Winter Blues.. and Greens!

January on the Côte d’Azur has proven to be mostly sunny and mild. Mornings and evenings can be a bit cold but there’s also a good stretch throughout day where temperatures hover between 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s certainly a departure from winter in New York, something I’ve always wished to hit the fast forward button on and re-emerge in spring. Well, here in the south of France true winter seems to be forgotten.

With some attractions still closed during the off-season (typically Jan-Feb), we’ve turned our attention to hiking, something we’ve grown to do more of and enjoy fondly in the past couple of years (due in part to the pandemic). Although we’ve done numerous coastal hikes and beach promenades as part of our year here, we recently started to look more inland or in the “backyard” of our town where the Massif des Maures mountain range is found. The range is about 35 miles long with the highest point at approximately 2,500 feet, and sits near the southern coastline overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The vegetation on the Massif remains quite verdant throughout the year giving the impression that summer reigns eternal on the Côte d’Azur.

Domaine du Rayol

The Mediterranean Gardens of Domaine du Rayol comprise an area of about 40 acres best described as a protected botanical garden and arboretum. Created over a century ago by Parisian businessman Alfred Theodore Courmes as part of his retirement home, the gardens are now a thriving environment for plants from all around the world organized into sections based on their origins (i.e. Australian Garden, California Garden, S. American Garden, etc). The grounds at Rayol overlook the Baie du Figuier (Fig tree Bay) and offer a beautiful panorama of the sea, combining the beauty of lush vegetation with the allure of the azure Mediterranean. Even in January the garden boasts lively pops of color, most notably the mimosa trees (or Acacias, originally from Australia), whose yellow puffy flowers draw hoards of busy bees to their sweet nectar. The little fliers were not the only ones to indulge in the local flavors, Brigitte and I lunched at the gardens and enjoyed a wellness forward meal including greens grown at Rayol.

Massif des Maures

With our girls now consistently at school full days, we’ve taken liberty to head for the hills and discover some of the Massif des Maures’ hiking trails that can take up to several hours to complete. So far we covered some of the shorter ones (2-3 hours each), which took us through vineyards, forests, scenic lookout points, and even Provence’s largest megalithic monument known as the Dolmen de Gaoutabry. The location and monument served as a burial ground for about 30+ individuals and dates to 2,800 – 2,000 BC. The site is also a point of interest for nearby schools and Olivia’s class had actually visited the dolmen this past fall. It was great to compare notes of our visits and hear what she learned about the site (in French of course).

The hikes on the Massif were a great way to be in nature, to see it, to hear its sounds, to feel its wind, to smell its fragrant flowers and herbs, and most of all appreciate how precious it is. Winter also seems to be a great time to hit the trails as summer can get pretty unbearable with its heat and its crowds.

Baou des Quatre Oures

On a recent visit to our friends Laetitia and Loïc in Toulon for a raclette lunch, it was only natural to plan a post-meal hike and burn off some of the rich calories. Toulon is surrounded by several mountains whose bald limestone peaks are visible from miles out, at times leaving one to wonder what it’s like up there. One of those peaks is the Baou de Quatre Oures (altitude 1,900 feet), and is only a 5 minute drive (to the hiking trail), from our friends’ house. With another beautiful sunny blue sky day in hand, we set out for the Baou together with our kids in tow. Although the actual peak may remain a mystery (we did not go all the way up), we did make it to a respectable altitude from which the views of Toulon by the sea and nearby sister mountain peaks painted a perfect backdrop to our afternoon. Luckily, we had saved the dessert for after the hike which gave us something to look forward to on the way back down.