Last day in Menton 2012

Today is the last day of this wonderful vacation in Menton. we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast on the patio, with the delicious croissants given to us yesterday. We. Then we ran along the Porte de Menton enjoying the sounds and the scenery. The temperature was 28degrees today and many people were on the beach. We saw little dogs panting and running around, little kids playing soccer with their grandparents, and couples sitting in beach cages, sipping rose. We cooled of half way through our run, by walking along the beach and splashing in the sea. The water is still quite cool.

We then walked up our 227 steps and passed out on the patio. Since we are not buying food anymore, we had(!!!!!!)to go out for lunch. Down again those blessed 227steps we went, hungry and ready for a great meal. We found a beach restaurant and sat under a canopy. Peter had the salade nicoise and I had a bowl of ice cream. We watched people just lying on the beach, two little boys forever throwing rocks into the sea, and little dogs just running around and having fun.

Finally, it was time to return to our apartment to pack our bags.Tonight, we ate at this charming restaurant downtown. We both had delicious salmon. We are now ready to board a plane in the morning.While we hate to leave, I think that we are now ready to return home to the rock. I can't wait to be closer to our boys , to see Sam and Maggie, and to get back to routine. thanks for reading...Bridget

Day on the beach

Today was the warmest day here in Menton so far. It was 25degrees, no wind, and not a cloud in the sky. The sea was crystal blue with a gentle surf. We ate our breakfast on the patio at 11am, drank our tea and coffee and planned our day. Hmmmmmm! How about a picnic on the Menton beach that extends along the harbor front. With cheese and bread in hand, we made baquette sandwiches, a punch of orangina, lemonade and white wine, we headed down to the beach.

Of course, with our holiday 'efficient' schedule, we reached the beach at 2:30pm. There were little kids playing in the Mediterranean,people swimming, couples playing cards.....the atmosphere was wonderful. We put out our beach towels, one Tweety, the other snakes and Ladders and ate our lunch. The water was very clean but ? Cold. Our lunch was fabulous especially with the punch!

We decided to return back to the apartment....rough day!!!!Before we headed up our 227 steps, we stopped at the local pizza shop and bought pizza, a fresh baguette, and was given 2 croissants.

Well, that was wonderful. Arriving back at the apartment, we sat out on our shaded patio, and read .Tonight, we watched 2 Madmen episodes,that were great. Tomorrow is our last day here.

Au revoir

Isole 2000

Monday, we decided to tour a ski lodge here. Armed with our knowledgeable, quiet, and trusty GPS, we left Menton and headed to the mountains. The A8 is the main connector highway and we were quickly transported to the valleys of the French Alps, within 30 minutes. Soon, we were at the base of these rock faces and behind a big bus. The speed limit was 70 kms and cars were passing each other. Soon, we came to the base of a peak and we zigzagged up 20 60degree turns until we. Finally reached Isola 2000. The season is basically over, but there were still skiers enjoying the spring conditions. We sat outside on a restaurant patio, enjoying the sun and the view. The mountains were spectacular...pictures to follow.

Driving back was a lot easier, and we were soon back in Menton. We picked up a baguette and lounged on the patio for the rest of the day.....A Demain.

the IPad decided to post without consulting me!!!!! We stopped at a restaurant, perched outside on a Mediterranean beach. Peter ordered a glass of white wine and I had a rose. I watched the sea and the waves. Peter watched thePosches, Ferraris, and one Maserati . We then picked up fresh baguettes, and headed back up 227 stairs back to our apartment for a nice relaxing supper. I am really enjoying this pace of life!

While inNice, yesterday, the girl in the bunny costume,was the bride to be. She was enjoying her stag and she was accompanied by several girlfriends. They were walking on the main promenade in Nice. She and her group singled out Peter to wish her Bon chance. This seems to be a custom here. 2 years ago, we were in Saintes, in NW France, and eating at a restaurant in the town square. A similar group of females approached our table and asked Peter also to wish the bride to be "bonchance". Maybe, he is hot, or just maybe he looks like a safe elderly man.I don't

Know!!!!!

our time is here is getting quite short, so tomorrow we are heading out for our last 2012 Med adventure. I will keep you posted. A Demain!!!!!

