Tuesday April 12 - April 16 Including Ventimiglia

Tuesday April 12

We did not go to Ventimiglia (Ventimille) today after all.  We set the alarm (an unusual event)  but I checked the weather, it would be cool and cloudy, so, we went back to bed.  There are some good photo opportunities of the Mediterranean from the train, as long as the windows are not grubby! So I want some blue in my landscapes.  We'll try again tomorrow. 

So instead, we decided it would be a mall day and took the #12 fully electric bus to the big Cap 3000 mall, on the other side of Nice by the airport.  I might have mentioned this before, but since  the new tram to the airport was introduced a year or so ago, all the buses, and there were many different routes converging, have been taken off the prom. This is huge, the reduction in diesel fumes and congestion is noticeable to us now.  

  The #12 is the only bus now that serves the prom, except for some lines that just come down to the prom, turn and return back up the same road. 

Normal mall routine, I read a book, Lynda browsed.  Two differences from our malls to note.. dogs allowed, so, yes, some barking and rushing at each other to fight, and no food court.  Restaurants and cafes spread out throughout the mall.  Yes, McDonalds was there but most of the others looked independent, with some fine dining. 

As we walked into the mall a pleasant older lady, walking with her shopping buggy, got off the bus with us and stopped and chatted for about 10 minutes.  She urged us not to buy anything because the prices were too high. I didn't think to ask her why she was there, likely for a day out, which was exactly our purpose. 

She was born in Paris, lived in Chicago, LA, Montreal and was an au pair in London.  She was very entertaining to talk with. 

Here's a view from our bus seat, empty because we got on at the terminus, it was not at all like this when we got to the mall. Completely crowded, but everyone with masks.

À painted car. For some reason.  

View from the mall exterior, some of the restaurants inside also have frontage onto the sea.  Preferable view a parking lot.  

In any city we've been in, in North America or Europe, the Apple Store is always the busiest in the mall.  I buy my iPhones now second hand, from a little repair shop in Nanaimo. I don't like talking on cell phones, so hardly ever use it for anything other than checking email and Twitter, or taking photos.  Can't see paying a fortune for features I never use and I've never been disappointed with the quality of photos on the 4S, and now iPhone 6, although I did bring my Panasonic digital camera with me.  I think I'm now about 6 models behind the latest iPhone, so I might just make a trip to the repair shop for a "new" old phone.  But don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Apple, just not of gee-whizz latest tech versions.   But then we buy what we are told to buy and apple are great at doing that. 

I found this photo on Twitter quite poignant, a Ukrainian artist recording the devastation. Not all yellow sunflower 🌻 opportunities.

 

Wednesday April 15th 

We set the alarm again and headed off to the station in East Nice, about 12 minutes walk from the apartment. We aimed for the 10.05 train but we were early enough to just catch the 9.47. I was going to buy tickets at the wicket with cash because I don't like using the card because of extra transaction and exchange  fees, (hey, I worked in credit cards all my life...even 05% of a fee makes them millions a day) but there was a long line up and one person was spending a long, long time talking to the agent. So I used the ticket machine and that enabled us to get on the platform quickly just as the earlier train came in.  

It was jam packed to the rafters, turns out there was a tennis tournament in Monte Carlo. Everyone around had an English accent so I'm guessing some English player was competing, we got a seat after Monaco. 

We cased the Ventimiglia market and zeroed in on the pasta, and vegetables and strawberries 🍓 because I'm cooking duck breast with a fruit sauce for Easter.

We're normally here in winter and the colours in the market are amazing to us islanders used to grey and brown.  But this time, two months into spring, the colours of the fruit are even more spectacular. 

Walked our normal circuit to the beach for some photos of the waves. And then to our restaurant.  

The owner told us covid was hard to survive, but now they are open, the Ukraine war is having a dampening effect.  People are not in the mood to eat out, watching the news every night on the TV. Putin is a very real threat for all Europeans, from Finland and Sweden, to Poland and France. And Italy remembers the 2nd world war from the other side and understand dictators.  

The midday deal used to be 12e for a main plate, dessert 2 and 1/4 litre of wine, now 15e but still excellent home cooking and a bargain we love to come back to. 

We bought discount limoncello, no taxes on liquor in Italy, every 3rd store in Ventimiglia sells liquor. 

We got a good seat returning since it was the terminus, and all went well until we stopped at Cap D'Ail, the station right after Monaco.  

Gendarmes walking up the platform holding their holsters.  They got everyone to leave the train because of an unattended suitcase. Everyone of course stands on the platform so they started to push us down the steps and underpass to stand outside the station.   Yellow tape goes up.  Then we hear the train leaving. I checked the price of an Uber to Nice, (33 euros for future reference) and we just started to walk up to the Main Street when another empty train pulled in so we rushed back down to catch it.  In total, about 45 minutes in sunny, picturesque Cap D'Ail.  The line between Italy to Monaco, Nice and Cannes is one of the busiest in France so any disruption is huge for SNCF.  It's a commuter train between Nice and Monaco because all the workers in Monaco live in Nice, no affordable housing in the billionaire world capital. 

