Farewell, Provence. For this visit, at least!

Yesterday we saw our guests off at the Toulon train station. But the day before we had one final adventure. Our last foray with our friends was into Hyeres, which is deceptively close. Why deceptive? Although only a 20-minute drive from our villa, the city is a world of difference from our high-altitude perch and the sleepy La Londe at its base.

We had traveled there with three goals. First, we wanted to see if its marshy bird sancuary was worth the visit. We also wanted to see if our guests could get train schedules, so they could plan their long trek back to Alba. And finally, we wanted one last bistro or tavern experience together – preferably one by the water. It would be a place to toast the conclusion of our wonderful, lazy week.

A lesson we’ve learned about Provence is there is an uncanny “wish fulfillment magic” in the air. It seems we simply make a determination of how we’d like to spend a particular afternoon, point our car in the proper direction with a modicum of planning, and Viola! Our desires materialize. This Monday in Hyeres was no exception.

We pulled into the city at about 2 PM. It was surprisingly large, and humming with mid-day activity. First was a stop at the Hyeres tourism bureau.

We left with a couple of city maps and some answers in broken English. For instance, we learned we could walk 10 minutes to get the train timetables we needed. We also got across to the earnest woman behind the desk that we were looking for a nature preserve. That wasn’t so easy, given the language barrier.

“Preserve” and “sancuary” got us nowhere. “Park” improved things, but “birds!” was the word that finally did the trick. She drew a bull’s eye on one of our maps, indicating a nearby peninsula.

But before driving there, we set out for the train timetables. This took us deeper into a clean, well-run business district. Beautiful, well-kept buildings from other centuries stood astride glass and chrome structures, both put to use for offices and apartments. Along a picturesque pedestrian-only street were rows of high-fashion clothing and shoe stores, interspersed with restaurants, news stands, bakeries and bars. And the train office.

Not only did Joe and Michele get the schedules they needed, they went ahead and bought the tickets, departing the next morning. Now it was certain. This day would be our farewell adventure together.

It turned out that the wetlands – and the promise of birds! (Julie and I are big bird geeks) – were an interesting drive but not much more. We were distanced from the tropical birds by a road that cruised efficiently down the peninsula, with no obvious place to stop and sightsee. This was mildly disappointing, but as if to comfort us, the road deposited us at Fulfilled Wish #3. We found the outdoor bar and restaurant we’d imagined. It faced a dock where ferries would transport people to a couple of the islands we had seen in our travels, and in fact, from the deck of our villa. These islands are part of the Iles d’Hyeres, each a destination unto itself.

There had been some deliberation in the morning about taking one of those ferries and having an “island day,” but we had decided against it, and at the bar, we were glad we had no schedules to keep. We lingered over wine, taking in the glorious views and fresh saltwater-scented air. Then we set out on foot (only 50 meters or so) to investigate the ancient, abandoned fortress on the craggy tip of the peninsula. Here are a few photos of it:






That was two days ago, a crowning end to our wanderings with Joe and Michele. Yesterday Julie and I, on our way back from dropping them off at Toulon, stopped back at Hyeres for a lunch at a completely different type of bistro – this one on a sunny corner near the city’s urban hub.

Just this afternoon, the two of us had a beach day, at yet another open-air restaurant. We had driven east, past Le Lavandou, and stopped where the beach looked most inviting. Here's a shot of the beach, from out table:



Here is a view looking "in," from our table. Julie loved the festive colors.



Our lunch was wonderfully relaxed, and as we were driving back, Julie made the observation that adequately summarizes our time here in Provence.

We’ve explored the rustic and the cosmpolitan. We’ve driven through forests and vineyards. We’ve dined on the beach, in the city, and overlooking breathtaking vistas. The wine and the food was always good – perhaps the only constant with all of this variety. We’ll be leaving for Paris by train tomorrow, with memories, a bit of cheese, and our last bottle of wine.