Guess what we are doing! No, close, yes!!!!We are watching Wheeler Dealers. A 2004 BMW,bought for $4500.00,is being fixed up. it has a broken gearbox and needs to be replaced.Theyhopeto sell for a little profit, usually in the $1000.00 range. Earlier tonight, they fixed up this 1985 Ferrari....I'm scaring myself.

Did I mention that we walk up 227 large stonestepsback up to our apartment from the main road.

I would complain, except locals, in their 80's can do it. Well, we had rain today, all ten drops.

The water was still and sailboats and yachts were just hanging out. lots of people were out walking and sitting on the beach .We walked again to theoldvillage of Menton, once we had read our newspapers. The little streets just weave all through the old villages. Many of the ten story old houses are a golden stucco. there are flowers everywhere, cascading down walls, woven through shutters, and decorating stone steps. Some of the paths are just footpaths, and the roads between houses are single car only. There were two large churches in the middle of all of the crammed houses.

Eventually, we ended up in the town square, where there was lots of activity. people eating in outdoor cafes

Sorry, I did not blog yesterday, because basically we did nothing. We had a strenuous 30 minute run, against strong sea winds...there were actually surfers in the Harbour yesterday. once we had climbed the thirty stairs back to our apartment, we decided to blob on our patio.We have a little lizard that visits us. at 4pm, we drove to the grocery store and bought a quiche for supper( a much more simpler meal than the night before). there is a lovely main series of streets in Menton, that are pedestrian only. Parents are sitting while little kids run around. Dogs walk with their owners and sometimes snarl at each other. There is an old carousel in the square that is still functional and young and old alike ride the horses. as well, around 7pm, restaurant owners stand in front of their restaurants trying to entice the hungry pedestrian. marvellous!!!!!!

I forgot to discuss the historical features of the Hotel Ezra that we stayed in 2 nights ago. the village of Eze was founded in the 8th century. It is a walled village atop of a rocky point, 1400 ft above the Mediterranean Sea. This little village has been attacked multiple times, finally by Louis XIV at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1920,the prince William of Sweden visited Eze. he bought Chateau Eza and lived there for 3decades, and even governed Sweden from the chateau. This chateau has now become the hotel that we stayed in.

Today, we decided to return to Nice. It was a beautiful, sunny day, around 20 degrees. we took the A8 through several tunnels and , within half an hour, we were inNice. We found this parking garage in Massena, right in the city center, and we parked our little Skoda 4 floors down . You really need a small car to drive here. driving down the four floors, Peter had to manoever very narrow hairpin turns in the parking garage .

we then ate lunch at this lovely cafe that we ate at last year. We both had the jambon Roquefort , which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The square was full of people, enjoying the sun and the beautiful surroundings. feeling wonderfully content after our lunch, we then walked the main pedestrian streets, There were many bookstores, clothing stores, bike shops, and patisseries.

Finally, we arrived at the Promenade d'Anglais, which extends along the beachfront in Nice.Thousands of people were walking the beach and the promenade today. Kids were swimming in the sea, people and their pooches were sunbathing. Peter (for the second time!) was introduced to these young females, one of which was getting married. The pre? Bride was dressed in a bunny costume, pink, and fluffy. Peter's ego had a major boost!!! The market was on , as well! Stalls of flowers, orchids, fresh fruit, fish, antiques.......sandwiched between restaurants on both sides of the street. Usually, when the markets close and the sellers take their wares home,the restaurants then move more tables out into the center square.They differentiate their tables by having a specific color scheme. Time flies when you are in a dynamic city like Nice and we packed up to return to Menton. Our reliable GPS, with the voice turned of, lead us to the A8. As we were leaving the city, we were stuck in a traffic jam. We finally saw the problem, there were riot police everywhere and people marching and chanting. it was a tad scary. It was so nice to return to the old town of Menton. Tonight, we ate some chicken at home and are watching Taxi Driver. CIAOOOO!

