Villefranche-sur-mer v.11

Dear Friends,

This post is just about a couple of odds and ends.  The first is the weather.  It is January, and this year has been cooler than either of the last two years.  In fact I am not sure that it has been above 60 degrees more than a couple of times.  Nevertheless, the temperature has been great for walking and often eating outside.  I have always been amazed at the beautiful flowers which are not at their peak in January.  This one is just by the sea.

Not bad for January.

The cooler weather has brought our attention to "chocolat chaud".  While I might be inclined to translate this phrase as hot cocoa, I would be doing a great disservice to this wonderful drink.  It is not hot cocoa, it is truly warm/hot chocolat.  It is very rich and smooth and very chocolaty.  I think that you have to taste it to believe it.  We first had it at a small restaurant right in La Darse.  La Darse is what I might call the marina but it is the name given to this area of the bay that was where boat building and repair took place.  For many years now it has just been for repairs.  However, our landlady and her husband have commissioned the building of a beautiful motor boat.  We have seen the pictures in the design stage and next year we will see the boat in the water.

Our friend JP with whom we walk once or twice a week and speak french with introduced us to chocolat chaud.  Here we are the other day enjoying it.

We had it twice today in our visit to Nice.  Once was for dessert after our lunch which was a picnic near the Musée Matisse.  In this picture you can see a salade italienne and a panini mixte as well as a demi-caraffe of rosé.

In order for you to really appreciate the smooth, very chocolaty drink that chocolat chaud really is, here is a close up from a little place in Nice.

As long we are on the subject of food, I want to show you what real profiteroles look like.  

We have to walk up and down hills all day in a fruitless attempt to not gain weight.

Thanks for reading and please comment,

The Unabashed Liberal