We arrived home from Villefranche on Sunday and are trying valiantly to adjust. In addition to the normal jet lag and cultural change, this year we are faced with a dramatic weather change. While we were in Villefranche, Minneapolis was having an extremely cold and snowy winter, setting all kinds of records. When we left Villefranche it was a beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze and about 60 degrees. We we arrived in Minneapolis -
Here is Jane in circle in front of the entrance to our apartment building. She looks much happier than she was.
In our last week in Villefranche, there were several things that I did not get a chance to write about so here are the odds and ends.
Flying Fire Fighters
Almost every winter we get a chance to see so fire fighting planes practice scooping up water from the bay to drop on fires. This year there were actually a couple of days when they swooped overhead to pick up water because there were actual fires. It was quite a sight. From our apartment we could not actually see the plane as it scooped up the water, but we got some photos of the planes swooping in just over the roof tops.
In the photo below the plane is just about to scoop up water. They don't stop or actually land they just scoop it up as they fly along.
Walk around Cap Martin
Jane and it decided we would try another walk from the book that gave us the walk above La Turbie. This time the book told the truth. The walk around Cap Martin was beautiful, without huge up and downs and with a smooth path. It is also easily accessible. We took the train to the stop at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, just east of Monaco. Despite some construction, the path was easy to find.
Here is a picture looking back at Monaco with Cap Ferrat in the background.
There were some spots where the cliffs fell rapidly to the sea from the path. In the photo below, if you look closely you can see some paths as well as a small platform to swim from when the seas are calm.
There were some places that were not good for those with a fear of heights. The ramp is about 3 feet wide and attached to a huge retaining wall.
The walk concludes when you reach Carnoles a neighborhood of Menton right on the water. Even in the winter, there are restaurants available for a nice lunch. We had lunch at a very nice restaurant called Le Fellini. The menu of the day included the "salad bar", choice of three main courses, a drink and a coffee for 16 euros. It was a great deal. The salad bar was not like any American salad bar I have ever seen.
The picture is not very good, but it included roasted zucchini, roasted egg plant, roasted carrots, cabbage, green beans, red and yellow peppers, a tuna salad with peas, carrots and mayo, small pieces of pizza and a few other things. Jane had the roasted chicken and I had the sword fish. The drink turned out to be 1.5 glasses of wine each. Anyway a great way to finish off a great walk. We then got back on the train at the stop after the one where we had gotten off and had a short ride back to Villefranche.
Le Serre
There is a restaurant right in the middle of the old town that we just love. It is very casual with a menu of pizzas as well as other regular items such as pastas, beef brioche, fish and salads. Each day there is a menu of the day featuring starters, main courses and desserts. The full menu is only 18 euros, an incredible deal.
The best thing about it is the owner/chef Sylvie and her staff. They are great at their jobs, but even more important they make you feel very welcome and make your entire experience wonderful.
Pétanque
As you could have guessed from prior posts, I enjoy playing pétanque while in Villefranche. Here I am with my teammates (one from Canada and one from Ireland) from the last match that I played before returning to Minneapolis.
The organizer of the pétanque matches is a John Paul, a resident of Villefranche (in the winter) and Maine (in the summer). He is a wonderful person who welcomes all to play regardless of skill level. His only reward is seeing everybody have a great time. Jane and I had lunch with him before we left to which he wore the Minnesota t-shirt that we got him for his birthday.
One of the rules that John Paul has taught us is that if you lose a game 13 - 0, you have to run naked through the streets. We are not sure that all of his rules are actually official pétanque rules. When pétanque makes its Olympics debut in 2024, we will see what the actual rules are. Anyway at lunch there was a rather unique statue which John Paul explained was a statue of Fanny. If you win a pétanque match 13 - 0, you get to touch Fanny's fanny. You can see from the coloring of Fanny's fanny that lots of people must have won shutouts.
And so ends our latest stay in Villefranche. We were sad to leave and even sadder to return to the cold and snow of Minnesota, but we know that we will return in September.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
