Today was tough. We had to pack up and say goodbye to the house and hills in Brannoux and drive 4 hours or so southeast to Nice. On the highway we passed a smart car coupe, yes that sounds ridiculous (merits adding the photo below). We ran into some trouble at the tollbooths; seems their new system has kinks (like identifying which lanes don’t take cash/credit).
we decided to lunch in Antibe, an old port on the Mediteranian Sea near Nice. As we approached we could see signs of affluence (like more Mercedes and a Ferrari on the autoroute). We passed by the church on the coast and saw huge boats ranging in size up to cruise liners moored off the shore. In the marina, the one that caught my eye was a mean looking Pershing 72 in gunmetal gray (it’s twin engines have over 1800lbs of thrust and can top out at 45knots/54mph on the open water). Lunch was good, but interesting. The sausage was a bit unique (consisting of pig stomach). The waitress told me “now you are really French!”. I enjoyed a good beer, great view and lemoncello with my folks and wife for a combined birthday/fathers day lunch. My dad even gave me yet another gift, a fountain pen to replace the one nearly empty at work. After we checked in at the Ibis we parted ways and took a slight nap. We walked the promenade way up the beach and stood barefoot in the ocean. For dinner we had pizza from a small delivery place with a window for sidewalk customers. Tonight I enjoyed a couple beers while getting my net on and enjoying the hotels wifi.
