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onjour!
this month we are going to explore a little corner of paradise, one of the many you so often come across in
Provence. This is a place of astonishing beauty that will amaze all visitors. Some are strollers, hikers,
or climbing enthusiasts, while others choose to discover this site by boat or comfortably seated in their
car, wandering down the road that stretches from Marseille to La Ciotat. It is a grandiose and exceptional
natural setting that stretches for about a dozen miles, as the crow flies. Featuring limestone of extreme
whiteness that plunges into a translucent sea, it is a mineral and plant world bathed in sunshine. Let's
travel to the magnificent deep rocky inlets known as the "Calanques de Cassis", even though from a purely
geographic point of view, most of them belong to the district of Marseille and a few of them to the small
seaside resort of La Ciotat.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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The Massif des Calanques
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The Massif des Calanques stretches in a mostly continuous line from east to west. It is the result of erosion
due to several factors: the sea, the heat and perhaps most of all, the winds. The sea played an important role
when, several million of years ago, the massif formed by sedimentation at a time when the area was completely
submerged. Then, as the sea withdrew, it left behind very hard and
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View from the Massif des Calanques
(Click photo to enlarge)
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very white limestone. Indeed, the water level was about 400 feet lower only 10,000 years ago. As it went back up
again, little by little, it ended up forming small islands and creating little inlets some of which are eroded very
deeply into the rock. These are the beautiful "calanques" that we see today. While the near absence of tides in the
Mediterranean limited the importance of marine erosion, the heat on the other hand has always played an important part.
Just imagine a massif heated by the sun's rays 320 days per year, a place where between the months of June and August
the sun shines more than 15 hours a day. It is easy to see how the relief of the hottest and driest region of France
evolved from the combined effects of the sun and the wind that blows quite strongly at times.
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"Martin Bouge"
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In fact, the sea level does not vary according to the almost non-existent tides, but rather because of the winds.
The sea is lower when the mistral wind blows from the north/northwest, and higher when the wind comes from the
south. In Provencal, the dialect of Provence, "mistral" comes from the word "mistrau" which means "master". Indeed,
the mistral was the master of all winds par excellence. A long time ago, at a time when the natural elements were
venerated, the mistral was thought to be a divinity that one had to beg for clemency. Today, it blows about 140 days/year,
especially in summer when the temperatures of the sea and the earth are about even. It is said that it can render one
mad when it is at its strongest in the middle of the afternoon. Luckily, it dies down at sunset and quits all together
around midnight, only to pick up again the next day, sometimes with even more strength. It is then very dangerous for
boats but offers an extraordinary sight as the raging waves come crashing against the calanques at the entrance to caves
carved deep into the rock. In Cassis, when the swell waves rush into the port releasing a roar that announces a storm,
the fishermen say "Martin boujot" (Martin is moving) and they know better than to go out to sea.
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Recipe for June 2011
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Fine Tart of Zucchinis and Parmesan Cheese
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The Calanques
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The two sets of calanques of La Ciotat set themselves apart from the others by their colors. Indeed,
the rock that forms the Mugel Calanques, a natural site protected by the "Bec de l'Aigle" (Eagle's Beak)
massif and the Figuerolles one with its characteristic dog's head shape, is a conglomerate of pebbles
and natural cement that takes on a beautiful pink hue with golden highlights as the sun sets. The other
calanques are made of limestone, brightest under the effect of the Provencal sun. They are of an extreme
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En Vau Calanque
(Click photo to enlarge)
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whiteness that contrasts with the blue of the sea, either turquoise or emerald green depending on whether
you find yourself in the calanque of Sormiou or that of En Vau. Each calanque is unique and offers a
spectacular sight with its extravagant shapes, irregularly contoured reliefs, cliffs of various steepness,
and caves dug by subterranean rivers. Whereas En Vau is considered to be the most typical of the calanques,
Morgiou is said to be the most welcoming, Riou the most picturesque, Oule the most secret, and Port Pin
the most... green probably. As for the calanque of Eissadon that is dotted with reefs, boats simply do not
dare to venture there. It features tormented shapes, mysterious caves, and evocative names such as the
Eagle's Beak, the Dog's Head, God's Finger, the Glass Eye, the Prompter's Hole, and the Devil's Hole.
Needless to say, you can well imagine that such locations must have served as hideouts for pirates...
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The Pirates
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...And unfortunately, there were plenty of pirates! For centuries, the people of Provence had to suffer
the horrible acts perpetrated by the Barbary Coast pirates. Certain calanques were used as bases for these
dangerous and vicious individuals who would attack ships and flee into the neighboring forests with their
booty. In 1319, the threat was so great that a royal decree declared
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Port Pin Calanque
(Click photo to enlarge)
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that "Any fisherman-owner has to carry a crossbow with 25 bolts as well as a shield, less he be fined 25 pounds"
(the currency at the time). As if crossbows would have been enough to scare away such cruel and demonic invaders!
