Knowing it would be our last full day in La Grande-Motte, we decided to head to the beach a little earlier before the afternoon heat became overwhelming.
The waves and uneven sand had made Mom’s knee more sore over the previous couple of days, so we agreed to take things a little easier. Instead of returning to the deeper bay, we went back to the wonderfully shallow beach where the water stretched far from shore.
It turned out to be the perfect choice.
Kiya settled happily into her beach chair with the gentle waves washing over her legs, completely content to splash, play, and enjoy the Mediterranean. Watching her smile was all any of us needed.
I spent much of the morning simply floating in the sea.
One thing that surprised me was just how salty the Mediterranean was. The water made you incredibly buoyant, and it felt almost effortless to float with the gentle rhythm of the waves. It was peaceful, relaxing, and exactly what I needed after weeks of constant sightseeing.
Gabe, however, had reached his limit with sand.
Fine Mediterranean sand has an amazing ability to get absolutely everywhere, and after several beach days he decided he’d had enough. While we relaxed by the water, he set off to explore town, browse the shops, and pick up a few souvenirs to take home.
Eventually the midday sun reminded us it was time to head back.
The heat along the Mediterranean was relentless. Even sitting under the beach umbrella, we could feel the sun draining our energy. We became diligent about applying sunscreen throughout the day, especially for Kiya, making sure she stayed protected from the intense southern French sunshine.
Back at the apartment it was the now-familiar routine: shake as much sand off as possible, head straight for the shower, rinse out swimsuits, and enjoy a little time in the wonderfully cool air conditioning while escaping the hottest part of the afternoon.
That evening we enjoyed one last dinner together before returning to the apartment to pack our suitcases.
Our wonderful driver would be picking us up the next morning to take us to the train station, and another chapter of our European adventure would begin.
Looking back, La Grande-Motte was exactly what we needed.
After weeks of museums, castles, trains, and miles upon miles of walking, it offered us a chance to slow down. We traded sightseeing for sunshine, beaches, and long evenings along the boardwalk. It was peaceful, relaxed, and refreshingly different from the larger cities we had visited.
The Mediterranean sun was certainly exhausting—far more intense than we had expected—but the slower pace, beautiful beaches, warm sea, and precious time spent together made it the perfect place to catch our breath before continuing on to the final leg of our journey.
After our incredible time in Paris, we boarded the train for La Grande-Motte in southern France. The ride itself was wonderful. We picked up lunch from the café car and spent the journey watching the scenery change from the bustling city to vineyards, rolling countryside, and eventually the Mediterranean coast.
Our arrival, however, came with a bit of unexpected drama.
As soon as we stepped off the train, we were given a lecture by one of the station employees. We were told we had brought too much luggage, that we hadn’t waited for assistance to leave the train, and that railway workers shouldn’t have to move heavy suitcases.
I politely—but firmly—explained that I hadn’t asked anyone to move our luggage. I was perfectly capable of handling it myself and had been doing exactly that. We eventually agreed to disagree and went our separate ways.
Thankfully, the rest of the day only got better.
Our driver was absolutely wonderful. He not only drove us to our apartment, but spoke with the owners to determine the best place to unload our luggage. Then he carried everything upstairs and helped us get settled before wishing us a wonderful stay.
When we opened the apartment door, we couldn’t stop smiling.
It was beautiful.
Even better, it was wonderfully cool after the summer heat we had been experiencing. The balcony overlooked the Mediterranean, and the view was absolutely breathtaking. It instantly felt like a place where we could slow down, relax, and simply enjoy being together.
Unfortunately, my faithful suitcase had finally reached the end of its journey. Somewhere between Paris and La Grande-Motte, two of its wheels broke completely off. It had survived airports, train stations, cobblestone streets, and countless miles of walking, but it had finally given up.
Our gracious host, Marie, came to the rescue. She helped me find a nearby store that sold luggage, something that wasn’t necessarily easy in a smaller seaside town.
La Grande-Motte couldn’t have been more different from Paris. If Paris is like New York City, then La Grande-Motte reminded me of spending summer at Flathead Lake back home. It has a relaxed atmosphere where everyone seems to slow down and enjoy life. The town is known for its unique pyramid-shaped apartment buildings, designed in the 1960s to resemble modern sandcastles rising above the coastline. Wide walking paths, palm trees, marinas, and miles of sandy beaches give it an entirely different feel from the historic cities we had been visiting.
While shopping for my new suitcase, I wandered through several little boutiques. I found Kiya a bright yellow top with matching pants, along with an adorable shorts romper.
As many of you already know…
She absolutely loved the yellow outfit.
She wore it for the next four days straight.
I also discovered the cutest little grocery store. It couldn’t have been much bigger than our living room and kitchen at home, but somehow it had everything we needed. Before heading back to the apartment, I stopped at a neighborhood pizza shop and picked up dinner.
That first evening we simply sat on the balcony, enjoyed the view, and appreciated having nowhere we absolutely had to be.
It was exactly what we needed.
The following morning, the three of us wandered through town and made our way to the beach. Small shops lined nearly every street, making it impossible not to stop and browse. We found a boutique with dresses that actually fit both Mom and me—a rare enough occurrence that we each bought one.
Eventually we reached the beach.
Kiya immediately settled into the shallow water, happily splashing and playing. The bay was incredibly gradual. I could walk nearly twenty feet from shore, and the water still wasn’t above my upper thighs. The day was one of the few overcast ones we experienced during our trip, making the water feel just a little chilly, but it was still beautiful.
On our walk back we found both a bakery and a wonderful little sorbet shop. Somehow Europe always seems to know exactly when you need ice cream.
We couldn’t stay out too long because someone very special was arriving.
Our son, Gabe, was flying in to spend a few days with us.
We returned to the apartment and decided to wait outside rather than risk missing him. Five minutes later, there he was, walking toward us.
It was so wonderful to see him.
After getting him settled into the apartment and catching up on everything that had happened since we left Montana, we headed down to the boardwalk for dinner. We found a terrific restaurant overlooking the beach, enjoyed a leisurely meal together, and then called it an early night.
The next morning Mom walked down to the neighborhood bakery and returned with fresh pastries for breakfast.
Then it was time for another beach day.
This time we explored a neighboring bay, and the water was noticeably warmer. Once again, the shoreline stretched far into the sea. You could walk a surprising distance before the water finally reached shoulder height.
We spent several wonderful hours swimming, floating, and simply enjoying the Mediterranean.
Earlier that morning I had purchased a few beach chairs, and thankfully our apartment came equipped with a large beach umbrella. Together they made for a perfect setup.
The sand, however, was unlike anything I had experienced before.
It was unbelievably fine.
It found its way into everything.
By the time we returned to the apartment, all of us practically had to strip down outside before heading straight for the shower. Swimsuits immediately went into the wash while we escaped into the wonderful air conditioning during the hottest part of the afternoon.
Later that evening Gabe wanted to walk along the beach at sunset.
We happily joined him.
As darkness settled in, the entire boardwalk transformed into a bustling evening craft market. Booth after booth featured handmade jewelry, artwork, clothing, pottery, soaps, and local crafts. Gabe wanted to continue working on some beach-inspired artwork he had started earlier, while I wandered from booth to booth admiring the incredible talents of the local artists.
Eventually we made our way back to our beautiful apartment, grateful once again for the cool air conditioning, the peaceful view, and another unforgettable day on the Mediterranean.
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