Îles du Frioul

Cati, my house mother of sorts, recommended I visit her absolute favorite place on Earth - the islands of Frioul. Besides African dance and history (she also works as a tour guide), boating is her life love and whenever she gets the chance, she takes out her petit bateau to the Îles du Frioul for the day. So on my last day in Marseille, the weather was perfectly toasty and I took off to Frioul - just off the coast of Marseille. 

 Twenty minutes later, I was strolling down the only downtown-esque street on the main island, making my way past seafood restaurants, cafés, and gift shops to the Frioul hills. Turns out that these islands are perfect to hike and then take a dip in the Mediterranean sea - but preferably in the summer when the water isn't freezing. 



The views, the flora, the water, the sunshine...were incredible!

  It was a whopping 25 degrees Celsius and sunny as can be that I got my first sunburn of the year! (Many more to come, I'm sure...)
But it was certainly worth it - to finally not be landlocked as in Colorado and in Moscow. 
As for the heat, it was bearable because the breeze from the sea mellowed it out. In fact, it was surprisingly windy on the peaks of the hills.

And I touched the Mediterranean! Though the water wasn't warm enough to swim in, it was very refreshing and yes I tasted it - deliciously salty, just like the Mediterranean should be. The water was clear and crisp, beaconing me to swim in it, but it was much too cold. Guess I'll have to come back in the summer!! ;)

 Very unique flora on the island was unlike anything I have seen. Very lush but dry at the same time, and these flowers reminded me of cacti. With the background of the marine blue sea, I thought this was a wonderful picture to summarize the Îles of Frioul. 

 For lunch, I had my first seafood in France at one of the cute seaside restaurants on the island. The bouillabaisse is the classic Marseillaise dish, composed of every single kind of sea creature in town, but it is also very expensive - something to order for an entire family dinner. So instead, I had the fish soup served with shredded cheese, toast, and some sort of mayo spread. Absolutely mouthwatering! 

I spent the entire day at Frioul, and as I was walking back to the house, I saw this (on the left) posted up on the wall of a building. 'Souriez' means 'smile'. Just thought it was a cute and funny picture. 

I also stopped in a boulangerie and bought the most delicious loaf of olive bread I have ever tasted. And I'm not a big fan of olives, but when there are whole, real, savory olives poking out the crispy crust and mixed in with the warm, soft center, anyone will become a fan of olives right then and there. 

As a whole, Marseille is a wonderful place - the people, the food, the culture, the sea are all splendid and warm. I'm sad that my trip has come to a close, but it couldn't have ended on a better note. 


Á bientôt, la France! Until next time!