It was also stated that "Each boat owner who goes to Planier (an island located a few miles southwest of Marseille)
has to bring back 100 stones that will be used in defending the tower" (of Riou). Look-out systems were put in
place. Three guards kept watch over Riou, two over Marseille-Veyre and two over La Garde. As a ship approached,
the first one to spot it would hoist a sail atop a mast and would make it slide up and down 3 or 4 times,
depending on whether it was a warship or a galley, before securing it. Smoke signals were also used and fires
were lit at night to warn neighbors of the danger. It was said that after a Saracen attack, the abbess of a
convent, Eusébie, along with her sisters didn't hesitate to cut her own nose to scare the assailants away and
not be raped. These nuns, as courageous as they were terrified, became known as the "Desnarados".
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The Plague
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All ships arriving into Marseille waters had to cast anchor a few miles offshore, and the captain had
to go declare to the port authorities that he was not coming from a country where cases of the plague
had been reported, and that no one aboard his ship had been stricken by a contagious fever. In fact,
he had to quite officially take an oath over a pallet carrying a page from the Gospel for that
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The Pallet of oath, La Ciotat Museum
(Click photo to enlarge)
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very purpose. Any perjury was punishable by hanging. But unfortunately the regulations, strict as they
were, did not take human greed into account. On May 23, 1720, a ship called "The Great St Anthony" dropped
anchor on the island of Pomègues with a valuable cargo of silk and cotton fabrics that the owners, the top
magistrate of the city along with a few henchmen, were eagerly awaiting. It was out of the question to delay
the delivery for any reason whatsoever. And so the goods were secretly unloaded before the captain even made
his declaration; the fabric, the sailors, and the rats all came off the boat along with... the plague. The
tragedy unfolded in just a few days, causing the troops of the Marseille garrison to go seek refuge in
La Ciotat. As the local officers hesitated to let their terrified colleagues enter the town, the local
women decided to take action. Some of them climbed the city walls armed with stones they were ready to
throw at the head of the first man to take a step forward, while others formed a real barrier with their
children. Half the population of Marseille perished but thanks to the women's determination, La Ciotat
was spared.
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When a 'Famous Unknown' Plays in a Horror Movie |
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The Lumière family owned a vacation home in La Ciotat, a seaside resort much in vogue with the
upper middle-class of Lyon at the end of the 19th century. In 1894, brothers Auguste and Louis
Lumière, the brilliant and hard-working inventors (more than 100 patents registered in their
names) made a device that allowed them to reproduce movements on a screen. They decided to carry
out their first experiment in their vacation town. When the "Train Entering the Station of La Ciotat"
was projected for the first time on the screen, the audience was as dumbfounded as they were frightened
by what they were viewing: moving images, and what is more, images of a train that seemed to be rushing
straight towards them. But there was more to come: when the train stopped, the passengers got off and
moved forward on the platform... a show as amazing as it was surrealist. Among these passengers were
the family of Auguste and Louis, then some beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen emerged. One of them
was a man nobody knew, a friend of the family in fact. A few years later, his grandson would go down in
history, as this famous unknown was none other than Elvis Presley's grandfather. The King had not yet
been born, but the motion-picture was!
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The Game of Pétanque
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The small town of La Ciotat prides itself on having invented pétanque, a game enjoyed by the people
of Provence all year long, and the French vacationers every summer. This game of boules (hollow metal
balls) originally called "longue" was first played in Provence, in 1910: The first player threw the
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La Ciotat Museum
(Click photo to enlarge)
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jack (a small wooden ball) at a distance of 15 to 20 meters (about 50 to 65 ft) from a circle drawn
on the ground. The next player had to position his boule with both feet on the ground or standing on
one leg in which case he had to always keep a foot in the circle. As for the thrower, he had to leave
the circle and leap three times forward to pick up speed, his goal being to unseat the opponent's boule.
It was a rather acrobatic and choreographic game of boule, quite pleasant to watch. But an inhabitant
of La Ciotat named Lenoir, who loved the game, was crippled with arthritis and moved with great difficulty.
He was therefore granted the right to play sitting down, and since the other players complained about this
a little, it was decided that they could all play without having to move. That is when it was established
that the jack would be thrown from a circle to a distance of 7 to 13 meters (23 to 43 ft) and that the
other players, those who place the boule and those who aim, would throw their boules from this circle with
both feet together and "pieds tanqués" – or anchored feet – which led to the name of the game, "pétanque".
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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Our stroll comes to an end with this unavoidable Provencal game of pétanque. But before you even imagine
yourself relaxing as you share in the fun of it, we highly recommend you set off to discover these wonderful
calanques. Good walkers will enjoy an exceptional hiking experience. You must count about 6 hours between
Marseille and Cassis by way of the Massif des Calanques. Many boat tours are available to admire the landscape
from the sea. If you'd rather go by road, there are many panoramic viewpoints between Marseille and La Ciotat
for you to enjoy the most beautiful views of this exceptional place. It is also very pleasant to go for a walk
in Cassis and we recommend that you also go to La Ciotat to visit the Museum of the History of Provence.
There you will see the pallet on which captains - and for that matter any foreigner arriving in town seeking
asylum - had to take the oath. You will also discover all the maritime history of the region and you can admire
lovely re-creations of everyday Provencal life scenes. Everything in this museum is run and organized by
volunteers and showcases their love for their native Provence. Also in La Ciotat, you will find the Eden,
built in 1889 and now the oldest movie theater in the world! Oops! I almost forgot : avoid this area from mi-July
till end of August ... definitely too crowded!
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