And they're back........

Well, we 're back from our holiday in the south of France. It was incredible - the weather was phenomenal, the people lovely, gracious and welcoming, and we cooked us some incredible meals in our rented accommodations (http://www.vrbo.com/118462) which, despite being quite shabby and somewhat less than advertised, still had a view that more than made up for its inadequacies. Oh, and as a total aside, the place is for sale! (http://www.villefranchevillaforsale.com/). Beware, though - the showers leave a lot to be desired unless one has a supply of duct tape, there are no screens on any windows and believe me, the French mosquitos are savage, the place has NO a/c, and the garden is largely untended. The pool, however, is monitored weekly by a young man who obviously lives locally .

Our neighbors to the left, Josèe and Henri, were kind enough to clue us in to the fact that the "septic" was smelling - and that smell was impacting their lives. We took their advice and treated the flush line with the recommended chemicals. Between Josèe's English and my French, we managed to establish a dialogue. We commiserated with them that they were next door to a property that was being rented out for sheer profit, and assured them that we were simply seeking a quiet, private escape from the madness of our daily lives. This lovely couple, who are retired and spend half the year in Paris and the other half at their Côte D'Azur property, invited us to accompany them for a hike in the mountains nearby. Unfortunately, it was at a point in our trip that we had no time to spare, but we thanked them profusely for their offer.

We never dined out while we were there. Oh, yes, we did pick up some "street food" while cruising the markets and streets in Nice, buns with meat or salmon and cheese, or slices of pizza, or individual Croque-Monsieurs, but we never actually sat and had food at a restaurant. Cooking our own meals was so satisfying for us, we really didn't need to eat out. The beef (steaks) we had were fairly flavorless, but the veal steaks were delicious. My baked sweet & sour pork chops were to die for, and the sausages I first browned, then braised in beer and chanterelles were yummy. Kevin made a marinara with ground veal, and we had that with pasta, crusty bread, and a salad. Chicken was barbecued in sauce, and it was just fine. Dessert was fruit and cheese - for me that was figs and St. Poulin, for Kevin it was grapes and Parmeggiano Reggiano.

The bus - ah, the bus. If we weren't in time to catch the "express" from Place Saint-Michel, which stopped one gate away from our villa and only ran each hour, we had to hike down the Grande Corniche, a 12+ minute hike down a steep grade to the bus stop at the Col de Quatre Chemins. Fare was 1 Euro, with transfers allowed within 74 minutes. We went to Nice numerous times, to Monaco, and to Cagnes-sur-mer using the Ligne D'Azur bus lines. Bus number 84 took us down from our mountain to Beaulieu, then the number 100 went to Nice, to the Gare Routiere. From there we either walked to where in Nice we wanted to go, or hopped another bus. We did take a taxi from Beaulieu to our villa our first day - it cost 35 Euro - about CAD $50.00, and the poor driver hit a curb on a tight turn while making his way up the mountain. We each had 5+ bags of supplies, and it was really necessary for us to take a cab home. The bus home either dropped us at the Col de Quatre Chemins, requiring a 17-minute walk up the mountain for us, or, if we had timed it right, was one that hit the Place Saint-Michel stop - this detour enabled a stop one gate away from our villa.

And then there's the unescapable stuff - the business from back home that couldn't help but affect our (MY) lives. I had applied, and been interviewed for, a position in our hospital before I'd gone on vacation. I had hoped to have full access to my email via the WiFi at the villa, but the system as it was set up didn't support cookies - so logging into email was impossible. When I finally stopped at an internet cafe in Nice and accessed my email, I found that I hadn't been offered the unit manager position I'd applied for. Nice, I thought - let me know in an an0nymous email rather than in person. This news, quite understandably, put rather a pall on the holiday. I did my best not to let it drag me down too badly, though, for the sake of maintaining a positive mood during our holiday.