Saint-Tropez(Ricky Martin) - A Day With the Rich and Famous in St-Tropez - 14th May 2016

---

We could not have got a better day for our short trip into St-Tropez to spend some time with the rich and famous, if we recognise anyone who is rich and famous!

The sky is perfectly clear overhead and the sun’s rays slowly spreading over the terrace in front of the mobile home just in time for breakfast.

It had been a comfortable night and sure the bed was one of those of fashioned doubles, we managed.

The shower however was another matter.

We really can’t stand the showers we have had where there is nowhere to hang the shower head so you can wash yourself without having to pick up and put down the shower head while you soap yourself up. We have only had a couple and both times they have been in tight little shower compartments. Europeans must be smaller than Kiwis!

One of the advantages of this mobile home is that it has a washing machine so that was a task that needed catching up on and with the knowledge of just how long these front loaders take we got it under way early so we weren’t delayed too long in our outing.

We met our neighbours below us while we were having breakfast on the terrace. Well when we say ‘met ‘we exchanged greetings and that was about it. They look like they live there permanently as they had a garden and the entry path to their door was very neat with flowerbeds.

In NZ we find it hard to understand why people would want to live in such a confined space on a permanent basis and perhaps we all should be thankful for the’ Kiwi quarter acre’ while it still survives, even if in Auckland it has become very expensive.

We followed the exit signs nailed to trees down the hill to the exit from the park and headed off to St-Tropez just before12.30pm.We plan to take a look around the small town and have lunch, if we can find somewhere reasonable enough in this expensive part of France.

Our progress went well until we struck a queue of cars in two lanes inching towards two parking lots in the town. We chose the one that was near the harbour and slowly we edged closer to the turn to take us to the car park only to find it was full and a guy was directing people like us away and basically back to where we had started.

We did have a bit if fun while we crawled along trying to see if those in the Maseratis or BMW’s in the lane next to us was anyone we should know from the world of the rich and famous. It was good to see that they were no better off than we were trying to get to a car park.

We ended up parking in a lane about 2km from the town and although it was a walk back the scenery along the beach road was beautiful with super yachts at anchor just off the shore and huge mansions along the road we were walking.

We soon realised that there must have been a market going on as people leaving the town had items that one would purchase at a market and perhaps all of us in the queues of cars had been heading in to find lunch in one of the many restaurants and cafes.

We took a stroll around the town which had shops that were of the boutique type. The ones that just have one rack of dresses for instance but probably their worth exceeds all the clothing that a shop like say Max Fashions back home might have.

In one jewellery store the guy behind the counter at the back of the shop looked totally bored. Perhaps he hadn’t done much business on this Saturday morning or perhaps he was just sick and tired of the rich and famous!

We made it around to the main square where there was an amusement park set up with rides for kids and selling takeaway type food. This seemed a bit out of place in such an exclusive town but we later realised that it didn’t actually take up that much space when we got to the other end of the square and noted that it only took up the back third.

It so happened though that we decided to take a seat at a restaurant opposite the rides and stalls and in true French style the chairs were all facing the narrow street so we could our favourite pastime of people watching.

Prices weren’t too bad, if you wanted a bigger lunch that what we were thinking of, but we had the feeling we weren’t quite up to what most other people were spending when we ordered our Crepes Suzette and Chocolate crepe plus a glass of wine each of the local unnamed vintage. Interestingly you had to search for the single glass of wine right at the bottom of the wine list. Bottles went from €30 to €240! And this seemed just a modest little restaurant/cafe.

All sorts of sights came by from a group of middle aged women and a teenage boy who waited across the road from us for 15 minutes or so for their ride to come and pick them up. One of the women looked like ‘mutton dressed as lamb ‘and flounced about while they waited.

As we were finishing a young woman with a medium size dog came along and took charge of a motor scooter parked just along from us. She put the dog on the scooter, sat herself down and away they went.

A walk up to the citadel that overlooks the town was in order to walk off all the calories taken on board.

Built in 1602 to defend the town from the warring Spaniards, the citadel has very well preserved walls and a museum inside.

We were happy to walk around the path on the exterior of the walls and the panoramas of the gulf were just magnificent and probably made even more so on such a sunny, warm day. Although off in the distance there seemed to be clouds brewing and more was to come from that as the afternoon came to an end.

There was a yacht race going on in the gulf and as we walked around further more of the exclusive mansions, many with their own sizeable swimming pools, that dot the landscape came into view.

The sea was a lovely azure blue colour and remarkably clear which was an encouragement after some of the beaches and sea shores we walked on, especially in Spain where there had been so much trash.

We walked back down the alley to the town and noticed the magnificent bougainvillea on a building at the end of one of the little lanes that ran off the pedestrian walkway.

There was a poncy looking hair salon as we neared the bottom of the alley and I dared Gretchen, who is in need of a trim, to check how much a wash and cut might cost and if there would be any change from €100!She decided to hang onto her €100 note for now.

We had left the harbour area till last and so headed down to the water and took a walk along the sea wall which gave a good overview of the super yachts tied up in the small port which has cafes and small shops along the promenade.

With an ice cream in hand we gazed out over the water while next to us were a couple who looked like they should have purchased a room for the afternoon.Ah, the French, love is always in the air!

Heading back to the car we passed a nightclub that had a wall of photos of all the famous people who had frequented the place. We assume they have everyone’s permission for their mug shot on the wall from Prince Harry to George Clooney and beyond.

By the time we walked back to the car the dark sky we had noticed out to sea from the citadel was starting to roll over St-Tropez and it was the sort that said ‘thunderstorm’. We needed to get home to get the washing in if there was going to be rain and that looked almost certain from the colour of the sky.

We made just as there were booms of thunder and flashes of lightening overhead.

Washing saved it was time for a coffee to let the brief storm pass while we reflected on our day in St-Tropez.

It had certainly been a pleasurable day from the crepes for lunch to the people watching and the walk up to the citadel with the panoramic views. Tomorrow we plan to join the rich and famous at the first Sunday Polo meet of the summer at the Polo club just down the road from the mobile home park.

PS enjoy Ricky's song about this expensive little corner of France(we know our girls will)

---

Comments

[Shonz]

Rich
Oh to be rich enough to own these boats / ships!!

[Whiskers]

We agree but really would they be seeing what we are and having a different kind of fun and adventure