Hiking the Cassis Calanques

*I know I promised more details on our engagement (!!!), but I have SO many other things to catch up on from April and May first! I am going to back up and take things in order. Just go with it.*

After getting totally hooked on the idea of hiking the Cassis calanques several months ago, I finally got my chance in April. I'd made plans to explore the French Riviera and the Verdon Gorges with one of my closest friends, Becky, over spring break, but she wasn't getting in until Sunday night. Since I had most of the weekend beforehand free, I planned to head down to Cassis on Saturday to hike, spend the night, and then visit Marseille for a few hours before meeting Becky in Nice.

When I happened to mention the hike to Maria Daniella, a friend I met through the Monday night dinners, she jumped at the idea. She's working on her PhD in composite materials (read: engineering) here in Lyon and spends most of her time in the lab, so I was in charge of organizing our trip.

I must confess. This was not my best showing in terms of planning. First, I poorly estimated how long it would take us to get to Cassis. (We have to take this 30-minute bus just to get from the train station to the center of town, you say? The shuttle to take us the 7km from the harbor to our auberge de jeunesse doesn't actually exist, you say?) Second, I underestimated how much "roughing it" would be involved at the auberge. (The only way to take a shower would be to crouch in the sink trough and dump buckets of water over our heads, you say? There's no heating at night, you say?)

Combined with a few other oversights on my part (Since the reception desk is closed until later, we should just leave our bags in these cubby holes, you say? We have to pay the auberge association membership fee on top of the price for the dorm beds to stay here, you say? Bedsheets cost extra, you say? What the heck are these trail markers trying to show us?!?), let's just say I'm lucky that Maria Daniella can really go with the flow and was up for an adventure. And despite everything, we ended up having a great time!

Arriving in Cassis in late afternoon, we hiked the 7km from the harbor to the auberge, enjoying the stunning views along the way.

Pretty little harbor town of Cassis!

Far away views of the first calanque on our way to the auberge!

Views of Cap Canaille (the big cliff across the water!) from the trail to the auberge

Auberge de Jeunesse La Fontasse

Once we made it to the auberge, we stashed our bags and headed out to hike the calanques trail. Unfortunately, we'd arrived a few hours later than expected and didn't have time to hike the whole way, but we saw Ein Vau, the prettiest of the three calanques!

???

Coastal cliffs near the third calanque, Ein Vau

Ein Vau from above

Mouth of the Ein Vau calanque

Maria Daniella and me with two women we met and hiked with on the trail. They were so sweet -- they insisted on giving us their numbers in case we needed anything and called the next day to make sure we'd had a good night!

Back at the auberge that evening, we pulled out the food we'd packed along and settled in for a picnic dinner on the front porch.

Spectacular sunset view during dinner at the auberge

Fresh strawberries that some  of the other guests shared with us. Best ones I've ever tasted!

The auberge was pretty rustic, so we basically camped that night (not that this is a bad thing!). Seriously -- the main differences were that instead of games by a campfire, we played dominoes next to the common room hearth, and instead of a sleeping bag in a tent, we slept in a dorm room with bunk beds!

We woke up early the next morning when the sun came up (i.e., camping) and enjoyed breakfast on the front porch. I could have stayed a little longer with such a beautiful view, but both of us really wanted to see more of the calanques before going back to Marseille. Rather than hiking again, we decided to catch a boat cruise from the center of town for a closer look.

Breakfast views from the porch

More breakfast views

Hiking back to the center of town from the auberge

Luckily, a boat was leaving moments after we walked up to the harbor. It's possible to do longer cruises that go to the 5 or even 8 calanques closest to Cassis, but we decided that the 45-minute, 3-calanque cruise was just right. We didn't go as far into each inlet as I'd hoped, but it was still really nice to be out on the water!

Heading into one of the first two calanques (I don't remember which one this was.)

Approaching Ein Vau, the third calanque!

Ein Vau calanque from the boat!

Cap Canaille on the way back to the harbor

Me and Maria Daniella on the boat tour!

Heading back to the Cassis harbor port!

Stepping back onto dry land, we didn't have much time left in Cassis before Maria Daniella's train back to Lyon. Instead of going to a restaurant, we picked up a few things to supplement the leftovers from our picnic dinner the night before and plopped ourselves down by the beach to eat.

Picnic lunch by the Cassis beach!

After lunch, we made our way back to Marseille, where Maria Daniella caught her connecting train home, and I did a little sightseeing. With about two hours free until I had to meet my covoiturage to Nice, I walked to the harbor and then up to the Notre Dame of Marseille, which is like Paris' Sacre Coeur. It was at the top of a super steep hill, but the views were worth it!

Down by the Marseille harbor

It doesn't look like it, but this hill was SO STEEP! Not easy, especially when carrying a week's worth of stuff with me!

Views from the Marseille Notre Dame

"This Wall Bears Marks of the Battle of the Liberation of Marseille, 15-25 August, 1944"

Inside the Notre Dame of Marseille

Wanting to be on time for my ride, I didn't spend much time at the church before turning back to the train station. Just as I arrived back at Gare St. Charles, however, I received a text from my covoiturage saying that they were running late and would be canceling the ride unless I was able to meet them at an exit off the highway. Lesson learned: make sure you aren't booking a ride with a band on their way to a gig!

At that point, exhausted and in desperate need of a shower, I bit the bullet and booked the next train to Nice. Thankfully, it wasn't too expensive, even though I was reserving my seat just 15 minutes before departure. I finally made it to Nice a little after 8pm that night, where I mercifully took off my hiking boots (sorry, feet!) and took one of those showers that makes you eternally grateful to whoever invented hot running water. So fresh and so clean (clean), I settled in and waited for Becky to arrive!