Settling In - Vence, France

We have used the last few days to settle in at our quarters in Vence and to spend some quality time with our host Stefan and his family.   Stefan’s two older sons Max and Nicolas have two friends visiting, so it’s nice to have some other kids around.  And Stefan’s youngest son Felix is only 8 months old, so it’s nice not to be the youngest one in the house!

Stefan and family have been wonderful hosts, making our transition to France very easy.   Their hospitality – especially the wonderful meals – has been first class all the way.  Typically, we have breakfast together at around 9a and dinner at around 5p.   Meal prep and clean-up is mostly a group effort, and Mommy and daddy look forward to pitching in more once they get their bearings in the kitchen.

We are staying in our own little cozy guest house on the property of Stefan (see picture).  It’s perfect for us.  It is two stories, with a kitchen and living area on the first floor and bedroom and bathroom on the second floor.  The large windows make for great views of Nice, Cannes, and of course the Mediterranean Sea.

Our home away from home.

 While Stefan and his family are all German, they have acclimated well to the French culture.  In addition to English and German, most of them speak fluent French.  And there is never a shortage of great French fare, including yummy breads, fruits, cheese, chocolate and, of course, wine.   We even had home-made crepes for lunch on Friday.

Daddy has been active with sports since arriving.  The property features a tennis court that triples as a soccer court and basketball court.  Daddy and Stefan played soccer together in business school, so this has given them a chance to reunite on the pitch.  While mommy and I played a little basketball, daddy and Stefan played soccer against the four younger boys on our first night there.  The next day, they rode bikes ~5 miles up a mountain (7% grade, altitude 3000 ft).  Despite his spin training at home, daddy was quite sore the next day. 

There is also a swimming pool on the property, but it’s still a bit cold for use.  We look forward to warmer weather in May.

Stefan’s girlfriend Stefi walked with us the Old City in Vence on Friday.  We went to buy fresh bread, vegetables, fruit and olives for that night’s dinner.  The Old City was really neat, with several open-air markets and lots of small shops, cafes and colorful old buildings lining very narrow pedestrian-only streets.   We can’t wait to spend more time there.

We plan to divide our time in Vence and with Penny’s family this coming week.   I look forward to telling you more about our adventure in the next few days.   Until then, au revoir!