Today was a perfect day here in Villefranche - sunny skies and 60 degrees. After spending the morning doing laundry which we of course hung outside to dry and studying our vocabulary, we decided we would walk to Beaulieu for lunch. It is a little more than 1.5 miles east from our apartment mainly along the sea. On the way there you walk past the gates to the Villa Nellcote. Very seldom are the gates open so I was quick to take a peak as they were closing when we walked by.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Villa Nellcote, it is the villa where the Rolling Stones recorded their album, "Exile on Main St." in 1972. They were eventually kicked out of town because of the drugs and negative influence on the youth of the area.
We had lunch a the Gran Caffe in Beaulieu. It is one of our favorites even though it is Italian. We knew we were in France when a woman came in after us and took the next table. She put her jacket down and then her dog on one chair and she took the other. She was nice enough to ask if we minded, and we, of course, said no. I did feel like the dog was my dinner companion.
In any case, the presence of the dog led to a conversation in French with the woman which was later joined by the French couple sitting on the other side. By the way my lasagne bolognaise was great and was followed by the best chocolat chaud on the Côte d'Azur. I have written about my search for the best before. While I continue to search, I have yet to find any better.
While it was a beautiful day for us in Villefranche, the same cannot be said for several boat owners. The wind began to pick up in the morning and by the time we were walking to Beaulieu for lunch the surf had too.
The picture does not do the surf justice. On the walk to Beaulieu we noticed a dingy that had dragged anchor and was about to crash on the rocks as well as larger sailboat that had dragged but looked like the anchor may have reset. Unfortunately, the wind and surf continued to increase during lunch and on our return, the sailboat had dragged onto the beach.
If they can get it off the beach before the seas increase again, it will be salvageable. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for big winds again tomorrow. These winds are basically out of the south, think Africa. There was also a new boat that had dragged and was in the process of being smashed on the rocks.
This picture looks like the seas are calm but it is just between breakers that come in and bounce the boat off the rocks. It was riveting to watch and each time we would turn to go we would hear another loud bang as it hit again. If it can stay together a little longer and the winds subside, it could be rescued tonight but who knows. The owner was nowhere in sight, just the police making sure that nobody did anything stupid like get between the boat and the rocks.
The sun is now setting and the wind has died a little with it, but the surf continues to crash.
And so ends another wonderful day in paradise.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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