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Posts Tagged → Var

This is what SMS wildfire warnings look like in southern France.

posted in Climate Change, France on August 3, 2026 by Bob Ramsak 3 Comments

I’ve never received a local emergency alert. They are loud, strident. At first, they were confusing, too.

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The Embouchure du Var: an Introduction to the Best Birding Hotspot in Nice

posted in Birds on September 30, 2025 by Bob Ramsak 2 Comments

The Embouchure du Var, or mouth of the Var River, the best birding hot spot in southeastern France.

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Le Castellet – 21 images

posted in France on November 15, 2023 by Bob Ramsak 1 Comment

We spent a phenomenal Barbara birthday weekend based in Le Castellet, a striking little hilltop village about 15km north of Bandol and 30km northwest of Toulon (and to cover all the bases, about a two-hour drive southwest from Nice and about 45 minutes east from Marseille). Mid-autumn is a nice time to go: still lots… Continue reading →

10 Images From Saint Cyr-sur-Mer

posted in France on November 13, 2023 by Bob Ramsak 0 Comments

Here are 10 shots from Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, a sleepy Mediterranean coastal town just west of the town of Bandol, best known as the home to a replica of the Statue of Liberty, donated by Frédéric Bartholdi, who sculpted the original. Most memorable: its cinema and tree-lined petanque courts.

Moving in. Watch your head. And look out for the birds.

This is BobRamsak.com, a public notebook by Bob Ramsak.

I’m a long-time journalist, photographer and researcher driven by passions for environmental, social and refugee justice. I’ve visited 62 countries and write something and make pictures (almost) every day. This site is a notebook and photolog where I track and (sometimes) comment on those interests, journal my travels and log my current obsessions. At the moment the most dominant ones are the global response to the climate crisis and a renewed passion for birding and bird photography.

This site primarily serves as a garden for my memories and experiences, which I hope visitors will find useful or of interest. If you find something helpful here, or have a thought or insight to add, please leave a comment or drop me a line to let me know. I’ll be delighted to make your acquaintance.

Based in Nice, France, after two decades in Slovenia.

You’ll be surprised by what you’ll find.

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