My Last Week Here

 Today is Sunday June 12. At the end of my last blog, I was in error. The menu I showed you was not Sam's 'state's but it is actually his summer job in Grenoble. I did, however, get to his current restaurant, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Sunday June 5- Karen planned a trip to the beach for when she finished her classes, so Sam made pasta salad and quinoa salad for our picnic. When we got ourselves gathered together we headed for the car. Since Charlie didn't want to go, Karen said we could drive farther and we headed for Menton which is just past Monaco. She wanted me to see different beaches. I think this is my 5th different location, but all Mediterranean. This one was also rocky but thanks to swim shoes it's no problem...except the waves were so strong that when you got knocked down you couldn't get up. 

She was going to show me another beach that they really like, but on the way we discovered it would be 45 minutes and then some walking so we settled for one closer which was much the same as the one we'd left. They swam and we ate our supper there. Then the sky began to look very ominous so we decided it was time to head home.

When we got on the highway it was actually sunny again but late enough to be on our way.

Monday 6- Today is a holiday in France, Whit Monday (day after Pentecost Sunday). At one point it was changed to Solidarity Day, when people gave up their wages to the informed and poor, but a protest changed it back in 2008. Made for some confusion because no one seems to know what is closed or open. Bearing in mind it was my last week, I decided I needed to do more exploring, so I left about 10:30 to travel some more different streets and see what I could. Thankfully about an hour into my walk, I did find a grocery open so I could get a bottle of water. I had a map and a tentative plan, but did not realize the route I was on did not connect to the street I wanted. Finally, about 7 km along, I checked a bus stop and saw I was finally coming to a down street. Came to Ave. Pierre at Marie Curie which would take me home. After 2 km or so I really needed to stop and massage my foot so I tested on a cement lamp post. When I got up to continue I met this

I took a pic but didn't stay to see if it was alive or dead.

You can see, bottom centre, mules, showing that I was quite far out in the country. The big round thing is part of a tree trunk at a wooden furniture store. Centre is St. Marc Cemetery. Top middle has 2 yellow animals- gorilla and giraffe in someone's lane. Bottom left is someone's garden.

I arrived home after 11 km, and my-feet-hurt. I think I've already out about 335 km on my new sneakers. I tested on the balcony, wrote my journal and celebrated with a glass of wine. 

Tuesday 7- continuing my quest, I left about 9:30 to fill some more streets with orange hilighter. I saw some great views, after some incredible climbs, and not sure how, but I ended up again in Cagnes sur Mer. On the way back I stopped on the beach and had lunch.

saw oranges, lemons, figs on the trees. Bottom left -Cagnes sur Mer, and my yachts coming in to pick me up😉

The view from a street I climbed.

Wednesday 8- Today was the birthday of my father and grandfather Kelley. I took the dog in the morning and connected a couple of streets I had previously explored. In the afternoon we picked up the kids from their Wed. Program and went shopping at the big InterMarche. We wanted a cooked chicken for supper but they had none so when we got back I walked to the close one and found the last one ,actually reduced price. Bonus!

Thursday 9- Karen took the day off and said we were going to Old Nice and visiting Sam's restaurant for lunch. Bus and team got us there and giggle on her phone found the restaurant. 

I would not be a good food blogger because I keep forgetting to take shots before I eat. The menu came on a tablet ( 3 choices for the week) so they could easily give me an English one. The little hors d'oeuvres were 2 sesame-like wafers(half eaten before I thought), minced olive paste, and radishes. The appetizer Karen chose was ham with melon.

Our main meal was Swordfish with wakame (seaweed), dill and cucumber and peasant rice. I opted for dessert and got fresh fruit with sorbet of the day and vanilla panacotta and exotic cream. Everything was delicious! I'd never had swordfish before.

While we were eating, the head of the restaurant came out to check on us and Karen told him I was Sam's grandmother visiting from Canada. He went and got Sam and let him come out and see us. 

After we'd finished eating we found our way to Old Nice and wandered around the pedestrian streets.

Then we made our way to the Promenade des Anglais and followed it to the end where the final tram stop, Port Lympia is.

The little statue of the family car loaded for vacation was cute. The mural of the little lamb was on the way into a second hand market, as was the 'man in the moon'. The Nice signs are in various sites throughout the city for photo ops. It was a fun day!

Friday 10- set out at 9:45 to colour some more streets orange. I accomplished a lot, walked about 6.4 km, and now the map looks like this

The sidewalks are gorgeous 

                                                         and some of the roadway dividers are lined with flowering bushes.

I saw one tree with a role holding the 3 branches so they didn't break off.

Saturday 11- Today Tedy was entered in a judo competition which was a bus, tram and another bus away in a community called St. Martin du Var, so up the Var river.

We left the house a bit after 11, except for Karen who had to work, because Tedy had sprung it on her Thursday night. We got to our tram stop and waited and waited but it didn't come. So, the guys did some more looking and found we could take a different one. We went a few stops and learned we were going in the wrong direction. Thankfully, they kept checking the maps and schedules. We got turned around and then discovered a bus was replacing a team for the day. Finally, we got to our bus stop, the bus came and we had 45 minutes to get to the sportsplex. The route took 30 minutes, and was scenic

and then Tedy and Charlie dashed up the hill to get him signed in. We made it and in true France form it started late. They were divided up by weight rather than experience. Tedy has only been training for months not years. He won his first match very quickly, but lost his second. The way the divisions were, that was enough to give him a silver medal. He was delighted (although his picture doesn't appear so).

While we were waiting for Karen to pick us up, 

I took a little walk around the town.

Tedy, who likes to cook, aided by chef Sam, made fried chicken for supper.

Sunday 12- Today after lessons we (Karen and just the 2 youngest) headed to Antibes to experience my 6th different beach. It was lovely, very crowded and a sandy one. Had a great time splashing around and playing volleyball in the water. 

The drive to and from was enjoyable too.

😣 just one day left.

 It's way past my bedtime so I'm not even proof reading this before posting.