It may seem like we were all just together on the French Rivera. Well, you are correct. We were just in St. Tropez and St. Raphael. Yesterday (Monday, January 27th) we moved further east, just beyond Nice, to Villefranche-Sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat. By the way, this time of the year our trips are often dictated by the weather. Both yesterday and today were forecast to be sunny, but yesterday was supposed to be warmer, about 61 degrees in Nice, with rain Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So, yesterday was the day.
I’d suggest you look them up. Look under “money”. No, just kidding. There’s lots of money in this small area and lots of beauty. Yesterday I saw my first landscapers in France. That ought to tell you something. Villefranche is just around the bend from Nice and Cape is a peninsula reaching out into the Mediterranean, just past Villefranche. Paul Allen, Microsoft/Seattle Seahawks/Portland Trailblazers has a home on Cape Ferrat.
It’s 90 minutes from our home to Nice. We drove along the waterfront of Nice on the way to our destination, which we had explored previously by taking the public bus from Nice when we were there earlier. I still think Nice is the place. It has great weather, the geography is magnificent, and it’s surrounded by extremely wealthy communities. It has a large international airport and it’s just over four hours to Paris on the TGV train, to say nothing of having ski resorts looming over the city and close proximity to all of Italy. What’s not to like? I mentioned previously that I really think Nice looks a lot like Honolulu, but more polished. I’m pushing for living 6 months in Honolulu and 6 months in Nice. I’d better rob a bank!
We had lunch on the water at Villefranche. Marlene posed on the hillside over the village and at the table waterside. The magnificent hills can’t be captured in these simple photos, but at least you get a look at what we saw. Out on Cape Ferret the views are terrific. We just happened upon a church with a large metal figurine. We made a quick stop at St. James-Cape-Ferrat, which is a little village to serve the folks, and it comes essentially without parking. So, not too many outsiders can really take part in the experience. The town has a nice little harbor with lots of great views. On the way back to Villefranche from St. James, we caught a couple of shots of the bay, the village and the hillside homes.
Marlene wanted to go the extra six miles to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Time really didn’t permit, and as I explained to her, the city of Menton, located between Monte Carlo and the Italian border is supposed to be interesting. Thus, there’ll be a day exclusively dedicated to Monaco/Monte Carlo/Menton. And, there’s a return planned to Antibes and Cannes (to the west of Nice) after driving through the area a few weeks ago. It looks to us that the wealth maximizes around Antibes and Cannes.
We’re working on the Barcelona trip right now, and are down to getting a hotel in Toulouse, France at the end of the trip. Departure date is February 24th. We’re really excited about seeing Barcelona.
I’ve been meaning to share the story of pencils. If I’ve heard it once from Sophia and Keaka, I’ve heard it 100 times. “Dad, they don’t use pencils in France.” Well, I love pencils and do most of my work with pencils. It’s not so much about the lead, as it is the eraser. I like the eraser. In the kids’ school everything is done in pen. When I went to a large store with a huge school supply/stationery section, I was totally amazed. You could barely find pencils. Certainly no big boxes of pencils like I’m use to purchasing. But, believe me, they have all sorts of pens and markers. Another cultural difference.
We went to the post office (le poste) this morning to mail a stuffed envelope. The folks at the counter were behind “bank-like” glass, with a thin area to speak between. Well, Marlene and I were certainly wondering how we were going to get this stuffed envelope in to the postal employee. Oh, yes. Between the two stations is a two-sided glass enclosed tray that spins. The postal worker spins it and you place your package into the container and then it’s spun back inside to the postal worker. Once again, we questioned just what they are so afraid of? Fear pops up all over the place!
The Wilsons
