From Venice to Barcelona: Part 6
Toulon, France

Toulon was one of our more relaxing port days since it didn’t have a whole lot of must see attractions. However, considering that our non-stop cruise was catching up with us at this point, we welcomed the down time. It was nice to have a leisurely walk around the harbor front, market place, and then retire early to our ship for a formal dinner.

Lavender is a shrub known for its wonderful scent and brilliant purple flowers. It is native to the mountainous regions around the Mediterranean. The South of France is known for its lavender fields. However, we had just missed the harvest of the lavender fields outside of Toulon. Otherwise, we could have taken a beautifully scenic drive through the countryside to see fields of purple lavender blooms. The next time I’m in the South of France, right!?! They are in bloom in late June through July. Lavender is sold and used for everything in this area, from soaps and essential oils to lavender tea and bags of lavender used to line drawers for the fresh scent.