Vignette – short description – anecdote – sketch – picture – story

Last time I visited Cassis was in 2020 when there was a partial lockdown. Due to the pandemic the town looked empty, closed restaurants and no visitors. It was a bit of an eerie atmosphere then. Today, life is quite normal, people look happy and even with plenty of visitors Cassis keeps that peaceful Calanques character.

The Calanques National Park lies between Marseille and Cassis with the latter having a climate that’s suitable for grape and olive cultivation. The surrounding vineyards and olive groves add to that Cassis charm. I was happy to see that the grapevines appeared quite healthy as there had been worries earlier about the frosty nights damaging the buds.

In the afternoon, I entered a kind of rural road that took me through Cassis’ enticing horticultural scenery. At some point I had the feeling I was getting lost but why not continuing as far as possible and walk back the same way. You always see things differently when you go back. This was a walk of surprises, of small farms in a diverse countryside.

End of April, very sunny, a refreshing soft wind and almost alone on my hike. There were municipal workers working on the road. Farmers working on the sprinkler systems. Preparations for the Summer. Then, it will be different here. Too warm for midday walks. I had come at the right time to Cassis, the beautiful, on the tail of Spring.

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