Circuit de Castellet

One of the things we missed during our 4 month absence from the Cote d'Azur is for sure the nature. Asia in general, and Japan in particular, can feel rather crowded at times. Hiking in Japan was quite a relevation - on our hike up Mount Tsukuba, we sometimes had the feeling of being stuck in a Parisian traffic jam or something...

So, this sunny weekend, we decided to do a hike. After some deliberation, we decided to do a hike called "Le Circuit de Castellet" near Saint-Jeanette we'd already done a few years back (we've done all the coastal walks available in our hiking books already!). We started off by walking around the village for a bit, trying to find the start of the trail - which in itself was pretty nice, since the French medieval villages is something else I missed in Asia (there is sadly quite little left in terms of historical buildings in Japan). Saint-Jeanette is not one of the most famous ones on the Cote d'Azur, but it's certainly a charming place to stroll about.

We eventually found the footpath, and headed off. The hike took us around the Baou de Saint-Jeanette (rising up to the lofty altitude of 802 meters) - a popular spot for people doing hang-gliding. This hike didn't go to the top, rather we walked around it, ending up at a nice ruined medieval sheepfold, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

From there, the footpath took us back to the village. All in all, quite a fantastic way to spend a wintery Sunday afternoon.