Nice Is Nice 3

The next day we returned to Nice, took in a bit of the book festival, had lunch (our deferred 42nd anniversay meal) at the Bistrot du Viviers--one of the few really good restaurant experiences we have had recently--then did more of the old town (which we had also visited the previous day).

We had seen signs and posters all over Nice,

certainly the best advertised book festival I

have seen, except possibly Edinburgh

The lay-out (for those interested) is basically a quadrangle

of these tents, a big tent at the entry for local antiquarian

sellers, three larger tents down the middle for readings/

interviews/discussions; the outer tents were all for

publishers and for their authors to sign and converse with

visitors; although well-supported locally (I think), it is

essentially a publishers' festival

An author interview

Ground-zero Nice, just across from the bookfest

Typical downtown street; note grill-work

In the old town

Ditto

Business opportunity?

Nice Is Nice 2

Later, we ventured down the hill a bit, to the Marc Chagall National Museum, basically a collection of 17 very large Old Testament scenes he painted, plus some other bits. I do like Chagall--very conceptual, in ways I can understand--though he was not one iota French. If you want a national museum, it helps to have the Minister of Culture (Malroux) as a close personal bud. After that, for us, it was time for the beach.

The Marc Chagall National Museum

Impressive Chagall painting (whose title

I will add)

In the auditorium, just a little of the stained glass he was

famed for (designing)

Chagall's take on Noah, the Ark, and the Flood

OK, so now we are at the beach; Nice has some 3 dozen

public beaches; and it was beach-weather

Sun worshippers on the plage

Closer-up; this is the place where many men learn to use

the zoom lens

The great old hotel Negresco, now under renovation

Nice Is Nice 1

We drove on, through bits of Provence and the the Cote d'Azur, landing finally at a campground in Cagnes sur Mer, just down from the hill fortress chateau...a small, very compact campground, but good enough, and with an enjoyable 20-30 minute bus ride to Nice. We stayed three nights, enjoying Nice by day and relative tranquility by night.

The park atop Cimiez, the older, that is, Roman, uptown of

Nice, still very affluent and nice

The Matisse Museum; no pix; none desired, actually

 

Roman coliseum

 

Roman baths

 

More Roman baths

Hotel Regina--built for Queen Victoria's visit

 

Flood!

We stayed our first few nights in Brignole, between Marseille and Nice, up in the hills, refitting, repairing, de-jet-lagging. Further up, 20-30 miles or so, the torrential rain caused flooding on the evening of the 17th. 25 people died and there was major devastation everywhere. We drove through the area, the Var valley, a couple days later.

Some of the devastation; gendarmes were everywhere;

power was still out, two days after the storms

The main roads were passable, but a mess

The scene everywhere

A mobile home lot; an RV sales lot down the road was

completely washed asunder

Back On The Road, Again, In Europe

And so, just like that, 10 time zones later, courtesy of United and Lufthansa, we were back in Marseilles, hauling luggage, reclaiming the Grey Wanderer, trying to unpack and set up housekeeping and get our bearings. We passed most of the flight watching movies we had intended to see in the States, but didn't--It's Complicated (amusing), Up in the Air (I love dark humor, George Clooney, and read Walter Kirn's novel back in 2001, when he appeared at the Montana Festival of the Book), and Alice in Wonderland (ick)--enjoying the free beverages and OK food, and sleeping. Marseilles was delightfully warm when we arrived, but then it rained, torrents, for the next two days. The Grey Wanderer seems to have weathered our 4 month absence all right (thanks to the nice people at Parka Bateaux) mostly. The water pump leaks, the macerator is not up to par (so to speak), the awning is broken, and, worst of all, we did not pack the power cord for the TomTom. After the initial panic, we located a suitable replacement at the LeClerc, and since have been navigating with our usual efficiency ("turn around, when possible"). 

We have been back for nearly two weeks now, and I have much to account for--Nice, Cote d'Azur, the Route des Grandes Alpes, Annecy, and now Chamonix, where we'll spend a few days. There is free internet at the Chamonix TI, so I'll post a bit more in the next few days.

Interior of the Grey Wanderer during unpacking; the

confusion is worth it, since

You get to camp at places like Savines le Lac, in the

French Alps

Or at the foot of Mont Blanc

Wedding Day For Rebecca and Jeremy

Saturday June 12th Rebecca and Jeremy were wed in Moss Beach. After much work by the wedding couple, Rachel and Will, the Mother and Father of the Bride, and others, it all came to pass, and was indeed the casual but elegant garden wedding we had all looked forward to. And it was a very expressive wedding, personally, for Rebecca and Jeremy, conveying their many mutual interests and much of what we all know and love about them. Many special friends and family attended, and it was indeed a joyous occasion. I took only a few pix, but will add a link to the wedding site (professional photographer) when it is ready.

Earlier in the week, Rebecca and Jeremy at

the reception her Castilleja colleagues,

especially Holly, hosted; it occurred on

our 42nd wedding anniversary, noted

generously by a toast

Wedding Day: the candy table

And the post-card table

The cake--for a bookish couple

Rebecca and Jeremy, following the ceremony; Rebecca

wore Vicki's mantilla

Maid-of-Honor Rachel, Bride Rebecca, Groom Jeremy,

and Best Man Damien

The rose-petal departure

A Day In San Francisco

Wedding Week got into high gear Wednesday with the arrival of Rachel and Will, Stacey, and Carole and Lexi. On Thursday, June 10, Vicki and I and Carole and Lexi and Stacey embarked on a day-long tour of San Francisco highlights.

Our tour started at the, um, interesting house we had rented

in Half Moon Bay

We actually saw and did Lombard Street, but, alas, my

camera malfunctioned much of the day; pictured above, of

course, is Ghiradelli Square, where we had, what else, hot

chocolate

Down the street was the Buena Vista, whose Irish coffee we

eschewed (it being early in the day); but we did later ride the

cable car

And of course we did visit Fishermans' Wha

And saw one Bay Cruise you do not want to take

And The Rock (Alcatraz)

And the seals at Pier 39; and chowder at Boudin's for

some; In and Out burgers for others

Carole and Lexi at the Tomb of the Unknown Seal

Turning the cable car

Transamerica Tower from Chinatown,

where we spent a good bit of time

Rotunda of the downtown shopping center where we

shopped and dined; OK, it's not Galeries Lafayette

The city from the Golden Gate viewing area

And, the Golden Gate; it was now past ten,

actually, past 1 AM for the eastern time

zone crowd, and some were asleep before

we crossed the brige back to town; all in

all, a pretty action-packed and sight-filled

day

You Know You're In California When...

You're driving down El Camino Real somewhere near Palo

Alto, and the Google Maps Mobile is right in front of you;

actually, there were several; we followed them for a mile or
two, smiling, saying "cheese" all the way, and snapping a
few pix of our own

Thanks, Bob and Beth

Bob and Beth's place, on the Pond d'Oreille River, our

headquarters the past two months

Vicki, Bob, and Beth

Beth fixing Chicken Adobo, part of a Filipino

feast for us, neighbors and friends; too petite

to be a nurse, she became an MD instead and

worked many years for Kaiser Permanente

Adieu, Idaho; hello, California

Descending over SF into San Jose