Today, we were extremely lazy. We woke up in this amazing old medieval stone house, our apartment, listening to the voices of the little village. Breakfast was served in this patio, 400 m above a valley, on a rock face . The Mediterranean provided a beautiful view...pictures to follow.

Leaving the medieval town of Eze, we descended down many winding roads, hairpin turns, and endured many crazy drivers to return to our temporary 'home' in Menton. It was just plain wonderful to sit out on the patio and blob in the beautiful sunshine and blob we did. we were both recovering from the luxurious meal of the Restaurant Eze, and decided just to do nothing today.

I have been catching up on my reading, having just finished "Left Neglected". what a great read!

In Eze, I bought a bracelet with dangly bits on it...I think that the book probably influenced my decision. tonight, we ate a pasta at home and chilled. A Demain.....

This GD iPad is driving me to drink. It just deleted the best part of the Eze experience for nogoodreason. there is no undo button. UGgggggggh'!!!!!!!!

Deep breath...inhale 1,2,3...,,,so the restaurant tonight was a 2 star restaurant. We had the degustation menu, the tasting menu. We were lead into this formal restAurant and were seated next to a window overlooking Nice, Cap Ferrat and the corniches,(3 levels of roads). We were then served an amusebouche of cheese basil and tomatoes..Very nice. The main meal began with an asparagus gazpacho, followed by a squash velouté.. We will need a jumbo jet to lug my carcass back to NL!!!!!! Foie GRAS was then served and was quite good. Amazingly, lamb was the main course andi really liked it. Our palates were then cleansed with lemoncello sorbet... I highly recommend it. Our pre dessert was an expresso, cream chocolate pudding. The main dessert was a rose macaroon resting on a plate of ice cream. Cream and raspberries. I drank a delicious rose, from Provence with my meal. We met this young couple, from Chicago, who were driving through France and Italy. A demain my loyal followers.....

Today was like the best day of our holiday and I really don't know why. we ate breakfast on our deck overlooking the Mediterranean. It was 20 degrees, breezy,and the palm trees were making a swishing noise. The rich blue of the sky was mirrored in the blue of the ocean. It was very difficult to leave our patio this morning, but depart we did. The magic little diesel Skoda transported us 450 meters above sea level to the little village of Eze.

The speed limit was 50kms going up this very narrow winding road, with blind turns on cliff faces everywhere. Straight below was the Mediterranean Ocean and rock face. Of course, cars and scooters were passing us as if we were stopped. Go figure!!!!!

We then arrived in Eze village. This is a castle in this old French village. Our hotel was a collection of old stone houses. Our room is a 2 story house with a downstairs living room and an upstairs bedroom. Our balcony looks out to the narrow cobblestone streets. On arrival,we were served a glass of champagne on the deck overlooking the ocean. C'est tres beau. The afternoon was spent

Looking into little shops and art galleries.

there is a new Wheeler Dealer on tonight and Peter is very excited. it is the car show that we watch every night. but, to iChat,is the start of a new series and refurbishing of an old Fiat Spider...should be a blast!!!!!!!

Waking up at 10am, we ate a wonderful breakfast of banquettes and tea. We then went for a 40minuterun along the Porte.It was sunny , about20 degrees,with a soft breeze, and just wonderful for running.Lots of people were out walking and enjoying the beautiful day. Both of us really enjoyed our run and we then climbed the 30 steps back to our apartment. I tell you that vertical climb is the hardest part of any run. once back at our place,we sat on our gorgeous patio, enjoying this amazing view of the ocean and palm trees. After lunch, we walked down to the old village of Menton, and climbed many old stairs and alleyways. I have some amazing pictures to share soon. The cobbled streets are beautiful and many streets have stone mosaics. We visited a very ornate old church and some art galleries. We then arrived at the city center.Themarkets, carousels, and smells of Menton, greeted us. After purchasing some groceries, we found this lovely restaurant, Deux Anges. The menu was lovely and we ordered spaghetti, for Peter, and gnocchi for myself. We finished with fruit salad, for me, and real tiramisu for Peter .

Tonight, it was raining for the first time since our arrival,and we, again, climbed the 30 steps back to our place. The wheeler dealer show is now on....A demain!

