Back to Revisit Cassis

It's been two years since we visited Cassis and considering that it is only 20 minutes from Bandol, we decided to head over. Steve has been talking about the Soupe de Poisson and its a rainy day. Seems perfect. When we arrive we were delighted to discover a brand new parking garage. Most of the problem for visiting Cassis was the parking but not anymore. We were able to park very close to town and avoid the steep climb to and from our car.

Somehow we happened to arrive on market day in Cassis. I'm finally starting to realize that if you have seen one market day you have seen them all. Same items, same vendors, every market, every town. But still we walked through the market before heading to the beach/marina.

It's amazing how everything is exactly as we remember it. Still picturesque, same Calanque boat tours, same restaurants and even the same bracelet vendor with dolphin bracelets. She is located in the exact same place as two years ago. It was a day of reminiscing about our first visit to Cassis. We were celebrating Kimberly's birthday and other than the rough Calanque boat tour, it was quite the happy memory.

We really enjoyed spending time back in Cassis. It was fun to watch the storm roll in over the marina. Fortunately we were tucked under an umbrella in our favorite restaurant so we stayed warm and dry.

Steve checking out the Calanque Boat Tour - He won't be able to talk us into that again! In fact, he is 'warning' passengers who are about to head out on their tour. He is advising them to reconsider. Pretty Funny - I was ready to be asked to leave as Steve is disrupting their business. ;->

London says she remembers that boat ride and DOESN'T want to do it again!

Storm rolling in over Cassis

Here she is! London's favorite bracelet lady. Two years ago Grammy bought London a dolphin bracelet that she didn't take off the whole trip until it was officially worn out. This year London got a replacement dolphin bracelet. We will seen how long this one lasts.

Excited little girl. The lady is sizing the bracelet for just the perfect fit.

Steve reenacting his grumpy moments from our last trip. He was ready for lunch and he had 6 women shopping and eating ice cream. I remember this exact pose when he was watching us goof off in Cassis 2 years ago. Haha! What a sense of humor. Of course he doesn't remember it quite the same.

Almost ready, just a little more sizing on the bracelet

Ta Da!!! Quite Beautiful

Smile

Sweet London & Daddy Photo

We discovered some alleys of back in the hills of Cassis that we hadn't visited before. They were more shops and touristy items, but still fun to walk through. There was a great view of the castle on top of the hill overlooking Cassis.

Look who's ready for lunch!

Kimberly....Where are you?? Your birthday magnum(s) are still available on the wine list.

Magnum of Rose Anyone???

London was concerned about the storm coming in but I think it just gave her an excuse to get out of her chair and check it out. Sitting through a French lunch is getting to be a difficult request.

Une petite bouteille of Kimberly's Birthday Wine

Here's the Fish Soup that Steve has been wanting. I hope he is hungry, that is quite a vat of soup!

Gambas anyone??? I think London thinks this is a friend of Ariel's.

The rain is coming in! Good think I had a scarf for London to use. She was convinced she was getting wet despite the umbrella over her head. Plus I'm sure it kept her a little warm as the temperatures dropped with the rain.

Rainy day in Cassis

Lunch entertainment

More food - our catch of the day

Lunch isn't complete without dessert!

After the rain stopped and we got back to our car in Cassis, we headed toward Domaine Ott to try some of their wine and see the estate. We learned quite a bit about this wine. We didn't realize that there are in fact two types of Domaine Ott. They are in the exact same bottles and look identical except that one is Cotes de Provence and the other is from Bandol. I will be so curious to see which one is available in Dallas when we return. They are both lovely wines but just different enough. Funny that we have ordered this at home and we didn't ever realize what we were drinking.

It was also a pleasant surprise to discover their red wine. It was just my style on a lighter note. I certainly hope we can find the red wine at home too!

Entrance to Domaine Ott

London at another wine tasting. She has such patience!

We found the Koi pond! Seems every wine estate here has a Koi pond.

Ms Determined to have a fish when we get home. Hmmmm

Beautiful views at Domaine Ott

When we arrived back in Bandol we walked around town to discover the alleys of Bandol. We have had a lot of luck with the restaurants off the tourist trap that we wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything else. We passed by the Moroccan restaurant that is listed as one of the top places to eat on Tripadvisor. So we decided to give it a try and I am certainly glad that we did!!

La Marrakech is simply the best food and owner and I hope we will come back before we leave. It is a one man show therefore you must have patience to eat here as he is doing everything solo. He greets and seats us and delivers our drinks and the most amazing lentil appetizer. Even London couldn't get enough! Then he recommends that we share two plates for the table. Of course we are following his lead and are glad we did. Lamb, Merguez, Meatballs all accompanied with the Cous Cous and the most wonderfully flavored vegetables. I am not sure what London enjoyed more, the lamb or the cous cous & vegetables. This dinner was the most unique and delightful experiences yet.