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A bit of a lie in this morning, by accident, we didn’t really stir until the school across the road from the site could be heard! We didn’t feel the need to rush as our first stop of the day was just over 8km away. Carrieres de Lumieres had easy signs to follow and we found ourselves in striking limestone scenery.
Woolly says – it was so different to the views we had experienced before it was stunning. Parking up opposite the quarries, Ian opted to stay with Oliver, I was tempted but letting Jo out on her own is never a good idea. Tucked up tightly into her hoodie we paid our 9.50 Euros (approximately £8.10 GBP), a little steep but this was something that promised to be a little different. Different didn’t describe it at all, freaky was a more apt description.
I have to agree with Woolly it was pretty freaky and very disconcerting. We entered the quarries and it was pitch black, I heard people muttering pardons as I blundered past them. Then it seemed as if the walls and floors were moving as paintings by Monet, Renoir, Chagell and many
others were being projected, one artist at a time, across the whole place. The paintings kept merging and changing, I found it perplexing and somewhat unnerving.
Woolly says – it was very bewildering for a Mammoth! As Jo managed to find our way through more and more pictures came up, disappeared, merged and amalgamated. Every inch of the quarry walls was covered and then it went black!
I choose the ‘don’t move’ option until more pictures started to unveil themselves and I had enough light to see signs for the Jean Cocteau area. He famously filmed a surreal feature in the place in 1959, the signs brought us back into the light.
Woolly says – it was a relief to be in daylight again, we followed the signs and found ourselves in another part of the quarry with a black and white film being shown in French. Not understanding it at all and not being able to piece together the visual affects we once more entered the panorama of pictures again. It seemed easier this time and we bravely made our way further into the quarries themselves, the pictures almost became
bewitching and we stood and watched as Monet changed into Renoir. Jo tried to video some of it but being so dark and with so many people wandering around there are not brilliant but we decided to include them to try and show a little of what it was like. With Renoir floating past us again we managed to find the exit and made our way back to Ian and Ollie, I think we both felt a little strange after our experience.
While Woolly and I had been in a parallel universe Ian had gone for a wander and found some strange statues which he has let us use for the blog, he told us that the area was outstanding in its beauty but was glad he had opted for views not our experience. We continued on our way passing the Chateau des Baux de Provence and took a few snaps but to be honest were a little chateaued out. Onwards we thought to the Rivera….
Woolly says – I was looking forward to dining out with the rich and famous and our first call was to Marseille, the plan was to stay two
nights there. We stayed for less than an hour!!!! Driving in past the dockyards the roads were manic, Ollie had motorbikes and scooters crawling all round him, cars up his J…… rear, it wasn’t good. We could see gorgeous sea and beaches but also millions of people and vehicles cramming the sides of the sides of the road, I clung onto the dashboard, Jo clung onto the door and Ian and Ollie clung to the road, not for us so we kept going. Leaving the cityscape behind us they road led us upwards to the mountains and the most splendid of views, through wooded forests with winding roads, Ollie thought he had arrived in car heaven as he raced round the bends. Our next plan was to stop at Cassis, an attractive site in a small cove, unfortunately it was miles from the sea so on we sped. The countryside was idyllic and Ollie was having a ball, we decided to keep going to Port Grimuld only a few miles from St. Tropez.
It was an easy run, further than we had planned but worth it to get back onto the coast. Camping de la Plage proved
to be the hardest place we have booked onto yet. You report to reception, get given a map, told to park and then you find a pitch before going back to reception to tell them where you want to go and they tell you if you can have the pitch! What a performance, we ambled round the site and finally decided on one that would suit, before being told that we couldn’t have that one, so we picked another and were finally able to set up camp. Being a tad weary we opted for dinner in the onsite restaurant, quite expensive with an average cost of 15 Euros a meal (approximately £13.90 GBP), but we were hungry, service was terrible and we sat waving our arms to attract the attention of one of the four waitresses. Eventually we had food, burger and chips for Ian and Woolly and a Salad Nicoise for me and Woolly, with hunger pangs sorted we wandered by the shore and looked forward to a day on the beach tomorrow.
Sorry folks, just gone to load the videos but not able to do so!
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