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Mediterranean Sea. A daily market, often
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La Bastide de Marie
packed with shouting vendors and customers, sells fresh fish and seafood, and regattas and competitions take place during the summer months. We come to shore after a two-hour-long boat ride, exploring the nooks and crannies around the coast with skipper Yannick Long, who is dressed in the typically Breton uniform of striped jumper, white shorts and boat shoes, accompanied by deeply tanned skin and perfectly windswept hair. PA PHOTO/D.ANDRE/B.TOUL
A former doctor of genetics who swapped the science lab for the sea in 2004, Yannick decided to train as a marine captain, after being around boats his whole life. “Having a boat and being at sea keeps me young,” he says, joking that he’s 75 (he looks at least 20 years younger). “I’ve now become a La Bastide de Marie
PA PHOTO/D.ANDRE/B.TOUL
PA PHOTO/OTCM/PASCAL MICALEF
PA PHOTO/OTCM
La crie rue vue du port
pirate – I grow my hair long and my uniform is
it is home to the International Centre of
shorts, jumper and shoes.”
Congress and is mostly used as an exhibition
A small wooden boat can be hired from €300
and convention centre, with shows and the
for a day, skippers included, while a bigger
annual arts event, Festival d’Avignon, taking
boat would cost around €1,500. During the
place in its gardens.
summer, the Calanques National Park is a
For a lovely spot of RnR, you can’t get more
popular attraction, with its hiking trails and
restful than La Bastide de Marie, which lies on
diving spots, and tourists falling in love with
the outskirts of Menerbes. A 45-minute drive
these stunning rocky ‘fjords’.
from Avignon, this converted 18th century
The city received a facelift for its 2013 accolade
farmhouse is in the heart of the Luberon National
and these new additions, including the
Park and vineyards. A family-owned boutique
pedestrianised Old Port, the Musee d’Histoire
hotel, which also includes a six-sleeper villa and a
(History Museum), contemporary art museum
gypsy-chic caravan for the true romantics, it’s
FRAC PACA (Fonds Regional d’Art Contemporain
ideally located for relaxing bicycle rides or languid
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur) and Les Terrasses
walks across the rolling countryside, with
du Port shopping centre, sit happily beside the
lavender fields, river and mountain backdrops,
older buildings like the Fort Saint-Jean, the pink
around the picturesque hilltop villages such as
stone Saint-Laurent Church and the City Hall.
Bonnieux, Lacoste and Goult.
There is enough to keep you occupied in
It’s easy to forget about the rest of the
Marseille, but for those who crave a bit of peace
world when you’re at La Bastide, with its
and calm, just a 45-minute train ride away from
rustically French interior and exposed
the city (and one stop on the Eurostar), is the
brickwork and beams, especially when you
historical city of Avignon. Referred to as the
climb into the clawed roll-top bath adorned
Pope’s Palace, the Palais des Papes was listed
with Pure Altitude beauty products or tuck
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. One
into the freshly cooked dishes.
of the largest and most important medieval
It’s hard to believe that this little gem is only
Gothic buildings in Europe, the papal residence
hours away from the bustling English capital
– which frames the town’s main square – was
of London. With an abundance of culture,
the seat of Western Christianity and was home
culinary delights and character in Provence,
to seven popes between 1307 and 1377. Today,
there’s never been a better time to visit.
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