Porquorelles April 2

Well, while I'm here in the south of France, soaking up the joys of living in a small Provencal village, it occurred to me that I'd better have a look at the Mediterranean Sea before my departure for the north.  A local friend of my hosts suggested a trip to Hyeres and the islands just off the coast, so off I went. 

My first trial was getting there.  Although it is strictly south of Cotignac, just stop at the water, getting anywhere in France can be a bit of an ordeal.  There are more roads that are not on the map than are on the map and the signage is strictly ruled by opinion and who knows who's opinion at that.  At first I'm always in the mood for adventure, but the reality of sharing hairpin turns in mountanous terrain with sixteen wheelers in the on-coming lane, can turn adventure into white knuckles and shot nerves in short order.  Such was my trip south.  Unfortunately most road maps are only in two dimensions, the third dimension being something of a postscript and left to the imagination.  I have to say that I see a lot of what my compatriots who take the autoroute miss along the way and have a richer, more rewarding experience, but I may be saying that to make myself feel better for the most part while I steady my nerves with that second glass of rose.

I arrived in Hyeres and headed for La Tour Fondue where the ferry leaves for Porquorelles, the island which sounded best for my daytrip, a quick 20 minute passenger ferry trip to an island where there are pleasant beaches within reasonable walking distance, a number of services, and very few cars.  My advice to you more organized folks is to check out the ferry schedule.  Even though the ferry is only 20 minutes, it leaves only every 2-3 hours.  I was in for a two hour wait. I had already secured great street parking so decided to spend my time walking about the shoreline and then enjoy a leisurely lunch (something the French really do well) which was later interrupted by a group of Italian tourists who came to share my table about halfway through my meal. 

The day was sunny and a bit chilly, but not bitingly cold.  I had my hat, skarf, and gloves just in case.  The ferry had a lower enclosed area, but I chose the upper more open-air experience.  Arriving in Porquorelles, the name of the town and the name of the island, I acquired a map of the walks around the island and headed off for the beach.  The last ferry would be leaving at 5:30 PM, so I needed to make the most of my time to keep from being stranded until the next day.  Fortunately, once just outside the "commercial" area, the island took on a lazy tropical air that made me think of Cuba.

The walk to the beach was a perfect distance.  The rest of the way was only other walkers, bicyclists, and a few strangely hybrid golf carts, specially permitted for use on the island.  I was surprised at the number of people carrying on animated conversations on their cell phones in this island paradise; perhaps there should be a special permit for those too.

The beach was covered in a thick layer of palm tree debris which cushioned each step but left you feeling like you might just sink further at some point. However, that did not happen and the day warmed up.  A few people were brave enough to get into the amazingly clear water.

On the way back, I tried out the lavendar ice cream and tried to find a T-shirt or other souvenir, but locals could use some basic lessons in capitalism, or perhaps they like it that way.  All in all a successful trip to a Mediterranean paradise.