Cows from Heaven

 Our fall trip got off to a wonderful start with a visit to our Swiss daughter and partner's home. It was a very short stay as the next day they took us into the Swiss Alps to the Alp Abzug festival in Prattigau (one of many in Switzerland), where it was time to celebrate the cows returning from their summer high Alpine pastures and back to the their cozy winter homes in the valley. The cows were decorated with flowers and wore large, noisy cowbells as they paraded along the town streets. Several thousand people ascended on the small village for the spectacle which also included local food, drink and music. We had an overnight stay nearby where our balcony had fabulous views of the Alps and the valley below us.

Saying goodbye, we left Basel and took several trains into France to the southern region where we rented a small house apartment in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer (Saint Cyr by the Sea), our base for the week. The Mediterranean seaside cities and towns we visited all had low 20's C temperatures so it was a nice introduction to the Cote d'Azur. Our French is slowly coming back to us and I have stopped responding in Spanish which we have used more often in the recent past. We have enjoyed many meals around the various harbourfronts, eating fresh seafood and watching the promenade activity from our table. Our day trips included visits to Cassis (busy marina area, even in October), Marseille (old port area, climb to Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde for great views), and Toulon (large harbourfront filled with restaurants, Hotel des Artes for some contemporary art).

Our hosts treated us very well, greeting us with local Provence wine and later homemade vegetable soup (au pistau), while also offering us use of their hot tub whenever we wanted. Saint Cyr turned out to be a terrific place to stay. Beyond the seaside walks we tripped over the popular 20th Alsatian Market festival where food and wine kept everyone in a good mood. It was a wonderful start to our French Riviera adventure and more lies ahead as today we moved east along the coast to Saint-Raphael which will be our next Cote d'Azur base.

Au revoir

The Alp Abzug festival we attended in Switzerland. With their large cowbells ringing, it became very obvious the next herd was right around the corner.

When the parade ended, the crowd moved from the streets to one of two food and drink areas where local musicians (under the tent) entertained those who wanted to listen.

The view from our balcony that our daughter booked for our overnight stay in the Swiss Alps. The base of a ski hill was right behind us, and was busy with mountain bikers using the snowless ski runs.

The marina in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer which had a population of 15K. There was a nice boardwalk that went all the way to the villages on either side of the town which we walked on different days. 

While out on a long walk one day I tripped over an annual festival in Saint Cyr celebrating food and drink from Alsace, a province in the NE of France. With almost every stall selling wine, beer or Alsatian food the audience was all in a good mood.

The Cassis harbour. Cassis is nicknamed the small Saint-Tropez and the seafront promenade was filled with people enjoying the seafood restaurants or just having drinks and observing the foot traffic and views.

The Grand Staircase outside of the Marseille Saint-Charles train station. The detailed sculpture work on the sides dates back to 1848.

A view of the Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde in the background overlooking the city of Marseille. Our workout for the day delivered a stunning interior of the church.

A view from the Basilica to some outer islands. The small island in the middle was a former fortress turned into a prison. In the Count of Monte Cristo, the prison was featured as the place where the Count spent 14 lonely years.

One of the many wall murals found in the artsy Le Panier neighbourhood of Marseilles. It is the oldest

 section of the city, first inhabited by the Greeks.

The lovely seaside promenade in Toulon with a statue letting everyone know on which side the water was.

While seated by the water in Toulon we both ordered mussels for lunch and each received a pot

 which had to contain at least 6 dozen fresh mussels. It took quite a while to consume them and we almost required a second bottle of wine to go with them.