Wednesday 2 November 2022

Cassis Beach

Wednesday 29 August 2007. We are in the French Riviera town of Cassis and after walking around the harbour with its pastel houses, colourful boats and Gallic atmosphere we set out to walk to the beach.

Cassis beach was a clean sandy beach and from the looks of the lines running across it, it had been raked or smoothed out by a tractor. A row of buoys marked out a safe bathing area and there was a row of towels, beach umbrellas and sunbeds, with an equal number of people either under them or lying on them. Well... under the umbrellas and lying on the towels or sunbeds. We didn't see anyone lying on top of an umbrella...

It wasn't gorgeously sunny, but it was bright and it was very warm, well up in the 30s and certainly enough for us to look for somewhere to sit for a while in the shade with a long cool drink. We found this place, a small cafe sitting on the beach by the harbour and we ordered a drink and settled down for a while to watch the total lack of interest in the row of pedallo boats lined up along the sea's edge. We lingered for a while and then decided to use the loo before moving on. There were two wooden doors marked "Privé" and two rather large keys hanging on the wall outside. A chap from our coach had taken key No.1 so Fran therefore took key No.2. "Non! Non! Les Hommes en deux!" came a cry from the cafe.
"He wants us to swap," said Fran. So they did. However they didn't swap keys and these were needed to lock the doors from inside! "I had to sit stretched out holding the door shut!" Fran complained.

I found out later why men had to use No.2. It had a hole in the ground and a porcelain surround with two places for your feet. Ugh! But someone might have piddled over those little raised platforms! I stood behind the porcelain and piddled over them myself, feeling vindicated when the flush failed to wash over the foot platforms...

Return to Mediterranean Explorer Cruise, 2007 Index

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