Ooh, I haven’t even been home for a week yet and already I am yearning to go back! Just look at the light, the color of the Mediterranean–can you hear the sweet splash of the waves? Le sigh.
True, I posted a video about this lovely spot at the time but felt that we could all use a bit of beach this Friday. A little reminder that it is now officially time to exhale.
I shudder to think what le Plage de L’Estagnol could be like in say late July. Radios! Empty Pringle cans used as bongos! But in April, ahh, serenity and solitude. The very few people that we passed greeted us with the tight smiles of the smart set. Those in the know.
As I am not much of a swimmer, I can’t say that I minded that the water was too cold even for toe-dipping.
The wind was brusk but the swing of sand softened my cheeks…
…and the waves were pushed into cyclical Hallelujah chorus.
For the curious, the L’Estagnol beach is south of Bormes-Les-Mimosas. This is a stretch of sea that has little in common with the overbuilt, Ferrarified coast further up the road. The only touch of “le show” are some phenomenal wineries, whose expansive estates run right down to the shore line. The rolling road of the 42A is one of my favorites to be found anywhere.
We even had a bit of luck on our side. As we pulled into the lane leading towards the beach, we noticed that the gatekeeper had left for the day, meaning that we didn’t have to pay the 8€ entry fee. And if ten smackeroonies sounds like a lot to pay for a bit of paradise, you need to shake the spiderwebs out of your noggin’. Still, who doesn’t love a free ride?
Just don’t make the vital mistake that we did: be sure to bring along a bottle of chilled rosé, a corkscrew and two glasses!
At the end of our long walk, I held Remi’s hand as we looked out over the ochre cliffs towards the lolling horizon. “This will be my favorite moment of this week,” I pronounced. And it was.
Bon weekend!
Thank for tipping me about this post, Heather. I love your blog and always read your posts but there is so much I've missed before I joined!
Ben could really use another pupper friend, Aidan! It's a deal!
Oh, and their adult counterparts could meet too. 😉
I couldn't even BEGIN to capture the depth and beauty of that light. Truly incredible.
This is so beautifully put, Elizabeth. I too love the beach in winter. When I was a teen ager in Santa Cruz, California I would take our two Great Danes on long walks in the cold! Like a desert, it strips you down to the essence of who you are!
Just look at Ben! He looks so happy. He and must meet.
Such gorgeous photos again.
aidan xo
Oh, so beautiful, Heather! I can see why it was your favourite moment of the week.
~ Clare x
This empty beach certainly beckons. Solitude and serenity can be cleansing for the mind and soul, but there is nothing quite like your own bed for the body!
I love a deserted beach in winter – the rhythmic thud of pounding waves and the biting salt spray on my exposed face are so invigorating. It makes me fell one with nature – empowering, yet strangely calming.
Bisous
A painter's dream. Le sigh! 🙂 Jenny
What a lovely spot. Lucky you!
Isn't it true? I love living near a big body of water (if not the sea) as it is such a calming presence. We are so small in front of it and yet we can take our true size. And yes, crowds, well, they are not at all my thing save for when I am in NYC where people have an innate sense of how to walk and at what speed so as to give each other as much space as possible!
I can hear the waves and smell the sea from here, Heather! What a beautiful escape you had — serenity and solitude sound just about perfect right now. Bon weekend to you, too! XO
Sounds like you have found your happy place. So much nicer to find places which aren't over-run with tourists, but which are quiet enough to allow thoughts to wander. Bon weekend indeed! Xx
Loved the description, 'serenity and solitude' and absolutely believe we all should find that 'favorite moment of the week' in our travels.
Hello Heather:
A small piece of 'Paradise on Earth' and how lovely to be able to enjoy it in splendid isolation. Increasingly, we too try to avoid crowded places as one can always rely on some kind of antisocial behaviour to shatter the peace and calm of beautiful surroundings.
There is, in our view, nothing like the sea in all its moods to ease one's cares away and make one feel connected once more with the elemental forces of Nature, as others have been over past centuries and as others will be in centuries to come. Absolutely perfect!
Jó hétvégét!!