Today we left for Anitbes, mainly to experience a small town on the Cote d’Azure and hopefully have a swim. We drove along the coast which became a continuous strip of beaches, but with almost nowhere to stop, and with a massive hotel complex of Marina Baie des Anges near Cannes looming in the distance.
The old town of Antibes is fairly compact and we walked for a little while until we came across the local street market (Tues, Thurs & Sat) Frances seems to be able to sniff these out like a bloodhound and has bought a few interesting clothes at them. How we get them home in our already bulging suitcases will be a challenge.
As it was close to lunchtime we ducked into the nearby Café du Commerce which turned out to be a real local hangout. Imagine all of the aspects of a local pub with the garrulous manager and charming barmaid with all the social skills to deal with the idiosyncratic regulars as well as the garrulous manager, transported to a bar in France. This was it. After the initial shock of strangers walking in and sitting at a table, they were really friendly and made us feel at home. We ordered a couple of drinks (Frances has developed a liking for lemon and fizzy water) and a massive bread roll to share. 
It turned out to be a full Nicoise salad roll (lettuce, onion, tomato, egg, tuna, sardines, olives and capers) and more than enough for us both. It was interesting to find that this what the locals ate, and that Nicoise is not just made for tourists – mind you the aftertaste lasted all afternoon. 
Not long afterwards we found the local beach (and a parking spot which was even more remarkable) and after a quick change in the car headed into the water. The water, although a little bit cool) was clear and absolutely refreshing in the over 30C degree heat of the afternoon. There were even showers right on the beach at the water mark to wash off the salt before returning to your towel to continue the sunbaking which seems incredibly popular – We only saw 2 other people using blockout amongst the very pink population on the sand.Feeling refreshed, we drove off along the coast again, through Juan les Pins (made famous (?) in the Peter Sarstedt song Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)), the Elizebeth Bay of the Cote D’Azure, and through Cannes – we missed the film festival by 2 days, but it’s apparently complete chaos during the festival.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for seeing les Montagnes Saint Victoire, a limestone mountain ridge visible on the approach to Marseilles, and featuring in paintings by Cezanne among others. It is impressive. The countryside though), partly because of the hot dry weather, bears a striking similarity to parts of Australia (dry, rocky and bushland).Eventually we arrived in Marseille and met Laurant, Corinne, Zoe. and the twins, Lola and Juliette. Zoe stayed with us for six weeks, 2 years ago as an exchange student and attended school in Sydney with the girls. We received a warm welcome and had fantastic dinner, with possibly too much champagne and rose. It was great to catch up and exchange stories, through a French/English language mix. Their house is in the hills above Marseille and eating outdoors with the evening breeze, the evening was very pleasant.
