South of France

Several weekends ago, I had a fantastic opportunity to travel to the south of France to enjoy the last bit of warm weather before the temperature dropped.  Having a weekend trip to go down to the beach is certainly a great way to prevent the onset of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) caused by the weather.  So on a Saturday morning, a group of us from my school loaded up the cars and headed towards Hyeres, France.  (It is pretty obvious that we are heading to a French beach when looking at the picture of the back of the car.) 

Hyeres, located along the Mediterranean Sea, happens to be the oldest resort along the French Riviera.  It was certainly an incredible place to stop to have a picnic lunch while gazing at all of the boats lined up along the waterway.  After finishing lunch, we traveled to a smaller beach that is extremely popular among wind-surfers.  Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to try it out.  (I suddenly picture my mother having a sigh of relief.)  But don’t worry!  I’ll return one day to experience it.  After finishing at the beach, we traveled to the campground where we spent the night.  It was certainly a great time having a barbecue, dancing to music, and playing pétanque.

The next morning, we left the campground and went to the docks to catch a ferry from the mainland of France to the island of Porquerolles.  The island is mostly a national park at the moment, but one is still able to find vineyards throughout the island that produce a wine known as vin des Côtes de Provence.  The island was absolutely beautiful with its coastline, beaches, mountains, and forests.  After the ferry ride, our group biked a short distance to a private beach.  We spent a good part of the afternoon playing volleyball, swimming, snorkeling, and having another great picnic lunch.  It was great to be able to get one last beach trip in before the month of October was over.

After the beach, we had the chance to go mountain biking and have some great views of the island.  It was certainly no easy task going up some parts of the incline.  However, the view was certainly worth the effort.  After a short rest, we traveled back to the port where we boarded the ferry to head back to the mainland and then head back to Lyon.  For just two days, it was certainly an incredible experience.  Now it’s time to get ready for the snow!