Ça y est! Part 1 of our La Ciotat renovation ended this week! We've been busy tying up dozens of loose ends, so it was wonderful to get away from it all via a little boat ride up the coast! Read about a breathtaking petite escapade from La Ciotat to Cassis in today's column, below.
Today's word: caboter
: to navigate from port to port along the coast
Example Sentence, Audio File read by Jean-Marc
Click here to listen to the soundfile
Dimanche nous avons caboté dans les anses de La Ciotat jusqu'à Cassis.
Sunday, we navigated along the little coves from La Ciotat to Cassis
The book Pronounce it Perfectly in French emphasizes speaking, sound discrimination, and standard intonation patterns that are typical of native French speakers. Order here.
Autumn excursion in France, especially for women – "Women in Burgundy: Life, Laughter, and the French Paradox” October 18 to 27, 2018 – includes two nights in Paris. Click HERE for details.
A Black Eye, A Boat, and delicious Boquerones!
Jean-Marc got a pretty good deal when he rented us a little boat from that guy with the black eye. The pleasure craft was a semi-rigide or bâteau pneumatic, as seen in the opening photo to this post. If only you could see the type who rented it to us. Had he gotten into a fist fight or bar-room brawl last night?
"Normally, I rent out my boat for full-day only," our lanky loueur explained, as we stood at the new port in La Ciotat, right across the street from the historic Éden-Théâtre. (La Ciotat is the birthplace of film. The guy handing us our clés de bâteau could've been a young Al Pacino…) "I was able to make an exception, this time, and rent it to you for only a half a day, he said, because my girlfriend gets off work at noon, and, as her husband is watching the kids today, I'm taking her out for un petit tour de bâteau…."
So that's how he must've gotten his shiner, his oeil au beurre noir! And how we got a smokin' deal on our little boat–ours for 3 full hours, which began near Parc du Mugel and ended in Cassis with the most delicious lunch in the whole wide world: a simple baguette-and-sardines sandwich which we ate on our boat which anchored in a turquoise blue calanque.
I recounted the coastal adventure–especially the delectable picnique sur le bâteau–to my mom, in Mexico. Reliving our cruise vicariously on the other end of the telephone line, Mom explained just why that sardine sandwich tasted so darn good. I cannot remember exactly Mom's poetic words, but poetry had something to do with the experience: It's the salty air, the sea's mist, the atmosphere, Mom said. The senses are heightened along the Mediterranean coast.
Everything must taste better when you are relaxed and dépaysé, or "in a change of place." (Some would say everything tastes better in France!) I leave you with pictures of our little périple across the coast.
P.S. Those delicious "sardines" were actually boquerones–or anchovies in vinegar and olive oil. Jean-Marc sells them in the Marseille wine shop where he works, but you can find them online, here. Whatever you do, don't leave any oil/vinegar in the package–soak everything up with the rest of the baguette. C'est une tuerie! It's to die for! …Which brings us back to where we began–and the guy with the black eye. He's anxious to retrieve his boat as he's got a hot date. Mais gare au mari! (Watch out for the husband!!)
FRENCH VOCABULARY REVIEW
le type = guy, bloke
loueur = one who rents out (apartment, boat…
la clé = key
le bâteau = boat
un oeil de beurre noir = black eye
la calanque = rocky inlet or creek along the coastline
boquerones = fresh anchovies
un périple = a little journey
une tuerie = to die for
gare à, gare au = watch out for
le mari = husband
Paddleboarders approaching une grotte, or cave.
Paddle boarder heading toward the beach at the popular Figuerolles calanque
Our little boat arriving going past Cassis and some ruins along the coast. We passed a lot of kayakers, too.
Never without my hat, after a couple bouts with carcinoma. If you haven't read my story, here's motivation to wear a hat!
