mai 3 - 10: Nice, Valbonne parts deux

We arrived by train, and our first night, we took Lonely Planet's advice and ate at Restaurant Gesu for the "no-frills, local experience." They were on the money. While waiting, we chatted with a former local who recommended the pizza, but we'd had some for lunch. We were served by the "gravelly-voiced patron" himself who was a short, friendly, slightly frantic man. Our zucchini beignets, raviloli and fettucini were super, but we decided to break the bank and belly and each get chocolate mousse as well. At some point our waiter changed to a younger guy who I chatted with about Americans' and French people's views of each other. And after our good chat, he treated us to limoncello! We went home stuffed and feeling welcomed to the city.

Our hotel was near the train station, in an interesting immigrant neighborhood. We walked by at least four Halal butcher shops on Sunday morning, plus lots of internet spots including my favorite name, Allo Mama. We were headed for a departmental bike festival at the beach, and then I enjoyed showing Tim some places I had visited in the city in February.

That afternoon we went to the city's Matisse museum (he lived in Nice for a good while). It was a great overview of his life and different periods of his work -- everything from his earliest copies of other masters' works to his late color block collages. Sadly, we didn't see the last floor since the fire alarm rang; Tim and I were convinced that the museum folks wanted to leave an hour early for the Sunday afternoon festival that was happening in the park just outside. There was local music, people dancing, and lots of picnics.

We had a quiet Monday except for getting afternoon pastries at a nearby bakery where we sat and took in the after-school moms and kids scene. It's a French tradition to take the kids to get a little treat after school, and it gives them and the moms a chance to socialize at the bakery.

The next day we went to Vence, a nearby town, to see the chapel there that was designed entirely by Matisse. A sister in the convent had been his nurse and asked Matisse to do the work. It took him four solid years, and he called it his greatest work. Every aspect of the chapel was designed by Matisse from the blue and while tiled roof to the altar made out of a porous stone that resembles bread, a nod to communion that happens there. The chapel itself has stark white walls, two of them filled with stained glass in yellow, bottle green and deep blue. The other two were covered with black line paintings on shiny white tile, one of the stations of the cross, one of Mary and Jesus, and one of St Dominic since it´s a Dominican convent. Matisse even designed the vestments, too. (Sadly, no photos allowed inside.)

Our next day's outing was to Monte Carlo where we gawked at and along with the hordes of tourists at the changing of the guard at the Prince's Palace. The Monaco Grand Prix was only a few weeks away, so we saw bleachers, jumbotrons and barriers all over the city. More gawking at cars (Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, an Excalibur?!) in front of the Paris Hotel, the four-star-plus kitty corner to the casino which itself is a gorgeous art nouveau building.

We had a quieter time after at the beach in Eze where it was warm enough for a dip. We felt extra glamourous since Brad and Angelina had been there the day before. And we ended Nice time with another visit to Restaurant Gesu.

Our last destination together in France was the first farm where I had WWOOFed. Lesley and Robert opened us with open arms, and we spent two days living it up in four-star accommodations at the Domaine. Meals of market-fresh food outside on the terrace, a visit to the Valbonne market, drive to Gourdon, and lots of playing with and chasing down the two new beagle puppies: Daisy and Buster.

One final night at a funny airport hotel in Marseille included ping pong on their run-down outdoor table. And them Tim was off early the next monrning to Bournemouth, and me to Paris.