I must apologize for my spelling and grammar errors but this IPad does not cooperate with corrections unless it decides to!!!! And Peter just finished reading Slaughterhouse Five notCat's Cradle.

Today, we woke at 10:30 am. I ran down thirty steps to the boulangerie and bought a fresh baguette for 1 euro and then huffed back up these thirty steps to our apartment. we then had a lovely breakfast . after some discussion and research,we decided to visit Italie, as it is spelled here. I mean the border is .5km from our apartment,so, armed with passports, we drive to the border in our little black Skoda,with a white roof. ya know, it looks like a mini and drives like a tank. I digress! So we get to the border and no one is there. We just drive on through!

In twenty minutes, we are in Vermiligua, a beautiful city very close to Francia(France). This city is right on the Mediterranean and today the surf was really up. There is a beautiful beach which continues for miles. Many gorgeous pictures were taken. walking through this beautiful city, we saw many liquor stores, beautiful restaurants, and boutiques. There is a river running through the city with a very old looking, almost Romanesque bridge crossing it. we found a pizzeria right on the beach and got a table right in front of the surf . I ordered .25l of vino blanco for 5euros and Peter had a beer. There were many types of pizza, and we ordered a salami and a pepperoni pizza. The bread was a delicious flatbread and the pizza was delicious, and plain by Canadian standards .

We then walked the full length of the beach . A beautiful day! I read that this city is famous for its Friday markets where stalls are packed with farmers produce and cheap leather goods. Unfortunately, we missed this today.

We then returned to Menton along some very winding steep roads. I had heard that drivers here regard the center line in the road as a mere suggestion. That is so true!!!! Tonight, we watched the Wedding Crashers! cute! Arrivederci, my loyal fans

the Mirazur is a stupendous restaurant. To achieve a 1star status in French restaurants, a chef has to be reviewed, critiqued and then spittooned. And, I might add, you can lose this status if your

Restaurant deteriorates. Well, now start salivating my loyal readers, excluding,of course, those who prefer Country Ribbon chicken burgers to home cooking. We were whisked upstairs toour table, overlooking the Mediterranean , where there were sailboats frolicking on a beautiful March day. The atmosphere was formal, with a waiter serving water, a waiter bringing our menu, and a sommelier hovering. Where it was only 1pm, we did not need a full bottle of white but each had a glass of white wine of Provence.

We then had an amuse Bouche of little fish eggs served on a bed of moss on top of a large rock. I qthought, put with the old china, and in with the beach rocks...my only challenge would be Sam constantly stealing them. We were then served this melt in your mouth bread with a ginger and lemon infused olive oil. Mackeral tasters were then brought...stupendous!!!!! we decided onthe Decouverte menu; 6 courses where the chef surprises you. We were first served a razor sliced broccoli and cauliflower medley in a Parmesan cream sauce with fresh coriander. following this, and I might add, no one rushes here, we ate a delicious combination of potato with fried potato wafers, asparagus, green onion,and an amazing cream sauce. A feast for the eye followed with each of us being served a bird's nest of crispy rice thin noodles covering very thin slivers of a delicious pink fish, and served with a lemon coriander sauce. Well, are you full yet?

The main course was the crescendo of this symphony. A white fish, the waiter, in his broken English and our broken French, explained that it was like a snake in the water. was it eel????

Well, it was delicious!!!! And the line of veggies meticulously presented with a asparagus cream sauce spread beside the fish in the shape of a teardrop, as well as a mango sauce to the left of the plate. All of our breads, water, and cutlery were then whisked away. We were then brought a sorbet of fresh mango with intermixed lime jello, topped with a lemon infused ice cream. A taste sensation. Of course, this was not dessert. Dessert then arrived with a lemon cake , broken into bite sized pieces, with a surrounding pistachio sauce and pistachio nuts and a crime fraiche.

I'm in Heaven!!!!!Now , for cafe au lait and tea. By this time, it is 4:10 pm. we sat at 1pm!!!!

We then asked for l'addition, which came with homemade macaroons and sweetened rice chips.

Luckily, this place is just down the street from our apartment, so we rolled home and just read for the rest of the day. I finished reading the Brothers Sisters, and Peter is plowing through the Cat's Cradle.

