Cassis

And let's be honest, almost every video or picture you see on social media of Provence shows it in the middle of the summer, but there is another side to it.

Regardless if you plan on exploring the inland Provence, places like Gordes or Aix-en-Provence, or staying at the coastal destination, places like Saint-Tropez or Cassis, the heat and humidity of July and August can make walking through the villages, exploring the open air markets absolutely exhausting, especially in the middle of the day.

And some of you might say, "Yes, Anastasia, but we are going to the coastal destination." So of course, you can cool off by the sea, but you have to remember you will be visiting in the peak of the summer.

That means the beaches will be very crowded, very crowded.

Finding a parking spot will be an adventure.

And all the best and most popular restaurants will be booked far, far in advance.

Last time Pierre and I were in Cassis in July, and by the way, if you haven't heard of Cassis, it's truly one of the most beautiful coastal towns in entire Provence.

And if you're listening to this podcast episode and thinking, "Hmm, I've never heard of Cassis," I have the entire guide on it, and I will make sure to leave it for you in the description down below.

We take after our betters if we can, the star navigator who points the way through the fading choir of celestial lights God only knows but for the baroque map of his devotions.

The rock composer Dennis Wilson had just died and I was in Cassis, France when I got a request to write a tribute to my kind and brilliant teacher, the poet Charles Wright, for a collection to be presented on his ninetieth birthday.

Everyone knows he is a master of dense imagery and inventive metaphor, the baroque line and eloping rhetorical sound.

Of course, I had to cite his faith and doubt, his high lonesome song of comfort and despair regarding Christian belief.