This weekend was Father’s Day. The girls and I got up early and prepared breakfast in bed for Marc. The girls made Marc an iced mocha served with fresh ‘tartines” (French bread with jam and butter) along with their Father’s Day cards. After breakfast and we sat around the breakfast table discussing what he would like to do on his special day. “How about we go to the Porquerolles?” he said. He didn’t need to ask twice. The Porquerolles or “Golden Islands” are located about an hour and a half from AIX off the coast of Toulon, accessible only by foot ferry. The island of Porquerolles is the most popular of the 3 islands. It has a charming historic village, superb beaches, vertical cliffs rising out of the turquoise sea and an abundant number of bike trails through pine and eucalyptus trees. There are no cars allowed on the island so it is a slice of paradise. Many tourists, like us, come only for the day. If you stay overnight, there are only 200 people remaining on the island due to limited overnight accommodation and no camping. People say the ambience at night is magical when the hordes of tourists leave on the last ferry and the local residents and few remaining visitors settle into the waterfront cafes and restaurants. Staying on the island is very expensive and requires early planning as the few hotels book up well in advance of the tourist season.
The girls, of course, were hoping for a Super Oasis Sunday with dad on Father’s Day. They were less then pleased with the change of plans and wanted to play Mine Craft instead of going sight seeing. We did our best to block out the wining, packed our suits and towels and headed to the bakery to get provision for our picnic lunch. We then headed toward Toulon while our girls complained and bickered in the back seat of the car, Happy Father’s Day 😉
When we arrived at the port, we were surprised by how quickly we got tickets and boarded the ferry. The peak season on the island is July-September so we were lucky to miss the large crowds. As soon as we boarded the boat, the girls forgot all about MineCraft. We headed out of Toulon and after a short 15 minute crossing we landed on Porquerolle. The island is tiny; 7km long and 3km wide. The main town, fronting the port, was built in the early 1800s. The island was purchased by the French government in the early 1970s and designated as a national park so the charm of the island and its natural beauty are protected. The only town is quite small and very charming. It boasts a large square and beautiful church, a cluster of shops and handful of cafes and restaurants with ocean views and large terraces. There are bike shops everywhere as the entire island is connected by bike trails.
As soon as we arrived, we headed into town to explore. Everyone was either on bikes or walking, dressed in casual beach attire. It felt like a tropical paradise. We ran into several families from our school that happened to be spending Father’s Day weekend together on the island. It turns out they were also heading to the same beach for a picnic. We agreed to meet up with the kids and headed to a bike shop to rent bikes. The girls had a great time biking on the trails. The island is quite flat, the distances are short and the paths are well maintained. It is very accessible for families.
The views were stunning. After a short 10-minute ride we arrived at the beach of “Notre Dame”. We parked and locked our bikes and headed down through the eucalyptus and pine trees to the crescent shaped white sand beach with turquoise water. It was nearly lunch so the timing was perfect. We walked down the beach to the far end, laid out our towels, went for a quick swim and polished off our sandwiches. A few moments later, 4 families from our school arrived supplying entertainment for our girls and rose wine for the adults. We had a lovely afternoon at the beach and enjoyed talking with the other families.
It was interesting to hear from the other moms about working life in France. They all agreed that finding salaried jobs in the south of France is very difficult due to high unemployment. They said the compensation in the south of France is about 1/3 of what they made in Paris (same cost of living). One mom shared with me that her husband recently took a job in London because he couldn’t find work near AIX. He will see his family on the weekends for the next year, then they will consider relocating. It was sobering. They also shared that once you reach 40 it is very hard to land employment at larger companies like Microsoft. The smaller local companies pay a lot less and are often only willing to take on “middle aged” workers as contractors. It made Marc and I very appreciative of the Seattle job market. The unemployment benefits in France are very generous (up to 2 years of pay at 60% of your salary) but it comes with 50% income tax and reluctance from employers to commit to salaried jobs because it is very hard to lay people off.
After enjoying the day at the beach we decided to explore some of the other bike trails. We made our way back to town and the girls stopped for Slurpees. The variety of flavors was quite impressive, including Red Bull. After our 3rd coffee we ventured out of town to the lighthouse. It was quite a ride for the kids given they were already tired from a full day in the sun. I heard that the lighthouse offered panoramic views of the island with a scenic hike and bike ride through palm trees. Unfortunately when we finally arrived the lighthouse was closed on Sundays. BUMMER! Luckily on the way to the lighthouse we stopped at a scenic windmill which was fun but at this point the kids were exhausted.
We made our way back to town, dropped off the bikes and caught the ferry back to Toulon. On our way back we decided to stop for dinner given the long drive and our hungry children. Marc looked online and we found a little ocean front restaurant called Le Pradeau Plage with great reviews. The location was very scenic, on the beach, down a private driveway. We had a delicious meal on the deck. It was a great end to a memorable Father’s day.
Our Year in Aix-en-Provence 