Do you know the way to St. Tropez? Kathy found a villa near St. Tropez that had a pool. The area reminded us of a warmer version of the Monterey Peninsula; same terrain, same landscape, ocean view, a cacophony of frogs croaking at night. Well, maybe Monterey doesn't have the frogs. Here's the view from the deck.
The villa was called "House of Frogs" but in French it sounds much more romantic. There was a mixture of rain and sun since it was the latter part of April, but the frogs didn't care! At night they were out with force, which was interesting because we were up in the hills. It was very special. Each room lead out onto the deck and a view of the bay of Saint Tropez.
The weather was warm enough during the week to be able to swim and lay in the sun. Voila, see the swimmer!
We expected St. Tropez to be a caricature of over built resorts. Alors! It is a quaint little tourist village that retains its charm and is really very unique. It is like Carmel but with sun and without steroids. The little harbor has a mixture of huge sailboats and yachts, but the preponderance of boats are dinghies and small fishing boats. Of course our boat would be a dinghy. Here's a shot of an art show on the docks.
And here is a shot of the bay of Saint Tropez with the alps in the background. Magnifique!
St. Tropez became a mecca for the post Impressionists and it has a wonderful little museum with some very cool artwork. The museum was basically empty and you could enjoy exquisite art without being jostled around. At the front door of the museum we were greeted by this sweet cat, guarding his owner's moto.
And inside we had a view of the bay...again!
At night the frogs would croak and fill the night air with their songs and the sky was clear so the stars were beautiful. We took some drives both directions along the coast to see the rest of the Cote de Azur, but each time when we returned to our villa, we were very happy to be there instead of in the more touristy places.
Another nearby town was Port Grimaud, which is where many wealthy people have second homes. It is a housing community on canals and feels a bit artificial. The public is allowed to walk along parts of the canals and there are restaurants and shops along them in some places.
One day there was a big flea market (Brocante sale) in the small town of Grimaud, which is inland about 15 minutes. It was a true French experience- out in a field, things on the ground, lots of good natured bargaining and no English. We actually found a couple of treasures!
The next day, we ventured out on a drive up to coast towards Cannes. The coast is rugged and beautiful. Until we got to Cannes, it was open and unpopulated. Here are a few shots.
Another day we drove towards Monaco but on the "middle road", which is high above the beach traffic, to enjoy the views. We stopped at a tiny town called Eze-Le-Village, which is perched up on top of a hill above the water. The town is a tourist destination but since we were there off season, it wasn't very crowded. At the very top of the hill in town, is a botanical garden full of blooming cactus and other plants. Trails wind around to the top with some of the most beautiful views of the ocean. We all agreed that it was the best thing we had seen yet. Here's a shot of a private garden that we could see from a road. There were all sorts of animal sculpures.
Here we are in the botanical garden.
One of the statues in the garden.
And the view from the top. Wow!
We also saw beautiful views of Monaco and Nice but when we tried to drive down into them, it was way too crowded. We all decided that we didn't really need big cities when we had our quiet villa to enjoy. So we took some quick pictures and headed home to the view and our frogs! Here's Monaco from above.
When it came time to check out we were all a little sad to say goodbye to “Villa La Grenouille” (the frog house as it is called!)
