circled the fortresse above the town
DSCN2888 and retook the same photo that I took in 2000 DSCN2891 Pines on the hill DSCN2892 We decamp further down the coast road to find a lunch spot beyond Cavalaire-sur-Mer DSCN2893 What can I say?
DSCN2894 The lunch was awesome: goat cheese and salad DSCN2896 with feta cheese and its oil as dressing DSCN2897 along with sun-dried tomatoes! DSCN2898 Destination was le Hotel Poseidon in La Seynes-sur- Mer, beyond Toulon
DSCN2899 Not a lot of beach, nor much tide DSCN2900 So we drove to hill above the coast with views to the west... DSCN2901 and to the north (Mont St-Victoire near Aix-en-Provence) DSCN2903 Christine on the way tot the top
DSCN2904 Not exactly warm... DSCN2905 Notre Dame du Mai DSCN2906 Into the light! DSCN2907 Looking east toward Hyères
DSCN2909 and back toward Toulon, with Mont Faron (left) and Mont Coudon (center) DSCN2910 This site has been used since Phoenician times (Marseille was a Phoenician outpost), which is a long time ago DSCN2911 Seaside of the Church DSCN2912 Christine climbing to the viewpoint bundled against the wind
DSCN2913 Hard to believe but there were no restaurants open for business in La Seynes-sur-Mer, so we picnicked again in our hotel room. DSCN2914 Christine insists that this was better than restaurant food anyway