FRANCE, part 1

6.9/10.2007

Thus begins an adventure… Today I arrived in Nice, France, with my mum, dad, and sister. We rented a car and, with some difficulty (we drove around our hotel at least 3 times before turning on the correct one-way streets), made our way to the Hotel Splendid where dad performed the impossible in parallel parking. Checking in rather late in the evening, we then had dinner at a little restaurant down the street. It was exciting to speak French and show my dad that I have not “wasted” the past five years of my life by learning it. ; )

6.11.2007

Today was a beautiful day. We spent the morning in Nice, exploring the city. I showed my family the market in La Vieille Ville (the old part of town), and then we had lunch at a “brasserie.” For the afternoon, I suggested a drive to Monaco. Well, we never did make it there because by the time we reached the ancient Renaissance village of Eze, we were all quite ready to get out of the car! (The roads are extremely circuitous and steep, just like in the Grace Kelly and Carry Grand flick, To Catch a Thief, and we had a couple of close calls; in fact, I think Grace Kelly died in an auto accident on that road when her car plunged down the cliff…) After taking in the breath-taking vista, we had dinner at Le Blanc Cheval and then made our way back down to Nice—fortunately, a much safer and more relaxed journey.

6.12.2007

This morning we packed up the car and drove to Cagnes-Sur-Mer, the town east of Nice where my home-stay family from my trip last April lives. Unfortunately, they were not home when we stopped by, so I left a note in their door. I showed my family around as best I could and then we stopped at a café for some refreshing wine. As we were walking back down the hill to our car, sure enough, we met André walking up the hill! Being the generous people they are, André and Danielle invited us in for a lunch-time feast. Danielle made a tart of tomatoes and gruyere, some rouget (fish) sautéed in olive oil and basil, pasta, and salad. Of course, we also had champagne, some red wine from André’s vineyard of which he is part-owner, and coffee. Dad, as I had predicted, became instant friends with André and they talked about wine a great deal. He showed us his hidden treasure—an old well underneath their 300 year-old house that he has transformed into a wine cellar—and dad was like a kid in a candy store! As an aperitif, André poured us his own version of Limoncello, which he calls Mandarincello, as he makes it from Mandarin oranges. It was superb. Before parting, André gave my family the proper tour of the village—something he is very good at and enjoys doing. We then drove to Bormes les Mimosas, the village where we have an apartment rented for the next 4 nights. After unpacking a bit, we wondered up the narrow and steep streets—a characteristic of all ancient French villages, I’m beginning to notice—and ate another fabulous meal, though nothing can beat Danielle’s cooking!

6.13.2007

Apparently we were really tired from our travels, as we did not get up until 11:30 this morning! After having some breakfast/lunch at a crêperie, we went for a long walk down the hill to an épicerie so that dad could get the ingredients to make the tart that Danielle had made us yesterday. It was great fun to look around the grocery store and notice the differences (and similarities) in products. I even found some Fair Trade coffee which we bought for tomorrow’s breakfast! I was pretty excited. In the late afternoon, dad tried replicating Danielle’s tart, but, while it didn’t taste bad, he hasn’t quite got the recipe down yet. We had dinner at another little local restaurant, where the waiter was very friendly. He gave us all free apertifs—Pastis for dad and Dramboue (a Scottish whisky with a touch of honey flavor) for mum, Aisling, and I. Upon returning to the apartment, I beat mum and Aish in cards—a perfect ending to a good day, if I do say so!

6.14.2007

For breakfast this morning, mum and I walked to a patisserie and brought back some pastries to eat with our morning coffee. The rest of the morning was spent relaxing. In the afternoon, dad and Aisling played tennis at the local club. She hauled two rackets with her on the airplane, so she was bound and determined to play. For dinner, we drove to Le Lavandou and went to a restaurant across from the Mediterranean. It has cooled off significantly and looks as though a storm may be passing through.

6.15.2007

Mum and I went out to get our pastries this morning just before it started raining. When we returned, Aisling had yet to wake up, so I gave her a nice wack with a stale baguette and that got her up! It still took a pain au chocolat and a cup of coffee before she really got moving, though. We hopped in the car and drove to a nearby hotel to connect with the outside world for the first time on our vacation—a record, by far—via the internet. This took us until 1 pm! While it is nice to stay in touch with family and friends, it is a double-edged sword. The afternoon was spent visiting a total of 4 vineyards. At each one, dad tasted and bought at least one bottle. It was fun at first, but by the fourth one, I was getting a bit tired of translating for him. After stopping for lunch in La Londe, we went for a stroll along the beach. It was the perfect weather—sunny and warm, with a refreshing sea breeze. Mum found all kinds of angel and mermaid tears (sea glass), which we’re going to take back and turn into jewelry.
When we got back to Bormes les Mimosas, we made reservations for dinner at a restaurant that was in a sort of grotto—very beautiful and quaint. Our last night together in France, we went all out. Champagne was ordered, and the rest of the evening was, needless to say, perfect. The waiter brought us “petits surprises,” before our main course was served. For my main course, I had a salad of mixed greens and long strips of zucchini which surrounded a pâté made up of layers of peanut confit, tomato, and chèvre. That, paired with a white wine from a vineyard that we had visited earlier in the day, made for a culinary delight! It has been a wonderful week, and I feel so blessed to have been able to spend it with my family. Dad keeps raving about the Riviera. He loves everything about it and is already planning his next trip—curious to hear from a man who supposedly hated everything French! I am nervous to leave for Avignon tomorrow, but I know everything will work out. I just have to trust that it will…