Travel & Culture
Toulon: The Perfect Summer Getaway
BY SABA SHAHID (ECON/IV)
shahid@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Fed up with the hectic repetitive routine that haunts you day and night? Tired of the constant pressure to compete? Need to get away from the insane tempo of city life? Well, I have the perfect solution for you: Toulon.
I know this sounds like the beginning of a battered old advertisement from the 90s, but trust me, les vacances en France ne peuvent etre jamais desavante! A vacation in France can never be disappointing!
Well, enough of me showing off my French skills, and straight to the part where I convince you to travel the world and discover all that it has to offer! (Honestly, I was just hoping to show my professor how hard I'm trying, *wink wink,* *hint hint.*)
On a serious note though, few cities have the calming effect that Toulon has. Around 120 kilometers south of the famous city of Cannes, Toulon sits right at the edge of the Côte d'Azur on the Mediterranean Sea. The city is home to the country's naval base, its fishing and electronic industries and some of the best French cuisine.
On my trip there, a few summers ago, my family rented an apartment not far from the city center. Now don't get too excited -- when I say city center of Toulon, I really mean a small network of shops and cafes that sit on old cobblestone streets. To be honest, there isn't much to do in terms of sightseeing and exploring the city apart from a few historical monuments, but that shouldn't be the purpose of your visit to Toulon anyway. If you do decide to go to the southern part of France, it should really be to savor the local delicacies, to enjoy walking through the narrow streets and alleys of small towns, but above all to absorb the soothing energies of the surrounding environment.
I remember my trip to Toulon was in midsummer, a time when if you were in Pakistan you could probably fry eggs on your bare skin, but for Toulon the perfect time of year. My initial reaction after a stroll around the city was, "That's it?" Would you blame me? I mean, take Ankara for example: the city covers around 2,516 square kilometers, while Toulon is only 42.84 square kilometers. However, I soon realized that even in a small town there is so much to learn about, and so much to discover.
We spent the ten days or so we were there really getting to know the place. We would walk to the Old Town, with its branching streets and 17th-century fountains. During the day, an open market is set up on the Cours Lafayette, a wide street where, in addition to the usual grocery items, products typical of the Provence region are sold.
Walking down the Cours Lafayette, or any other popular street in the center, a very soft scent of lavender can be sensed, as the herb is seemingly used in everything from soaps and perfumes to even edibles, including their mouthwatering homemade cookies. This is probably because Toulon is not far from the city of Grasse, where lavender fields cover the region in neat rows of purple and green. Toulon therefore provides nature's very own aromatherapy! And music therapy too -- that is, if you enjoy the "singing" of crickets.
Scores of these grasshopper-like insects inhabit the city, and their constant chirping will serve as the background music for your memories of Toulon. Like lavender, crickets too have acquired symbolic importance here and can be found on all kinds of souvenirs, like t-shirts, magnets and even salt and pepper shakers. Strangely, the locals don't seem to be annoyed by the constant noise. I, on the other hand, wished that I had semi-permeable hearing and could block out the sound of these not-so-cute animals.
An afternoon dedicated to the coastline would be time wisely spent. Choose a spot at the port or the Rade de Toulon, from where you can see the boats casting reflections of different colors on the glittering waters of the Mediterranean. This setting definitely meets all the criteria for a perfect meditation environment. Nearby restaurants will gladly offer a variety of seafood options to complete your marine outing: dig in, savor and enjoy!
For those who need a relaxing break from the chaos of everyday city life, Toulon is the place to be. Even if you're kind of addicted to the craziness of big cities like I am, give Toulon a try, and you will definitely rejoice in the refreshing change.