We are still a little stunned at the fact that we are in France.  Honestly, we never really thought that we would make it here this season.  When we talked to Juliana and Mike about hooking up with them, it was always somewhere else, either in Barcelona or Mallorca or wherever Zia happened to be.  This part of the Med is quite  intimidating, with a limited number of anchorages, very pricey marinas, and potentially nasty weather, which is why we had not really thought of coming here months ago when they were planning their vacation.  In the end, however, it proved easier for us to come to France than for them to come to us, so that is exactly what we did! 

St. Tropez is a fabulous little town.  We just missed Les Voiles de St-Tropez, a sailboat race full of REALLY NICE sailboats.  As we pulled into the bay, we saw half a dozen on their way home.  The flags fluttering off the sterns were mostly British and French, with a smattering of German and Swiss.  Our cruising guide had warned us about the crowds that can be expected during the race, so we were happy to have missed it.  In fact, this is the best time of the year to come to St-Tropez.   Most of the tourists have gone home and the rather small village is much more likely to enchant the visitor without the teaming hordes.  I must say, we are quite enchanted.  There isn't a ton to see in terms of museums and such, but for soaking up the French joie de vivre, this is the place!

Granted, it takes a small fortune to indulge yourself completely.  Everything is quite expensive in St-Tropez.  I'm sure the exchange rate of the US dollar doesn't help.  We haven't even considered doing any shopping in the fancy boutiques that line the streets of the town.  It is enough that we are back in $5 a beer territory, except it is actually 5 Euros a beer, which is more like six and a half dollars.  We are saving our fancy dinners for our time with Mike and Jules.  We had a great lunch at a Creperie right in the old harbor (where we discovered the price of beer), but otherwise have eaten on the boat.  We bought fresh merguez from a butcher shop we wandered by on Thursday.  Of course there was a bakery just a block away.  The little corner grocery had lettuce, wine, and artichokes.  What else could you ask for?  Friday, while we were watching the games of pétanque or boule in the Place des Lices, we came across a little store that sold rotisserie chicken, roast potatoes and garlic.  A little salad and baguette, et voile!  

The Museé de L'Annonciade, of which André Dunoyer de Segonzac was the first curator, is a marvelous collection of early 20th century, post-Impressionist paintings by artists whose names even I recognize: Seurat, Signac, Matisse, Bonnard.  La Citadelle is the centuries old fort that occupies the hill overlooking St-Tropez.  The artistic ambiance of the whole area is perpetuated by the collection of modern art that adorns selected nooks and crannies of the fortress grounds.  Although the views of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez are spectacular, the unusual artwork really made the uphill hike worthwhile.   

Aside from our daily jaunts into town, our mornings are spent on school lessons and "household" chores like cleaning things, fixing things, and meals.  We haven't had any big nights out on the town, but I'm sure we'll have a few once we hook up with Mike and Jules next week.  We are supposed to get a little more wind over the next couple of days.  We were thinking about heading a little further east towards Cannes, Juan Les Pins, and Nice.  Actually, our route is more northeast.  I bet you can guess which direction the wind is supposed to come from this weekend!