New Years Eve and Riley and Jones arrive for 5 nights
Maggi worked hard with some help from yours truly to prepare for the arrival of the Jones and Rileys. Beds made and food cooked, shopping completed in order to make their arrival as smooth as possible.
They arrived in this large 4×4 which Mark had hired from some off-site car hire company with a terrible reputation. We had a drink to celebrate their arrival and then walked into La Colle to have a look around. The town had a ghost like quality with everything shut up by 5 pm.
We all enjoyed our supper and after a few more drinks went to bed.
Monday 1st January.
We had decided that a trip to Nice would suit us all. We parked at the port with the intention of walking the Promenade des Anglais. However someone looked round and pointed out the people on the top of the old Greek part of Nice. We decided to climb up the stairs to the top and enjoy the views on the way. From here you can see all along the coast and into the heart of today’s modern Nice. We climbed further and this brought the port of nice into view.
The Greek excavations dominate the summit along with later Christian buildings, all now in ruins. We wandered around in a group with the guys separated from the girls and then headed back down to the old town to have lunch.
We arrived outside the Babbo Mio where Maggi and I have eaten several times before and found the place pretty full. With six of us and no reservation the maitre de suggested we return in 30 minutes. However, before we actually departed he rearranged a couple of tables and chairs and we sat outside for our meal. Everyone had something different. I think I choose well with a pasta dish which tasted great and exceeded my capacity to finish it. My fellow dinners helped me out with particular help from Matt.
We returned to La Colle and eat a vegetarian chilli that Maggi had prepared a couple of days earlier which hit the spot. However it all came to much more than I would normally have eaten in a day or drunk.
Tuesday 2 January 2024
This morning we drove in two cars up to Gourdon. I had a rough walking plan to head off westerly from the car park at the bottom of the village.
I really didn’t know what the path would be like, but it turned out to be a pleasant uphill climb through woods, past sheep and sheep dogs and open countryside. We climbed for about an hour and then retraced our steps to return to the village.
We decided to try the restaurant half-hour before our appointment, but the proprietor asked us to come back at the agreed time. We had a quick drink at the top of the village to kill the time.
Our moment arrived and we entered Aux Vieux Four at 1:30 pm and had a really gorgeous meal from the amuse bouche to the final coffee. Everything worked out perfectly including the service from our hosts. The starter of onion soup, followed by a slow cooked pork dish all tasted beautifully. The crowning glory came with the bill. The 3 course menu came in at €29 per person. Nobody could stop talking about what good value the experience had been.
Wednesday 3rd January
We decided to walk up to Tourettes today. I have done the walk a couple of times before, once with Maggi and once with Josh and Richard. It normally takes just over 2 hours, but with this crew we ended up at 3 hours.
Both Matt and Mark and the girls spent their time chatting rather than trying to appreciate the countryside and forest around them or so it appeared to me. At certain points on the climb you are cut off with no signs of civilisation.
We arrived in Tourette and caught the bus to Vence where we had a drink in the square. Another bus ride took us back to La Colle. Maggi and I paid for everyone’s fares as we did the next day. I found it hard to believe that Mark paid his way during the time he spent with us. I think he believed that because Fiona isn’t drinking then he should be absolved from some of the incidental expenditure.
In the evening we walked down to the village to have our most expensive meal of the holiday. A very poor experience ensued. The food as usual stood out as excellent but the fact that we didn’t emerge from the restaurant until 4 hours had passed made the meal a nightmare. One dish needed to be returned and the owner/chef refused to compensate us for the inconvenience of the evening. We won’t return.
Thursday 4th January
This morning we set off again on foot from the house and walked down to the River Loup and followed it all the way to the coast.
At one point a sign advises that you go no further because of the danger of falling rocks. We continued nonetheless. It is very attractive to walk beside the river in the gorge with the sound of the water rushing past.
On our route we stopped in Villeneuve Loubet to look for a place to have a drink. In the small town square we found only restaurants not prepared to serve drinks. However as we left the centre and followed our path we discovered a small bar/cafe called The Wolf. Here the proprietor displayed a huge level of hospitality. He brought our drinks plus water for everyone. When he brought out a chalk board with the menu and we declined he didn’t seem put out at all, just smiled. The only annoying about The Wolf came from the continous Europop booming out from the monster TV.
We strolled on to the nearby park, all part of the route, and had our picnic on a table. I asked a passing dog walker to take the picture of our group as we enjoyed our lunch in the sun.
After lunch we trundled onto the beach. Fiona took foolishness to new heights as she stripped off and put on her swimming costume and entered the cold sea. The rest of us sat around in both admiration and astonishment. Rather her than me was my overriding thought.
From the front at Cagnes sur mer we made our way to the station where we caught the bus back to La Colle. A nice days outing enjoyed by all. In the evening we eat a spaghetti dish made by Matt.
Friday 5th January
Day of rain and our visitors leave us. A lot of debate over the last two days about the time that Mark should take the hire car back to OK Mobility where he had hired the car. Eventually a decision is made and we eat in St Eloi and have a very friendly meal. They all eat the hamburger while Maggi and I have the Plat du Jour which is fish in sauce with rice. They leave after returning from the restaurant and catch the 5:50 plane back to England. The rain continues to put all day.