The Beautiful Calanques of Marseille
May 30th 2006 23:00
Bonjour tout le monde!
(Hey guys.)
Does anyone know what a “calanque” is? When I was doing my research for yesterday’s post, I came across the term and a link to another part of the site. Intrigued, I decided to click and find out. So, I’m sure you can guess the subject for today’s post.
A “calanque” (according to Wikipedia) is “a geologic formation in the form of a deep valley with steep sides and a part submerged by the sea.” The best known examples of les Calanques can be found along a 20 kilometre stretch of coast line between Marseille and Cassis and are called les Massifs des Calanques.
This is a Calanque: the Calanque de Sugiton (from wikipedia.org) Can you see the tourist boat in the pic?
Believe it or not, a calanque is the remains of mouths to ancient rivers, over which glaciers flowed, deepening the valley and moulding them into their distinct shape. There are other examples of calanques near Estérel on the French Riviera and Brittany in the north of France. In each of these different areas, the calanques have distinct geological properties. The calanques near Marseille are made from limestone, while those closer to Cassis are much older.
These huge and majestic rocks support entire ecosystems on their own. It’s very unique because obviously there’s no soil on the rock, so instead they become covered in little shrubs. They are also home to rabbits, foxes, a species of sea eagle and other little creatures.
This taken from the look out at the Sugiton Calanque. Look at the difference in colour between the two rock types. (from wikipedia.org)
This place is really popular with tourists because of the spectacular panoramic views down into the valleys and across the ocean. There are some great hiking tracks which can be found scattered throughout the calanques. Walking through those hills would be a great work out and something nice and relaxing to do. Just make sure you stick to the marked tracks!! There are several vantage points to get those great holiday snaps as well.
If you’re not up for walking around, there are tourist boats which weave in and out of les calanques for an entirely different perspective!!
Unfortunately, access to les Calanques is restricted during summer due to a high bush fire risk (or forest fire if you’re from the northern hemisphere.) I read somewhere there’s a cost of 13 euros to access them and an age limit of 8 years and over. (Safety reasons I presume...)
See you all tomorrow!
À demain
Melinda
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