After taking a day to drive from Lyon to Cannes and settling into the Criqui's apartment (only 100 meters from sandy beaches and palm trees!), we headed west from Cannes along the windy and narrow coast road. Katy did an excellent job driving---no mean feat given the narrowness in places and numerous bicyclers.

We stopped in Issambres and bought breakfast at a supermarket, which we ate by the beach. It was a great way to start the day. The views from overlooks as we drove were breathtaking. Our route took us through Ste Maxime, St Tropez (lots of boats but lots of crowds---hence we did not stop), la Croix Valmer, Cavalaire, and Rayol.

Eventually we ended up in Lavandou , another beautiful beach town. This one seemed less crowded than Cannes and the others we had driven through. We had a nice lunch at a cafe (specializing in crêpes) in view of the sea. Afterwards we practiced our promenading. Katy and I really had to work at this to avoid walking like schedule driven Americans. Don't laugh until you've tried it!