By the Beautiful Sea...

We got here safe and sound, and after some minor problems acquiring our car,(they did not have an automatic as ordered and we are out of the game for a manual with our left leg problems) we headed down to the coast in a fully loaded  baby BMW!! It can reach  speeds of 240km,which is not far off what they seem to drive along the Route de Soleil!!
We were off  to the Lavandou area, which is  close to Heyere, and not far from St. Tropez. Hyere has the most temperate climate  with the most sunny days, in Provence. We were pretty ragged by then and had some trouble finding the hotel,but it was all worth it in the end...room with ocean view and  patio, private beach on a big inlet, picturesque  little town(Calvaiere),full buffet breakfast(that was a pleasant surprise) which you could take  out to their  patio.  The ocean sounds were soothing and the  sky was Mediterranean  blue!!  The sea was very user friendly too..nice gradual slope and water temperature just right.
 Anything goes in beachwear..Lord help us, so I was right in fashion with my bathing suit which was 2 sizes too small this year..should have tried it on before leaving!! Mike was eagerly awaiting the topless parade but was sorely disappointed..no young stuff..but NUMEROUS ladies of a certain age letting it all hang out were in abundance. He is not wild about the heat and kept muttering.."we should have gone North." We would see them going up to the beach restaurants  to get a drink,wearing  their bikini bottoms. It seems once you leave the beach you sort of have to cover up, so they wear a bib affair..tied around their neck and  going down to their middle area..just hanging there...flip flop!! Doesn't cover much at all!! The beaches go along for miles, public as well as private,and we were surprised to learn there are 12 different kinds of sand..each beach different from the next.

 The coast drive was gorgeous, and in the evening as you strolled around,you could see  men of all ages playing the famous French game,boules, on the  courts every village has.
And to finish with a bit  of useless trivia, this  area grows a certain type of bamboo, parts of which are used to make the tongues of concert caliber clarinets..
So on to  Menerbes tomorrow..finally figured out the fancy built in GPS system!!
In case you are wondering..that beach picture really is an abstract..not the result of too much wine.