Café scène 

Lyndas walnut stall.  Our suitcase will be heavier with the big bag we're bringing home. 

Lynda inspecting the cheeses. We bought some Gorgonzola for an upcoming dish.

Greenhouses on the side of the mountain. 

The train just before we left Ventimiglia 

Our restaurant 

Lynda checking the departure time, little did we know how irrevelant the departure time would be! 

 Ventimiglia station.. not exciting but it functions. 

Our view when we were kicked off at Cap D Ail 

Nice view from the platform! First tier oligarchs have mansions in Monaco, 2nd tier locate in Cap, but still exclusive, we've visited here once before, and  the Main Street is all luxury car dealerships, and not much else. 

Milling around until we were all pushed off the platform. 

It's official when the yellow tape goes up.  

Field Guide To Pasta Caught In The Wild.   I'd never heard of Liguri but it looks like my early attempts at linguini. 

Thursday 14 April 

One of my French correspondents visited today.  He lives in Le Castellet, a town just north of Marseilles, 2.5 hours away on his scooter! First time we've met face to face. He booked a Niçois restaurant for lunch,

We all had Farci a local dish of stuffed vegetables. Lynda wants to return for the pannacotta! We were on a little patio, fortunately with shade from the hot sun. 

After, we walked to the port for coffee and walked back to the apartment together. A very pleasant day. 

Lynda on our balcony while I was waiting for Antoine on the street. 

Farci

Rose wine. France buys wine by region, not necessarily by grape varietal. We are in the rose region. 

Lyndas pannacotta with caramel on the side 

Don't rush the caramel, and lick the inside of the jar. 

Antoine 

View from the cafe 

Friday April 15

Another hot day.  We walked into town for information on buses to Monaco and Cannes. The good news, it's still 1.5 euros and you can pay cash on the bus. I was concerned they'd eliminated cash.  We're planning to go by bus next week, after the easter weekend, and when it's cooler. 

Our lunch time entertainment was watching the children play in the park fountains 

While there are restaurants on every street in Nice, on this street, just about every store front is a restaurant. 

Interesting bloom

Saturday April 16th 

Nostalgia tour. We took the tram to the north end of Nice, the neighbourhood where we used to rent.  And bonus, we got to take the new tram line 2  the first time, just a few stops, then change to line 1.  Yes, there's a new line 3 built with line 2, north from the airport, we might just try that one day. 

Nice view to take in while waiting for a team. 

We gave a recollection of voting for the colour of the new tram a few years ago when we were here.  I'm sure I picked red. 

A free electric bus for the downtown area only, a service for the older, less mobile transit user.  

Transit doesn't have to break even, it has to serve the communities needs.  For example, In most cities, trains to the airport are always priced more than a city bus or subway.  Vancouver and Toronto are like that.  The tram in nice to the airport is the same cost as a normal ticket.  Taxi industry was not happy, but all over the world the taxi industry is never happy about most changes.   But it's all about accessibility.

Our old tram, at our old stop. 

It's a very quiet, calm neighbourhood. 

I'm sure some readers would know exactly what this is. Or maybe it's a kit car.

And then there were 2. Run off elections in France next Sunday. With no front lawns, posters only allowed in specific locations.  Eliminates the clutter we gave every election. 

And back through the Liberation market for tomatoes and salad. 

Lynda scouting  for the best prices.. 

A full cafe in the full sun, right next to the fish stalls. No one seems to mind the smell. 

Get your own starving French artists kit. No talent required.  Free impressionists  hat with every purchase. Smock not included. Apologies for making fun of impressionists and artists everywhere. This was a professional artists store, and the hats were not free. 25 euro.  

Lynda cooked the supper  of the fresh pasta, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese we trucked back from Italy. 

Other stuff:

In French train news, you know I'm a big fan of the TGV trains, fast and frequent. My only complaint is they're too fast and you miss the scenery of the countryside. Well the smart marketing people at SNCF have introduced a two year pilot with SLOW trains, from Paris, to two cities for now. Great concept, take old trains and old carriages, paint them pink, no wifi, no food service, run them on ancillary lines, more than double the TGV travel  time, charge just 10 euro et voila, they become a sensation.  

They also reintroduced the overnight sleeping car from Paris to Nice this year with wagons to take the family car.  7-8 hours instead of 5 hours.  Another nostalgia thing, memories of their childhood for so many French parents in the north,  that their children can now experience.  ( Whether they want to or not..)

And I am embarrassed  to say  it actually took me a moment to understand this cartoon map of France that I found on Twitter, because the red square looks to be about the position of Monaco.  See if you get it...