Au revoir Provence

On Sunday morning (the 24th September) we arranged flights home to see Grandma - and it was just as well that we did because she was very unwell both before and after her operation which took place on the Wednesday.

However the first flight that we could get wouldn't leave until the evening - so we still had a whole day to spend on the Côte d"Azur. The four of us went for a walk along the Promenade des Anglais, which is very wide and elegant in a sweeping curve around the bay. When I saw armed police officers patrolling I remembered that only 14 months ago on Bastille Day 2016 it was here that eighty-six people were killed by a terrorist driving a truck into the crowd. So senseless and cruel. There was no trace of what had happened on this peaceful Sunday morning as we strolled along in the sunshine. We continued to the harbour where we stopped for drinks. Heather and Ewan fancied walking to Villefranche sur Mer which is in the next bay round a headland - but it was already nearly lunch time so we were getting short of time. What to do? Suddenly (and somewhat extravagantly) I had an inspired idea! The café owner directed us to a nearby taxi rank and we jumped into a waiting cab and sped off to our destination. And I was very glad that we went there. Villefranche sur Mer is a gorgeous little fishing village turned tourist destination which is well worth a visit. The taxi driver was a lovely friendly man who took us to a viewpoint above the village and also took us past Elton John's house - not that we could see much due to the high hedges. The taxi driver said that, being high on the headland, the property has views over both Nice and Villefranche sur Mer! When we arrived at the sea front we had lunch in La Mère Germaine, a very classy and traditional French seafood restaurant with crisp white tablecloths, gleaming cutlery and glassware. We were given a great table just inside at the window, overlooking the harbour. It was rather pricey but I loved how traditional it was and the food was excellent. I was chatting to the owner who is the grandson of founder Mme Germaine, and he introduced me to his son who works behind the bar and is the fourth generation of the family to work there! Replete after our lunch we went for a walk along the front and then up into the old town, which is quaint and beautiful. We had a lovely afternoon, and bought some locally made soaps which were deliciously scented; verveine, mimosa and lavender. All too soon we had to bid farewell to Heather and Ewan and head to Nice Airport for the journey home. It was a wonderful weekend in great company and there is still so much more to see in the area - I do hope that we will visit the Côte d"Azur again some day.