Marseille is a place I've never fancied visiting but nearby Cassis and La Ciotat are (or were) quite pleasant in 1977.

That's interesting Islay and we have to admit to avoiding visiting the place previously. A very exciting city though and glad we did it.

We think that in this instance it was a street market being taken down as some traders were still active. That's not to say that their stock didn't lived in a container only 24 hours earlier.

There was one guy strapping 4 new tyres (maybe with wheels attached) onto the roof of his car. Also there were some strange items left at the roadside like hifi speakers and bedroom mirrors along with loads of fruit especially bananas.

The thing that most frightened us was the amount of youngsters using these electric stand on scooters and going at one hell of a pace. Some were even two or three up. There as one young lady with a long beautiful flowing dress, riding down a bus lane oblivious that there was a 50 seater bus following her. The bus had to cross the large bump along the road that separates the bus lane from other traffic and drive around her. She didn't flinch.

Randa

Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #91

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Marseille is a place I've never fancied visiting but nearby Cassis and La Ciotat are (or were) quite pleasant in 1977.

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Hi Mick. No we didn't have to declare where we were going after we landed at Dieppe. The cat did though (seriously).
Randa

It ain't 'arf hot Mum. The past two days have been around 30 degrees.

We had look around the little town of Trets yesterday. What a smashing place. We weren't struck on St-Maxim-la-Ste-Baume though.

Today we decided to drive into Aix-en-Provence because we couldn't remember much about it during our last visit. Little wonder too because it is a nightmare of a place to get around. We eventually found an underground car park near to the centre and Tourist Information Centre so had a look around for about an hour. A pleasant enough place with the traditional barro streets and the market stalls. One buying and selling violins. never seen that before.

Then, armed with the correct information, we decided to drive just north out of town to see Paul Cezanne's Family home (Mansion?). That's the one thing we did see the last time we visited. Alas, this time we just couldn't get near the place and stop although we had the satnavs going. Eventually, very hot and bad tempered, we gave up. Evidently it's closed until next year for refurbishment.

If you look at Aix on the map it is the crossroads to and from everywhere in the South East of France so every road we tried to take going east eventually took us back into town. Arggg In the end we had to resort to the motorway and even then we went the wrong way for one junction.

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Tomorrow we move on.

Randa

Wednesday 18th May

The last campsite was very nice and the people were welcoming. Madam was so taken by our Eriba poptop lights that she took her own photographs of it to use in her advertising. The campsite wasn't really "us". I think we liked the Pont du Gard site so much that going back to a normal regimented campsite was difficult.

Therefore we moved on today as we are already 5 days behind schedule and are now at the Village of Visan about 10 kms north of Vaison-la-Romaine, an area we really like. The campsite is Camping de L'Herein ACSI 2218 and is a lot more rustic than the last one.

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Large spacious pitches with plenty of shade. We need it as the temperature is over 30 degrees. The reception closes for 3 1/2 hours at midday but they request that people choose a pitch when they are closed and go back later. I wish ACSI would ask campsites to give an indication as to when the Reception is closed or not. It'd save a lot of worry when we are travelling between campsites.

This campsite is part of a fruit farm and costs 16 euros per night, free wifi, a lovely cool swimming pool (been in already), a bar and a small shop selling fruit and veg off the farm. So far we like it a lot.

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Isn't it a fact that the more camping one does the more experience we should gain. What have we just gone and done? To get the best shade we looked for a good thick tree in full leaf knowing that as the day passes the more shade we'll get. We've only gone and parked under a Mulberry tree. We did the same ONCE ONLY, several years ago and came away with an Eriba and awning full of wine coloured spots arggg

Randa

Been to that site at least twice, Roger. Very pleasant site owners, if I remember correctly.

Nice one When we were last in Vaison we stayed in a non ACSI site at the top of the hill above the city. Lovely site, warm weather by day but cold at night. Well it was early April after all. Great view of Mount Ventoux which was snow covered and we had a great snowball fight near the summit.
I seem to remember that there was a Roman themed campsite below the city.

This is not the site where you got shot is it Brian? That was further up country I think.
Randa

The attempted Caldercide was at another site, Roger. We had a great day out at the Ardeche Gorges while staying at Visan.

Hey man. We hope you are planning this year's trip as over the years there has nothing to compete with the excitement of your trips including your near assasination. Get the old map out and start planning now.
You know it makes sense. 😂
Randa

Oh dear, what a shame. This campsite has blotted it's copy book as far as we are concerned.

Yesterday, after a great reception and an enjoyable early afternoon, a dusty grey gorilla jumped on what we first thought was a motor mower and proceeded to drive all over the camp kicking up dust storms wherever he went. Ear protectors on but no dust mask, he was oblivious to the noise and mess he was making and it appeared that he was mowing the roadways as well as the pitches.

It turned out to be, we think, a sort of a road sweeper but with a brush cutter included and he was doing this from about 3:30pm until 8:00pm. OK, we arrived on a bad day. Today, we decided to have a day on the campsite catching up with a lot of bedding and clothes washing so fed the washing machine twice at 4 euros 50 a go.

Would you believe it, at precisely 3:00 pm the grey gorilla and infernal dust maker came around again and proceeded to cut the emplacement immediately behind ours. We attacked him from both directions pointing out that we had clean clothes drying and his dust storm was enveloping our pitch. He acted dumb, couldn't understand our basic French and with the typical hunch of the shoulders, carried on.

I went up to reception to complain and the lovely lady explained that it had to be done every day. What, sweep the campsite ever day? Yes she said, it must be kept clean. What about people's washing, what about people's relaxation? I explained that we had a full line of washing out and her reply was that you must take it in before he starts.

This is bloody ridiculous and we have never heard of or seen this in all our years of camping in warm climates. However, soon after our complaint today, he stopped so perhaps they've got the message.

On the subject of the Isabella 360 Shadow, we are chuffed to bits with the way it is performing and the added extension bits to increase the width and shade/shelter are really working well.

Here are a few photos when the extra bits are installed and when we folded it back after the sun had passed overhead.

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Randa