Dream Trip 2008: March

Great Travel Moment

It's winter. We are in Cassis, a small town on the Mediterranean coast. We wake up to a sunny day. Perfect for hiking the cliffs along the coast. Or is it? The locals have warned us about "le mistral," the wind so fierce, it's known to drive the people crazy. And it's blowing hard now, so hard that as we climb higher, I cling to trees and shout "I can't go on!" We turn back. Next day, it's as if nothing happened! A boat gently glides back into the fjord-like inlet (the Cassis "calanques"). The air feels warm, the sun is splendid. Did a wind just pound these cliffs a few hours back? Yes, it did. Ferocious, yes, but it cleared the sky and brought out the deep blue color of the sea. Beautiful to behold. On the day after.