Well, it’s been a week since our last post, and I do apologize. But the weather has been just too nice to be inside and on the computer! In any event, it’s been a super week but for a few hiccups that I will explain shortly.
As noted in my last post, daddy and Stefan biked 5 miles to the top of the mountain at dawn last weekend. Although it was quite painful at that early hour, Daddy said the view was well worth it. Here is a photo he captured on mommy’s iPhone at the summit.
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| Sunrise over the Maritime Alps |
On Tuesday, we finally made the trip into lovely St. Tropez. Apparently, as some people might know, Saint-Tropez is a renowned playground to jetsetters, fashion models and millionaires. It’s about 1.5 hours from Vence on a good day, but with traffic or during rush hour, it can quickly turn into a 3 hour journey. So we decided to leave bright and early and were out the door by 7AM.
About 20 minutes into the trip, I started feeling a bit queasy. When mommy asked if I was alright, I quickly answered her by vomiting my breakfast all over myself and the car seat. Yuck! We pulled over and used bottled water, baby wipes and half a roll of paper towels to try to clean up the mess. Thankfully, I only managed to get a little bit on the seats and floors of daddy’s new ‘beep’. Despite the fact that I smelled like curdled milk, I was still determined to go to St. Tropez. So onward we traveled…
St. Tropez is just as beautiful as any photos or paintings would suggest. The village along the coast is lined with pastel-colored buildings, both old and new. And the huge yachts in the harbor were breathtaking. The old town has lots of narrow streets with loads of cafes and really neat shops, including some very high-end ones that appeal to the rich and famous visitors. And the city has a really big and diverse open-air market that was in full swing the day we were in town. Here are a few photos from our time in the main village of Saint-Tropez.
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| Typical look in the harbor village of Saint-Tropez |
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| So many beautiful boats from all over the world |
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| Olives, olives and more olives at the Saint-Tropez market |
We spent the remainder of our day on the beach at the famous Le Club Cinquante-Cinq (Le Club 55), just south of Saint-Tropez. We rented some chairs and an umbrella and enjoyed the beach (including service from the bar) for a couple of hours before having lunch at their beachside bistro. The dining area was actually on the sand but almost completely shaded by trees, umbrellas and strung-up canvas canopies. Most people were enjoying the enormous Crudités platters as a starter, followed by whole-cooked sea bass – the house favorites at Club 55. There were lots of beautiful people all around, especially those lounging on the big comfy white couches while sipping their Rosé. After lunch, we returned to the beach, where daddy and I spent most of the afternoon digging in the sand and splashing in the waves. Mommy did a lot of people-watching. As you might expect, we were caught in the crossfire of many a paparazzi trying to capture pics of some of the famous folks at the club (and perhaps some of the topless sunbathers). Nevertheless, we departed that afternoon with a new-found appreciation for the beach – just as long as we are at a cool beach club like Le Club Cinquante-Cinq. Here are some pics from our time there.
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| Bistro on the beach at Le Club 55 |
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| The house specialty at Le Club 55 |
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| "Ah...nothing better than a dip in the Mediterranean to get rid of that awful stench!" |
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| The sea view from Le Club 55 |
On Thursday, the plan was to drive along the coast from Nice towards Monaco before spending some time on a beach and then heading into Monte Carlo to watch practice runs for the Formula 1 Grand Prix race. I was so excited to see some real race cars in action! Unfortunately, a little mishap in the port village of Villefranche-sur-Mer tripped us up. While we were having breakfast in town, one of the large tour buses that shuttles arriving cruise ship passengers around the Cote d’Azur region accidentally hit daddy’s parked car. Since daddy is obsessed with backing into parking spots, the bus managed to damage the right headlight kit and surrounding areas. Naturally, we were all bummed about this, so we decided to head home to figure out how to handle the situation. Luckily, the car is fully insured, and we had all the necessary information from the other party as well as a witness. However, as this is France, nothing works as smoothly as at home. Consequently, daddy (and Stefan) spent the balance of Thursday and most of Friday talking with many insurance companies and other parties in Germany, France and the US to determine the right course of action. I am happy to report that it appears to be resolved (with a clear plan for repair), so we can now get back to enjoying our time here. Here's a photo of daddy's hurt 'beep':
Aside from those little adventures, the week has been rather uneventful, with lots of time spent at the local market, a picnic in the mountains, visiting the playground, riding the bike, playing tennis, swimming in the pool and enjoying meals at home (al fresco) with our gracious hosts. While there are so many more local places we’d like to see, it is also great just relaxing in Vence...not to mention, there are no careless tour buses within miles!
Looking ahead, I know daddy is excited to watch the Champions League soccer final on Saturday. More of Stefan’s friends arrive this weekend, and mommy and daddy plan to orchestrate a Tex-Mex themed meal for everyone on Sunday. Then we are all headed to Aix-en-Provence on Monday for lunch and to visit some of the surrounding French country villages. We will stay overnight at a quaint little inn run by a popular local chef and her husband and attached to their gourmet restaurant and cooking school. I am thinking that maybe I will go to bed on time that night so mommy and daddy can enjoy a peaceful dinner together – or maybe not! Either way, we return to Vence on Tuesday and then head to Sweden on Wednesday (for 5 days). Needless to say, it’s an action-packed week ahead, but I will do my best to post a blog sooner next time.
That’s all for now. Sorry for such a long one, but we had lots to catch up on. I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!
Love
Griffin
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