In La Garde

We spent the day in and around La Garde

Hanging out on the ground floor of the house 

We went to the coast, a 10 min drive, for a late AM coffee. Catherine brought her rainbow loom

Beachside cafe

Marina next to the beach

We stopped in a neighboring town to grab baguettes

And hang out in a shady playground

And have lunch at a creperie

After some down time at home, we hit the supermarche

It's just like any U.S. supermarket, except that the packages have different graphics

And the meat counter has whole, skinned rabbits (the eyes are freaky)

In the afternoon, Bee went to the beach with the boys and a group of their friends. Apparently the impending arrival of "the American girl" has generated much interest in the local teenage set.

Blake took Dave on a tour of "the rock", which is the church-topped granite hill that their neighborhood is built upon

The streets are very narrow and barely driveable. Blake and Annie's car has many scrapes down both sides, just something you accept if you live here.

I made a video of driving to and past their house:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKk6OcWoDWk

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/6Myhs

Map:

It's full of narrow, twisting, cobblestone streets that go up & down & every which way

But it also has several small public areas with trees and shrubs, This is my friend Blake, whose family graciously hosted us

Heading up thru pedestrian alleys

Enjoying the colors

One spot has a water fountain that people use to cool off on hot days (today is about 90)

Their cat, Loki, went with us the whole way!

At the top are a few really great viewing spots with a 360* command of the valley

After the walk we had some appetizers. The French eat dinner late, so they have bread & cheese & other morsels to tide themselves over. It's very relaxing

Bee got home at about 10:30, at which point we all drove 15 mins to Hyeres to see the crafts market and have a late snack. People are very late-shifted here

The market is a number of booths all along the marina waterfront. Jewelry, cloth goods, etc

A snack (at 11:30) at a street food place

Then home for bed at 12:30. The late nights and lazy mornings are very agreeable to Bee.