Its basically all about the food...
Again, its been far too long. Here is the attempt to try & keep up...!
Following my trip to Lyon the other week it was my turn to receive visitors & in a similar last minute & vaguely spontaneous fashion Maya & Jenny boarded a train from Toulouse & arrived in Nice about 7 hours later. Top marks for dedication.
Unfortunately, they didn't pick the best weekend. The weather has taken a turn for the worst recently. On my way to the station I dived into a shop for a bit of shelter (and to buy a cushion, admittedly) & the girl was bundled up in a coat. I was wearing a wooly hat & scarf, but despite the fact its undeniably November now I think I still have some faith that we will experience an Indian Summer & I just can't bring myself to put on a coat. The girl looked at me & shivered (I was about to write 'shuddered' there, but I don't think it was revulsion) before asking me how I wasn't cold. The answer to that is that the average temperature has only just dipped below 20°, but its much easier to just shrug & say 'I'm English' because to be honest most people round here seem to excuse most examples of strange behaviour on those grounds.
Anyway, as per usual I digress. The station was a rather busy place on this mild autumnal night, because since a lot of trains were delayed everyone arrived & launched into their emotional greetings all at once. Eventually I found the girls & being unable to decide who to hug first we shared a good ol' fashioned group hug.
We had a grand old time, too. Because of the weather I think we just decided to focus on food instead - & let me assure you, there's nothing wrong with that! Maya & Jenny were some of the first people I've met who instead of being rather indifferent to Socca (A Niçoise speciality) actually quite liked it. They also liked the Old Town & Nice in general, although when we went out on Friday night to meet some friends I think they shared my bewilderment at just how bizarre nights out in this town can be. (Note to self: Ordering a cocktail on Hallowe'en is never a good idea & will only end in upset when you realise your teeth have been stained by food colouring.)
On the Saturday we had a leisurely morning in Nice, until Charlie got here & we went on a little adventure to Villefranche. I realised very quickly why I haven't even thought about driving here: Approximately 2 minutes after setting off I realised that the bus would have been a much quicker option, because rather crucially bus drivers know the streets of Nice & know exactly where they are going. I, unfortunately, am completely clueless. Even with the help of SatNav the one way systems around here were a little bewildering, to say the least. We did make it in the end however & we messed around on the beach whilst the sun went down. Maya even went for a paddle. Brave girl.
So, we had dinner & kept ourselves entertained for the evening. It was so good to see all of them, to swap stories & to get advice on all the angsty little things that get to you from to time. Alas, it all went far too quickly and before I knew it the girls were back on their way to Toulouse & Charlie had headed off home in the midst of a thunderstorm. The poor boy apparently doesn't have much luck driving round these parts.
The major thing about the next week or so was the rain. It didn't stop. On one night I got caught in a complete downpour on my way out & on another the thunder was so loud that it was rattling the windows & shaking the walls.
Luckily, the skies & have cleared again now. On tuesday we profited from a rare bank holiday & went to Italy which was amazing. It took just less than an hour to get to the border. I'd never been to Italy before & was somewhat disappointed there was no fanfare, border patrol or even a sign saying "Benvenuto a Italia" but I was still a bit overexcited about the whole thing.
We went to San Remo, which isn't that different to other towns located on the riviera this side of the border, but there was still a distinctly Italian feel to it. I really liked it. There wasn't a huge amount to see, so we ordered lunch pretty quickly & that was pretty much the event of the day. I ordered a Peroni, sat back & relaxed & enjoyed the sunshine. It was a pretty good day.
After all, its not exactly every day that you can say you went to Italy for lunch, is it?!
xXx
Following my trip to Lyon the other week it was my turn to receive visitors & in a similar last minute & vaguely spontaneous fashion Maya & Jenny boarded a train from Toulouse & arrived in Nice about 7 hours later. Top marks for dedication.
Unfortunately, they didn't pick the best weekend. The weather has taken a turn for the worst recently. On my way to the station I dived into a shop for a bit of shelter (and to buy a cushion, admittedly) & the girl was bundled up in a coat. I was wearing a wooly hat & scarf, but despite the fact its undeniably November now I think I still have some faith that we will experience an Indian Summer & I just can't bring myself to put on a coat. The girl looked at me & shivered (I was about to write 'shuddered' there, but I don't think it was revulsion) before asking me how I wasn't cold. The answer to that is that the average temperature has only just dipped below 20°, but its much easier to just shrug & say 'I'm English' because to be honest most people round here seem to excuse most examples of strange behaviour on those grounds.
Anyway, as per usual I digress. The station was a rather busy place on this mild autumnal night, because since a lot of trains were delayed everyone arrived & launched into their emotional greetings all at once. Eventually I found the girls & being unable to decide who to hug first we shared a good ol' fashioned group hug.
We had a grand old time, too. Because of the weather I think we just decided to focus on food instead - & let me assure you, there's nothing wrong with that! Maya & Jenny were some of the first people I've met who instead of being rather indifferent to Socca (A Niçoise speciality) actually quite liked it. They also liked the Old Town & Nice in general, although when we went out on Friday night to meet some friends I think they shared my bewilderment at just how bizarre nights out in this town can be. (Note to self: Ordering a cocktail on Hallowe'en is never a good idea & will only end in upset when you realise your teeth have been stained by food colouring.)
On the Saturday we had a leisurely morning in Nice, until Charlie got here & we went on a little adventure to Villefranche. I realised very quickly why I haven't even thought about driving here: Approximately 2 minutes after setting off I realised that the bus would have been a much quicker option, because rather crucially bus drivers know the streets of Nice & know exactly where they are going. I, unfortunately, am completely clueless. Even with the help of SatNav the one way systems around here were a little bewildering, to say the least. We did make it in the end however & we messed around on the beach whilst the sun went down. Maya even went for a paddle. Brave girl.
So, we had dinner & kept ourselves entertained for the evening. It was so good to see all of them, to swap stories & to get advice on all the angsty little things that get to you from to time. Alas, it all went far too quickly and before I knew it the girls were back on their way to Toulouse & Charlie had headed off home in the midst of a thunderstorm. The poor boy apparently doesn't have much luck driving round these parts.
The major thing about the next week or so was the rain. It didn't stop. On one night I got caught in a complete downpour on my way out & on another the thunder was so loud that it was rattling the windows & shaking the walls.
Luckily, the skies & have cleared again now. On tuesday we profited from a rare bank holiday & went to Italy which was amazing. It took just less than an hour to get to the border. I'd never been to Italy before & was somewhat disappointed there was no fanfare, border patrol or even a sign saying "Benvenuto a Italia" but I was still a bit overexcited about the whole thing.
We went to San Remo, which isn't that different to other towns located on the riviera this side of the border, but there was still a distinctly Italian feel to it. I really liked it. There wasn't a huge amount to see, so we ordered lunch pretty quickly & that was pretty much the event of the day. I ordered a Peroni, sat back & relaxed & enjoyed the sunshine. It was a pretty good day.
After all, its not exactly every day that you can say you went to Italy for lunch, is it?!
xXx