Gulf of Saint-Tropez Guide - Part 3
Partager
Do you think you know the Gulf of Saint-Tropez?
I'm warning you.
The Gulf is never what you think.
Let's continue.
Three levels.
Tourist. Local. Expert.
It's up to you how far you want to go.
Level 1 – Inspired Tourist
Elephant Beach in Saint-Maxime.
No, no elephant has ever laid its towel here.
But in 1932, Jean de Brunhoff was inspired by it to illustrate The Travels of Babar.
The honeymoon of Babar and Celeste.
Yes, our beaches have welcomed elephants… at least on paper.
Imagine the scene. The light sand. The calm sea. The gentle morning sun.
Even in a drawing, the Gulf remains recognizable.
What I love here is this.
The Mediterranean feeds the imagination.
Of writers, painters, dreamers.
Even elephants love our beaches.
Level 2 – Local
Place des Lices and the medieval era.
They order a pastis.
They watch the market under the plane trees.
But in the Middle Ages, in this very spot, people weren't throwing balls.
The word "Lices" refers to the enclosed fields where tournaments took place.
Jousts. Equestrian games. Combat.
Sand has replaced the beaten earth.
Knights have given way to the village elders.
Same place. Different era.
The Gulf has always been a stage.
Level 3 – Expert
Château de la Môle and The Little Prince.
Many people have passed through the Château de la Môle.
But especially one name.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
He spent part of his childhood there, until he was seven.
It is said that some memories from those Var years fed his imagination.
Perhaps a light.
Perhaps a silence.
Perhaps that feeling of infinity facing the sky.
When you reread The Little Prince, look at chapter 24.
Sometimes, the desert is not so far from the Mediterranean.
This is the Gulf.
A place where an elephant can go on honeymoon.
Where knights become pétanque players.
Where a dreamy child can become a writer.
Did you know?
Set sail for a blue journey.
See you soon,
Jules
