On the coast at Cassis

Left: view of Cassis from our table at lunch.

Today we drove to the quaint little fishing village of Cassis on the Mediterranean coast. It took less than forty minutes to get there and about two hours to find a parking place. (Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but not much.) It was fun to see -- today was market day, so there was plenty to look at -- and a beautiful day weather-wise.

Shortly after arriving I had to use the men’s room, which was located downstairs next to the beach. Upon walking down the steps I encountered an attendant who said something to me in French. I didn’t use my usual “Do you speak English” line, because I didn’t want to have a conversation with him, so I simply said “Oui. Oui.” Which, as it turns out, is exactly what I came to do.

I’ve heard people complain about attended rest rooms, but I think they’re wonderful. (Not that I’d necessarily want my kids to grow up aspiring to work in one.) They’re always very clean and have plenty of toilet paper, and of course they’re very safe. At 50¢, I think they’re an excellent value. I wouldn’t mind a seat on the toilet, however.

There, now. After that special little conversation about public rest rooms, lets go directly to a discussion of lunch, shall we?

Lunch today was right on the edge of the pier, in a cute little restaurant with white linen table cloths and napkins -- which isn’t at all unusual no matter where you go. The service turned out to be excellent, too, which isn’t necessarily always the case. Since we were in a fishing village we naturally wanted poisson -- fish -- which I ordered grilled. The first course, along with an appertif (Kir Royale) was a crisp green salad, and the main course -- my grilled fish -- came as ravioli. I didn’t care; it was delicious. I would have reported the error to the waiter, but I used up all my French in the bathroom.

We’re back in Aix now and we’ve just had our nap, so it’s time to start thinking about dinner. I love watching my weight!