I apologize for misleading you. I bought fresh pasta but I did not cook it...someday, maybe! I heard that the best way to learn is to cook pasta with someone very experienced in the craft. Tomorrow, we are eating lunch at the 8thbest restaurant inthe world! more to come,my curious little readers.

Tonight,we had homemade pizza with chorizo and ementhal grated cheese ....delicious!!!!!

Even though it is only 15 degrees here today,it was sunny and I had to wear sunscreen. We drove to St. Paul , a small village within a stone wall. We had to park outside the village and then walk along these gorgeous cobbled streets. first, we stopped at this little restaurant. Peter (in case someone reads it,other than you three) ordered a croquet-Monsieur and I ordered a grilled cheese.

I ordered a glass of Chardonnay but Monsieur recommended a glass of Provence white wine, which was delicious. the sandwiches were fantastic and we just sat there, tourist watching. A few locals were playing a very intense game of bocce, which a bus load of tourists walked right through!

We then headed into the village,which had a lot of art shops. The first art gallery had sculptures of people heading somewhere but missing the central part of their bodies. Pretty interesting. Another place carried Chagall and Picasso prints. My favorite was this gorgeous painting of a girl and a golden retriever,who reminded me of my Maggie, whom I now miss dearly. We then saw many gifty Provence shops, which were lovely. Avendor, hidden under a stone veranda, and selling homemade ice cream, caught our eye,and we indulged...mmmmmmm!!!!!!

I must comment on the A8 highway which gets you everywhere ontheFrench Riviera very quickly.

of course, we are traversing the French Alps, so the highways are quite twisting. Most roads go through the mountains, not over them. At speeds of 110kms (don't think that your father slowed down) we cruised in double and triple lanes through tunnels through the mountains. ONE TUNNEL was 1.2 kilometers long.

When we flew in from Frankfurt, our plane flew over the Alps. They were truly spectacular. I kept waiting for Heidi's grandfather to wave, but I was disappointed!

Tonight, we ate at home and rested up for a run tomorrow morning followed by a much anticipated lunch. A Demain!

Les Cheins lde Menton

Les Chiens de Menton are a really spoiled lot! "While out for our late morning/ early noon run, we jogged past the yachts on the harbourfront, and there was this little black pouf dog. he was lying on his mat on the roof of this yacht, and, like Sam, raised his head to bark at us, and then flopped right back to his siesta. I saw this poodle today wearing a diamond studded harness, and, don't get me started on Burberry collars. I have seen poodles sitting next to their owners at seaside restaurants, looking very refined and almost snooty. Why, I think that Maggie would first clear out the restaurant, claiming the space, and Sam would proceed to eat all of the bread. The visuals are quite disturbing.

Today, many Menton natives were wearing winter boots, but there was no snow! I remember driving down Thorburn Road during a winter storm,and seeing this young lady gingerly walking through the snow with sandals on! I don't think that Mentonians(?)would partake of such fashion statements. There are many restaurants preparing for the Easter weekend, which is the start of the summer tourist season.

Today, we walked through the streets of Menton, saw the Casino for gambling, high end boutique stores and chocolatiers, mmmmmmmmm! We also shopped at this Supermarche for a few groceries. I ate the most delicious strawberries and we had steaks for supper! sorry, Andrew.

We are now sat back, watching TV at our cozy little spot.

Today, I will not mention winter jackets, but it was 14 degrees or less here today.There were even toques for sale on the downtown streets of Monaco. yes, my devoted readers, all 3 of you, We hit the vertical principality of Monaco. The principality is governed by Prince Ranier of Monaco and is 2 miles wide. Because it is such a tax haven for the super rich, many billionaires live partly here. there are yachts galore .and the Monaco GrandPrix lives here. We had a lovely lunch on Princess Grace Street. Peter had minestrone Soup, tres deliceaux, minus the beans,ham, that I make at home. I had a gorgeous Ceasar salad, Chardonnay, and a latte to finish. We also people watched , which is a frequent activity here .

driving into Monaco in our little spunky diesel Skoda, we had to drive down a mountain of hairpinned turns and very narrow streets, while watching a GPS. Just when you are trying to negotiate with someone driving very fast in the opposite direction on a hairpin turn on a very narrow road, a scooter decides to pass you from nowhere. Mon Dieu!!!!

