Our France Vacation 2015 - Bandol Again!!!: Fete de Musique

June 21st is Fete de Musique all across France. Each town has their own version of the celebration and we have seen advertisements everywhere we have gone. There will be various concerts and stages throughout Bandol. We decide to get up and walk around town to take it all in. But it appears that not much happens until the evening. So we entertain ourselves with the everyday lifestyle.

First stop is of course the carousel. Why not? Right next to the carousel they are setting up the morning fresh catch for sale. Too bad we don't have a grill as this is the most amazing looking seafood.

Fresh catch of the day right in the marina next to the carousel.

Best way to start the day with a carousel ride

After a few spins on the carousel we headed over to the Bandol Casino. Chances are that it won't be a pretty scene this early in the morning but at least we can say we were there. The problem with our plan was the fact that our lovely 5 year old isn't allowed in and Steve didn't have his passport on him and therefore wasn't allowed entrance. Maybe there will be another time. I can only imagine what this seaside Casino has to offer.

Oops, you need a passport to get into the Bandol Casino. Maybe another time we can win this Citroen.

Waiting outside the Bandol Casino for Daddy

We walked back over to the local square for a cafe and a little breakfast. Of course London wasn't shy to have an eclair for breakfast. I guess it's better than a US doughnut!

Lots of stages of all shapes and sizes are being set up throughout Bandol which is fun to watch. They even brought in a crazy ride and churro stand over by the marina. Should be a fun day.

Morning Breakfast of Champions....Vanilla Eclair

Our walk around town brought us back to the Palmiers establishment where we had our first glass of rose on our check-in day just a few weeks ago. They were hosting a huge Boules tournament. This seems like a great stop for a glass of rose and observing. This is quite the serious game. It is fun to see how seriously they play this game. But then we realized this game had higher stakes - it was an organized tournament for cash!

Dancing in the Boules tent

The suspense is climbing and the players are analyzing every move

It's a close game...????

French Allen

Wait a minute....is that Little Steven from the E Street Band playing Boules?

Little Steven is quite the Boule player

Little Steven planning his next move

Watching the Boules Tournament

Ice Cream makes every day better

Once we were done with the Boules Tournament we headed back to the apartment for a nap. (That's the effect of rose wine in the afternoon). Refreshed and ready for the music we head out around 6:30-7 pm to see what's going on around Bandol. We come across stages with live performers of all levels of talent. Some are quite nice and some are treating this as a karaoke contest. Regardless, so far all the music is in English which Steve is enjoying.

Crowds are gathering and the music is starting

Getting the music started for the evening with little dancers

On the way to our dinner reservation we pass a church with these beautiful steps leading up to the front door. I am excited to take some photos but my little 'muse' isn't the most cooperative. But I think the music gets her going and she flashes a smile or two (finally) toward the camera.

Sassy girl

Why isn't she smiling???

Seriously, Please sit still and smile!

That's better! This is the photo I wanted. My love!

Now on to our dinner reservation! We made reservations at one of the highly rated restaurants in Bandol - L'Atelier de Gout. This was one of our most enjoyable dinners so far. We had the luxury of a 3+ hour dinner with bands surrounding us playing all sorts of classic rock. Steve was in heaven. It was almost like being at our house for dinner - many courses of food and lots of random music!

Pretty girl while daddy reviews the aperitif menu

That will be lovely Steve. Any 'Coupe de Champagne' will do!

Plat du Jour - Lamb with Zucchini
This was a pretty amazing dinner for this lucky little girl and she ate every bite!

This is the best 'sugar display' that has ever been brought out with the cafe. It took a lot of convincing to get London to not eat all the 's'mores.'

Once we finished dinner we headed out into Bandol to take in the Fete de Musique. Seriously there were performers on every corner from every genre. We saw breakdancing, French Elvis, Karoke - you name it. It was the most energy we have seen in this town and probably the latest we have been up in this town. But it was hard to 'turn in' with all the excitement around town. We just walked along the marina and enjoyed the people watching, music and of course the carousel (again)!

What a great day in Bandol! We are so blessed!