Returning to the famous La Ciotat shipyards, where yachts are now serviced (before, in times past, this was an industrial port)
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An interesting story, but please can you correct ‘nous avons caboter’? (What is needed is to take the ‘r’ off and put an acute accent on the ‘e’. The pronunciation, of course, is identical.)
Wonderful story. Should be visiting La Ciotat soon and perhaps meet you there. Happy Spring
Christine
Ateliervenus@gmail.com
Kristi, with the motion of your feet underwater, you look like a real life mermaid in that photo! Thanks for sharing this delightful day.
What a glorious day!
So pretty!
Hi Kristi,
Looks beautiful! What a nice day!
Beautiful photos – merci!
In a small boat, among les calanques, with one you love, anything at all would be the best lunch in the whole wide world. It’s one of the most beautiful parts of France, maybe the whole wide world!
Ta mère a raison – the senses are heightened along the Mediterranean coast! What a lovely way to start my day – je rêve de la Côte d’Azur ♥
Mm mm You made me hungry for that sandwich!
Ah, I’d seen that as well. Past participle.
Cabotage is what Air France used to call the transportation of island-hopping clients in the South Pacific, as opposed to long-haul customers from the European or American mainland.
You make me want to come back to La Ciotat and find that boat. Quelle joie!
What is the temperature of the water at this time of year?
Jean-Marc says it is 16 degrees celcius (60F). It’s cold, but tolerable.
A, Thank you for catching that one. I have updated the blog.
Love it! JM calls me his petite sirene!
Enjoyed your post as always, my friend and I are planning to visit the area in September. We are celebrating our 60th birthdays. I was thinking of renting Kayaks from Cassis to visit one or more of the Calanques are they pretty close for a nice afternoon paddle? Maybe we could meet up for a visit while we are there. I can’t wait to see some before and after pictures of your renovation.
Our dear Kristi,
What a wonderful getaway post today!
Really beautiful pictures,most especially including you,who have a smile that lights us all up!
And so glad to know your home renovations are progressing!!
Love
Natalia XO
Chère Kristi, Merci beaucoup pour les très belles images de la côte. Comme c’est un paysage accident avec les falaises calcaires. Les plages, sont-elles rares? Mais l’eau est bien transparent et l’atmosphère est pure. Bonne santé!
Beau printemps!
Joanne en N. J.
You look so peaceful in the frigid water. Good for you to be able to tolerate the cold. Lovely story. Did you bring the lunch or buy it?
I really need to get back to France and especially to Provence.. I am having withdrawal, although I really want to go to Brittany. Not exactly Provence.
Enjoy your “new” house..well renovated.
Kathleen
What a lovely getaway you and JM have enjoyed! The water temperature is probably about the same as it is here now, except it’s springtime chez Vous and here it will be winter soon. 🙂 You lunch also sounds wonderful. I love homemade packed picnics and agree that everything tastes so much better outside in the fresh air. We have just returned from a few days’ holiday and while away, I packed out lunch picnics every day. We enjoyed our sandwiches in a macadamia orchard, as well as on a bench overlooking a beautiful beach.
The water looks DELICIOUS to swim in!
Oh to be in that boat with the two of you, baguettes and the anchovies. Sounds fabulous. What are the ruins outside of Cassis harbor? Looks interesting.
I tried to post this. Not sure it made it to you?
I love love love your postings! Thank you.
This especially was very moving to me – and so very true as I recall – but your words are truly special and indeed poetic:
“I cannot remember exactly Mom’s poetic words, but poetry had something to do with the experience: It’s the salty air, the sea’s mist, the atmosphere, Mom said. The senses are heightened along the Mediterranean coast.”
Thank you as alwys for sharing.
Jean
Yes, the calanque En-Vau, where Kristi was swimming, is within 45 mins of the kayak rental in Cassis. Boats with motors aren’t allowed to go all the way to the beach but kayaks can.
Another little correction:
Louer is the verb.
Loueur is the noun.
🙂
Thanks, Jacqueline. Off to fix this now…