9/13/2023:  Calanques National Park

Cassis, France

Today was the day for a hike, and we couldn't have dreamed up a hike as scenic as the trails through Calanques National Park - the only European national park to encompass land, sea, and urban areas. We entered the Park via the seaside town of Cassis, a historical fishing village surrounded by vineyards, beaches, and olive groves. We had to take a train, bus, and walk about a mile just to get the the park’s entrance, but we knew as soon as we’d arrived that it would be worth it.

The hike started with the first calanque, Port Miou, and continued on going both steeply uphill and steeply downhill to Port Pin, the second calanque. Port Pin was packed with both people on the sand and in the water, and we stopped to dip our toes in before continuing on our trek to the third calanque, Calanque d’En Vau - known for being one of the most beautiful beaches in France. We arrived as the sun was setting and soaked up the last bit of the sun’s rays alongside the few others who were able to make the trek there. We had no idea how we were going to make the steep trek back, but managed to take a quick swim in the water before it got too cold.

By the time we were out of the water, most of the beachgoers were packing up as the temperature seemed to be rapidly dropping. We stayed a few minutes longer to soak up the scenery and get some photos before putting our shoes on and heading back towards land.

Somehow, the hike back was actually easier than the hike there, which was a nice surprise to us both. That hike kicked our butts, but it was so worth it.

~ Savvy