Tag Archives: Mediterranean Sea

Aug15

Two days of snorkeling in the Mediterranean

Posted on by
Standard

Monday and Tuesday, 15-July-2024 and 16-July-2024



I’m in the French Riviera, and I somehow haven’t really gone swimming yet.

I mean, I’ve dipped toes, and even whole legs, into the ocean. I dunked my head underwater at least once, too. ‘Till Monday, though, I never really went Swimming. I had three days left in Cassis, and that state of affairs had to be remedied.


Monday morning, after tracking down my now-traditional pastry-breakfast from my now traditional pastry-bakery, I slathered on some sunscreen and headed out toward Les Calanques. I procured a snorkel set along my way, and combined that with my already-held beach towel to create the ultimate Mediterranean adventure kit… along with a sandwich and my book, of course. And a full water bottle. And a cold soda.

The ultimate adventure kit has a lot of components, okay? My bag was heavy and bulky.



I’m not a strong swimmer, I freely admit this. I don’t really even like swimming, 90% of the time. I like being able to take breaks during my activities, to rest and appreciate the environment, and being underwater is distinctly inimical to taking a breather. Unless…

Unless I’ve got a snorkel kit on!


I arrived, staked out my spot on the cliffs, and braced myself for the plunge. One of the many upsides of being a rock climber is that I’m quite adept on the cliffs, and was able to quite easily pick out a simple and easy descent route from my spot into the water – one that’s end wasn’t too deep, had a lovely shelf for me to rest on… it was perfect, and soon enough I was slipping into the cool waters of the Mediterranean.

When my stepdad Steve first came out, he mentioned that these are the primordial waters of civilization. Xerxes, Alexander the Great, all the way back to the first civilizations in Jericho… these waters have a bit of history. It added a bit of mystique to the swim, I’ll freely admit.



And so, I swam.

I paddled around, after I got accustomed to the snorkel kit, and enjoyed my time in the embrace of the sea. I regulated my breathing, appreciated the sounds, and regularly kept an eye above water to make sure I didn’t mindlessly bonk into someone (or something) like a water zombie.

I saw some fish, lots of interesting rocks, and even some kelp fields. Interesting note – the way the kelp fields swayed in the tide got me super seasick… so those quickly became no-go zones for yours truly. Aside from them, though, I absolutely adored my adventures – Plage du Bestouan, Port Miou, both saw adventures on various days, and both gave me absolutely lovely opportunities to explore the aquatic world.

Next time, I think I’ll aim to schedule a SCUBA dive, and see what the bottom is all about… but for now, snorkeling was absolutely magical, and I’m so thankful that I got a few days to enjoy the embrace of these ancient and historic waters.


***Note: And yes, I did try to get some underwater photos while swimming. I used my backup camera, which was at one point waterproof. The lack of underwater photos in this post should give a hint as to whether or not it was still waterproof when I got out of the water… Which is to said, phone = dead, and photos = none. But hey – that’s the point of using the backup, right? Measured risks.

Aug13

Cap Canaille the second

Posted on by
Standard

Saturday, 13-July-2024


It was still a bit too early to head home, after our jaunt of wine tasting… but it was comfortably early enough in the day still, so we retraced our steps to Cap Canaille, though choosing to go clockwise around the meandering road instead of our previous counter-clockwise.

As before, the views were absolutely amazing – and well earned, after a day of Kayaking, wandering, and wine tasting.

I don’t have much to say about the drive, or really the wanderings around the various parking lots… instead, I’ll simply comment on the beautiful serenity of the escapade. It was the last full day of my Mom and Steve’s visit, the last day that I’d have familial company on my adventure. We’d made an excellent week of it, and I was (and still am) endlessly thankful that they were able to come out and join me. We’d gotten a lot done, while also relaxing quite a bit.

I, for one, wasn’t quite ready to see them go… and so I savored this last brief escapade together. I’d been rolling solo since Iceland, for just about two months, and had gotten quite adroit at enjoying the quiet of my own company without getting lonely… but, somehow, I was scared to be alone again after the inevitable departure from the airport after dropping them off.

I’d persevere, I know, but… still.

This last adventure drive was appreciated.

Aug12

Kayaking out to sea with my Mom!

Posted on by
Standard

Saturday, 13-July-2024


I went Kayaking!

I… Wow. I don’t know how long it’s been since I last went kayaking. Like… seriously, I used to go at least once or twice a week when I was in Boston, and that was only… yeah okay that was 9 years ago. I’ve probably gone a half-handful of times since. Wow.

Okay anyways I went kayaking with my Mommy! It was awesome! I only got a little seasick!



It was really fun, but also quite a bit more challenging than I expected, to be fully truthful. I hadn’t put on a full slathering of sunscreen, first off, which added a bit of anxiety into the mix… but the main challenge was that the Mediterranean isn’t quite as placid as the Charles River in Boston.

Who knew, right? Well… almost everyone knew. Probably. But that’s fine – we had a blast! We spent a quick hour or so on the water; trying to coordinate paddling, dodging yachts, and exploring around a neat spit that went near the Cassis Harbor. It was really fun, and I’d absolutely have loved to try it again if we’d had enough time (and sunscreen) ((and Dramamine)) (((And maybe a more comfortable seat))). But for now, I’ll put the adventure into my back pocket of options we can try out for the next time.