We climbed up the hill in Monaco, on some lovely stairs to the Prince's Palace.We then walked the cobblestone streets, peaked in little shops and passed a lovely afternoon. we passed the Grimaldi statue, in front of the palace. he is the original of this present royal family.

Returning back to the main shopping area, we popped into a store called Mango, where I did some retail therapy!!!!!! By the way, the couple next to us at the lunch restaurant consumed a whole bottles of rose wine. It is the wine of southern France and is served chilled. The rose color is related to how long that the red grapes are fermented. I highly recommend it.

Tonight, we arrived back to Menton and our lovely apartment. A delicious bolognese sauce and homemade pasta was then made by moi and served with bread and olive oil. Bon Appetit!!!

Menton day 3

I was a tad hasty with my new wine resolution! Today, while eating lunch at this gorgeous cafe overlooking the Mediteranean, I drank a gorgeous rose . Dad had a beer. dad also had a gorgeous pizza and I had ravioli.....mmmmmmdelicious.

We actually woke up at 9 am ,had breakfast, and then jogged for thirty minutes. We saw people swimming in the ocean and people wearing winter jackets. The temp was 20 degrees and we quite enjoyed the run. There is a large pedestrian walkway along the main drag which borders the sea.I realize the love that people have for their dogs, some sitting at their own seats in restaurants....don't tell Maggie andSam. I really miss them!!

After our gorgeous lunch, we strolled through the streets of Menton. There were many local stores selling local crafts, patisseries, and lemon everything. There are lemon stars, lemon trees, lemon squares, lemoncello....We then climbed back up toour apartment and enjoyed the sunset. Looking forward to alloy our e-mails and comments..

The night after consuming a half bottle of Chablis and a shot of local Menton lemoncello can be very rough. My new resolution is 1 glass of vino per day. Today, we slept in again!!! We woke at 1:40 pm. Tomorrow, the alarm will be on!!! We headed down to the casino, or grocery store, and bought a ton of groceries, lovely veggies, olive oil, wine in the drink section, and fresh baguettes and croissants. Andrew, I thought of you when I saw those beautiful light croissants. We then headed home in our little Skoda Fabio.

Our Skoda is a little European diesel car. It turns on a dime and never cuts out. The roads in this very old city are very narrow and very steep. The whole city is built into a mountain . Drivers cruise down these 1 1/2 width roads like it was a raceway. Luckily, there are very wide sidewalks, so walking and jogging is a pleasure. We jogged along the harbor front yesterday in shorts and light t-shirts. Most people were wearing winter jackets , including Canada Goose jackets. Needless to say, we did get a few looks. Of course, it was 20 degrees.

Menton has 317 days of sunny weather each year. The lemon festival just finished and there are ripe lemons everywhere. Absolutely love this place.

March France 2012

Day 1 of our holiday in Menton,France. We woke at 1:40 pm. I THOUGHT maybe the clocks are wrong....maybe it is am...maybe I'm dreaming. Then we had a beautiful breakfast on the patio overlooking the Mediterranean and sunbathing in March. 20degrees today and sunny. Menton has 317 days of sun each year. Our dining room table is on the patio! We then jogged on the harbor front for 30minutes and ended up in Cap Martin. I was jogging in a T-shirt and others were walking around in Canada Goose jackets.

We then walked back to our apartment . Everything is on a mountain so we climbed up these old stone stairs, arrived at our place, and then drank Sauternes and orangina, a lovely mixture, I might add. Then, mon dieu, it was 7pm , so we walked down Boulevard de Garavan,to a very local superb restaurant, la Loca. We started in the bar, started a bottle of dry white and tapas.Then we moved inside, and started with a gorgeous salad. Peter then had the succulent, and I mean succulent!!!!!, rib special and I had the salmon penne...mmmmmmm delicious. We then asked for the bill and was given some local potent lemoncillo..mmmmmmm."loved day 1