Greetings from the French Riviera. Today we’re anchored off the glamorous city of Cannes, home of the Cannes Film Festival and playground of the rich and famous. However, we weren’t interested in any of that, so instead we took advantage of the opportunity to go inland and explore the beautiful countryside of Provence.
The tour we selected took us to two idyllic villages, Fayence and Seillans, far enough away from Cannes to give us a good look at the landscape on the way out and back. Ordinarily I’m not a fan of longer bus rides, but today I was actually looking forward to it.
After tendering in to the pier we boarded our bus at 9:30 am and inched our way out through the narrow city streets. Once clear I was expecting to see fields of sunflowers and lavender, but instead it was hills and occasional fields of baled hay. Apparently what lies beyond the coast is the Massif Central, a broad range of modest sized mountains that separate the seaside cities from flatter central France. Obviously I need to study my French geography. At any rate, it was a pretty drive.
Ninety minutes after leaving Cannes we arrived at our first stop, the tiny village of Seillans, home to fewer than 3,000 residents. It’s known as a perched village, one of a handful along a single ridge line overlooking the pretty countryside to the south. It’s a steep climb up to the town’s medieval center, which can be reached by cars, but not buses, so we made our way up the final couple hundred meters from the bus parking area on foot.
Seillans is considered by many to be the prettiest village in France, and it’s easy to see why. Everywhere I walked, my brain said, “don’t change a thing.” Not only are the buildings and streets like others we’ve seen in old sections of cities and towns, but Seillans has taken full advantage of the steep terrain to create wonderful little squares and winding steps and passageways. Perhaps best of all, thanks to its location high on a hillside, there are great views of the countryside below.
Because of its small size Seillans isn’t the kind of place where you linger to shop, and even the cafes aren’t many in number, so after an hour of admiring the village and taking many photos we returned to the bus and set off for the other perched village on our itinerary, Fayence.
Fayence is also small , though with a population of a little less than 6,000, it’s more than twice as large as Seillans. Still, it’s a little jewel. While I don’t think it had quite the charm of Seillans, it did have the advantage of several nice restaurants and cafes, some shops, and a small grocery store. Our guide gave us a brief tour of the town, and then turned us loose for ninety minutes to explore and find something to eat.
As usual, Michele and I wanted to spend most of our time exploring, though enjoying a pleasant meal in a small cafe was admittedly tempting too. Still, exploring won out, and we bought premade sandwiches on baguettes at the grocery store, sat down on a nearby bench, and made a quick meal of it.
After that it was more photos and enjoying the view of the area below, which included a large glider field. Gliding is very popular here, much as it is in Elmira, New York, not far from where we grew up.
Back on the bus at 2:15, our skillful driver safely brought us down the narrow, twisting road (what’s new, right?) to the valley below, and just before 4:00 we were back on the ship. I didn’t see much lavender, but I did see two delightful little French villages, and I’m sure I had a better time than I would have if I had spent the day in Cannes searching for someone famous in the seaside cafes.
Tomorrow it’s another day in Provence, this time from Nice. We were in Nice eleven years ago, and used the opportunity to visit nearby Monaco. It was wonderful, and I recommend it highly, but this time we’re going to visit the medieval village of Èze and the old town section of Nice. It should be great, and I’ll be back with a full report, so stay tuned.
This monument at the entrance to Seillans honors the town’s soldiers who gave their lives for their country in World War I.
The bus would never make it up the final portion of the road into Seillans, though cars do. Our fearless guide is leading us up the gravel path into the village.
Nearing the entrance to the village. The view only gets better as you continue to climb.
Max Ernst was a German/American/French painter, sculptor, artist and poet who lived his later years in the village. He donated some of his works, including this one at the bottom of the village.
Hillside homes, with the church bell tower in the background.
Seillans is built on a pretty steep slope. I’m looking down from the narrow road at a pretty, little cafe directly below me.
If I came home from work stressed out, and this was my house, the stress would leave me as soon as I laid eyes on it.
There are a few level spots in the village. I can’t say whether they’re natural or man made, but they’re all lovely. I’m not sure what happened in 1836, but this is a monument to it.
Maybe the cat knows where the steps lead. I don’t.
Another sculpture in Seillans. This one is Le Dragon, by Ivan Ivanoff.
We checked out this passageway and were rewarded with a pretty view at the far end.
Actually, there were pretty views everywhere in Seillans. That’s the door to Eglise Saint Leger, the village church, on the right.
Like I said, you can squeeze a car into town, but the buses have to park below.
Another wonderful narrow walkway.
Don’t change a thing. It’s perfect.
Heading back down from the village to the bus.
Now we’re in Fayence. It’s pretty as a postcard too.
I never get tired of lanes like this.
View down into the valley. The farthest away field on the left is part of the glider park.
Another view from the same spot.
I really liked this sculpture of a man walking a tightrope. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but the tightroper overhangs the lower level of the overlook.
Don’t change a thing.
I’m running out of adjectives.
We walked through the opening in the above photo and were rewarded with this.
Around every corner there’s a new view like this.
Hard to get a good shot of it, but this is the Fayence village church, Eglise St. Jean Baptiste.
Interior of the church.
We see bicyclists everywhere.
Getting ready to head back to the bus. A hotel over an archway.
And I finally found some lavender.
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