Saturday; Lunch with Friends in Coursegoules

Coursegoules Village

Saturday turned out to be a day in Coursegoules, the small mountain village where Nola and Randy live.  It's about 15 km from Vence and a 1000 feet higher at 3000 feet above sea level.   MA and I got up earlier, walked to the Boulangerie for a pastry to take to Henry's where we have "cafe creme" every morning. We sat there people watching, a fascinating passtime for us here.


MA walked back to the hotel and I took some photos around the square of people selling their produce.  One lady in particular whom I've seen every morning has the most wonderful tomatoes I have ever seen or tasted.  I usually buy one, slice it up right there and have it for a breakfast dessert.

Michel and Chantal arrived at 11:00 and we all drove up to Nola and Randy's "maison".  We had coffee on their beautiful terrace and then off for lunch at the Le Bistro in Coursegoules.

Lunch was a choice between steak, breaded turkey steak or pork loin.  It came with carrots, peas, ravolli and stuffed vegetables with a salad or sausage plate as a starter.  After lunch we strolled around this beautiful old village and of course I took many photos. 


We said "au-voir" to Michel and Chantal and the four of us took off for a visit to a close friend of Nola and Randy's.  Her name is Karen and she has a beautiful apartment with a great view of the Mediterranean.  In the course of the conversastion it came around that we would be welcome to do a vacation rental with Karen perhaps next summer.  Guess MA will stick with her French lessons for another year!!  Was there ever a doubt? !! Later last evening MA's other sister Maureen surprised her with a call from California.  These sisters! They sure love to talk!


Time to pack up and head for Venice on Baboo airlines.  That should be fun.  They have super strict baggage rules on Baboo so we've been packing carefully and weighing and balancing everything to keep at 44 pounds per bag. Had to pack my backpack in MA's carryon to stay at the one bag carryon limit. Two days in Venice and we board Princess Cruises.  It's all good but we also miss our other life in TLC and Houston and getting to talk to our grandchildren and their parents!


Later! WW & MA

Morning in Vence & Cagnes sur Mer

Henry's Cafe

This morning I got up early as usual and walked around Vence looking for some photo ops finding some interesting scenes that I will post later in my Smugmug website folder called "Uniquely French".

I found my way back to the Hotel Diana around 8:30 and MA was up and ready to go to Henry's Cafe for coffee. (See Pic above and below!) We stopped in the local store and bought four yogurts, two for breakfast and two for tomorrow.  At Henry's, MA ordered two "cafes creme" in perfect French and we sat outside watching the people converse and greet each other.  Friends greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, male-male or female-female or male-female, it's just a polite way to greet friends.  The procession of people passing by included locals with their dogs, kids on toy scooters, shop keepers, tourists, and moms escorting the kids to school.

After coffee at Henry's we found out it was Friday open air market day in the town square. We checked out the assorted stalls selling fruits and vegetables, olives, eggs, flowers, spices, pastry, breads, clothes, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, shoes, hand bags, and I'm sure I forgot something.  I splurged and bought an extra tee shirt and pair of sunglasses as I had left mine in Houston.

I am not shy about saying hello to strangers and on the way back to the Hotel Diana I greeted an older passerby with my "Bon Jour". Somehow he figured out we were tourists and asked where we were from.  I of course said "Texas". (I have found that if you say Texas it immediately invokes a positive reaction from 98% of the people).   

He smiled and switched to English introducing himself as Xavier. He told us he had lived in New York many many years ago. After a brief conversation and how much we enjoyed Vence we said good bye and he continued on toward the market square.

Henry's patrons with their black dog

Nola picked us up and we drove down to the coast to the small town of Cagnes sur Mer for lunch at "Le Neptune", a seaside seafood restaurant. Afterwards, Nola and MA dipped their toes in the Riviera Mediterranean and then we headed back, taking some detours to see the "real French" neighborhoods.  Coffee and fresh lemonade followed back at Henry's and Nola dropped us off at the Diana.

The rest of our plans for today included hooking up with an old friend of mine, Michel Jambou and his wife Chantal. We rendez-vou'd at a cafe (of course) in the market square and caught up with old times over drinks and pizza. 

I had met Michel about 20 years ago via mutual friends while I was still with HPD.  He is a flight attendant for Air France and he and his wife were in Provence looking for a home to buy when he retires.  MA and Chantal conversed in French mostly and I practiced my English with Michel.  They offered to take us to Coursegoules tomorrow to meet up with Nola and Randy at their place.

Vence Square produce stand

Calling it a night now! It's 2pm in Houston, 9pm here.  We'll be in prayer for TLC tomorrow. It might be on French time, but HE doesn't care!

Later!  WW & MA

Tourrettes sur Loup, Gourdon, & Coursegoules

Tourrettes sur Loup

Talk about history, this little village of Tourrettes Sur Loup has it.  It was built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the French Riviera.  You can literally see the coast from the village.  It is also is one of the most beautiful we have visited of what are called the "perched" villages of the rolling backcountry of the Côte d’Azur. 

The village is fortified as a semi-circle off the main road, surrounding a huge 15th century castle. These perched villages all have a few things in common; their  water souce, fountains that you can fill your water bottle with; a central concrete water trough where the women in times past washed clothes, a church, high walls, and a lord and master over them during medievel times. Tourrettes has preserved its picturesqueness: steep cobblestone streets and stone-built houses which all add great character to the city.

While it is is known as a medievel village today, in earlier times it was invaded by every barbarian who ever set foot in France. The villagers were no match against the unrelentless onslaught of Visigoths, Huns, Francs and Lombards until the 5th century. It was then the turn of the Saracens to invade and occupy.  They stayed in control until the Medievel Period. And if invasions and wars weren't enough to cope with Tourrettes had to put up with the Black Plague for 70 years beginning in 1463.

After the Wars of Religion (1562-1598) followed by the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) then the War between Austria and England (1744-1748) one would have hoped for a little peace and serenity to come to Tourrettes - but it was still not to be.

The Marquis de Villeneuve families had held onto this their private kingdom until 1789 when the French Revolution suddenly erupted. The last Marquis, Joseph César de Villeneuve, fled for his life as the villagers stormed his Château. He barely escaped via a secret passageway under the village and into the countryside. He managed to get to Vintimille (Italy) where, unfortunately, he was recognized and put to death.

That's enough history.   The weather was gorgeous on our visit to Tourrettes.  We walked around town until MA, Nola and Randy decided to leave me and the Nikkon on our own for awhile. We met up back at the town square and had lunch (2 hours).  Afterward, I went back into this medievel village and took some more photos.

We left Tourrettes and drove down a little ways and then around and into a deep gorge.  I looked up and saw a village way up on top of another mountain and said something about it.  Randy said, "Yes, it's Gourdon; that's where we're headed."

I thought these other villages were high up, but Gourdon, was still higher at 2,000 feet above sea level.  Again we walked around, I took some photos of some really neat stuff and we decided to drive to Nola and Randy's home in yet another village: Coursegoules.

On the way it started raining with some hail thrown in so we just went inside, had snacks and some Quiche Lorraine while Nola and MA continued down memory lane. One is never without something to eat we've discovered, but all the walking makes up for that!  Coursegoules the village would have to wait for another visit. 

We did meet Lulu and Gabby, their two cats.  After a professional photo session of the cats for Nola, they got us back back to Vence and the Hotel Diana. Two more days in this beautiful, beautiful place and we head for Venice, Italy. Don't know if it'll be quite the same without Nola and Randy!  Later!

Coursegoules