May 8th
Yesterday, I didn’t write. The evening stretched out a bit long, and I didn’t quite transform into a writer at night. I raised a few toasts with Heini, Mary, and Evan. At our age, a few swift ones (= 3 cognacs) and a couple of glasses of wine during the evening mean a moderate buzz, leading to the need to crash into bed without any elaborate choreography.
So today I woke up to the next day. And that’s a whole different story! After I managed take a shower, have a glass of juice and some solid food with coffee, I started feeling somewhat human. Of course, the hangover kicked in and stuck around tightly for the whole day.
We set out before noon. We had arranged to meet Mary by the car. We found Mary on the way and got going quite swiftly. Our destination was Menton, a city between Nice and the Italian border. The journey there went smoothly, as we chose the toll road as our route. We even found parking for the car near the beach and the old town. Luck was on our side!
Walking along the beach boulevard gave us a taste of the French Riviera. If Antibes is a harbor where the yachts of the economic elite lie, Menton was more like basic tourism. Expensive products on sale for affluent tourists. In restaurants, mainland prices and vegetables & fruits were more expensive than back home in Finland. But business seemed to be booming! Even the casino was open. I’ve never been to one, so I thought I’d peek inside. I didn’t get far in my observation when a determined and even friendly gentleman ushered me out, informing me that my attire didn’t meet the casino’s requirements. Apparently, my sandals were stirring up negative feelings at the door…
After it was past two o’clock, we realized we needed lunch. We chose a café on the shadier side of the street, where the prices suited our wallets better. A cold large beer washed away yesterday’s haze from my body. The ladies enjoyed a glass of wine on the side. We’ve come to understand that the secret to the French’s long life is a glass or two of wine a day. We’ve been trying to follow that diet – although there have been quite a few days of water in between.
Menton’s old town also offered a good workout. Climbing stairs in the hilly city got the blood flowing and dampened the back of my shirt. The splendid views from up there and the charming narrow streets with old buildings offered numerous interesting details.
On the way back to Antibes, we decided to take the coastal routes. The navigator claimed it would take two and a half hours. During the first hour of driving, we drove through Monaco (some of it through tunnels). As the journey continued at a snail’s pace, we decided to change our route plan and switch to faster routes. Driving on those, we managed to arrive before eight o’clock.
We found a free parking spot for the car in the same area where we picked it up. From there, we moved in good order to the neighboring café for evening drinks (that second glass). I settled for a small French beer. It was a pleasant evening with Mary. She’s such a delightful acquaintance, cheerful, intelligent, and wise at 85. I hope to meet her again! Hopefully, we’ll also meet Rasmus tomorrow. Looking forward to that, off to bed!