Marseille: Calanques national park

We only had a slight dip in Marseille, passing by the hectic city center that was covered with graffiti, dilapidated residences, and ubiquitous kebab/ Middle eastern fast food places along the street. It was probably the poorer districts that we passed by, said Dad, yet it left a negative impression as we passed by the city on our way to the Calanques national park.

The day started off in a grey drizzle, yet we were very lucky that the sunlight peaked from the clouds as we arrived as Cassis, the eastern part of the Calanques. Dad and I packed our picnic for lunch and headed off towards the rocky footpaths. The calanques are the southern coasts of France along the Mediterranian, with narrow and deep limestone coasts with sea edges partly submerged in the sea. The low ainfall, non-existent soil, and permeable limestone crafted a panorama of dry and rugged creeks with dense evergreen srubs.

Dad and I hiked through 3 of the Calanques, from Port Miou, Port Pin, to Port En Eau, tracing the paint marked paths trekking the limestone cliffs traversed by numerous faults and fissures. The turquoise and green Mediterranean shimmered between the narrow inlets and stretched towards the distant horizon with deepening shades of blue. Dad and I climbed towards the farthest point of port En Eau, with a panorama of sea waters surrounding the tip of the cliff. We sat on the limestone cliffs, gazed at the distance, and relished the moment of the sublime seascape.