After a very uneventful – I think that’s a good thing – flight aboard an Air France 747 from Toronto, the Canadian in me became very aware of one of the huge differences between Europe and Canada - space. Due to my impeccable booking skills – to be debated – we found ourselves busing from one airport to another in Paris – with all of our luggage – to get our connecting flight to Nice. The limited space that the bus driver had to maneuver in and out of Charles De Gaulle Airport would drive most Canadian bus drivers nuts. But everything is smaller here – cars, roads and the space between. It’s little wonder that when Europeans come to Canada, that they marvel at distances we travel and large, open, relatively empty spaces like Algonquin Park. For the next month, however, I shall revel in the small spaces!
As it turns out, Orly Airport is a 50 minute bus drive from CDG right through Paris but we arrived with plenty of time to rebook our luggage and board our flight to Nice. After the 6 ½ hours it took to go from Toronto to Paris, the next 1 hour was a breeze.
Once in Nice, we collected our new Renault Clio Estate and being the light travelers we aren't, we pretty much packed up the car. By the time we made our way to the Jardins Fragonard in Cagnes sur Mer - only a stones throw from the airport - we were
both feeling pretty much in need of some sleep. So from 1:00 to around 5:00, that's what we did. Feeling somewhat replenished, we headed out to the old town, which is atop the highest hill in town, crowned by it's castle. It was a beautiful 30
degree afternoon, so we were quite content wandering about watching the townsmen play boule and general people watching before sitting down for an aperatif and then dinner. As it turned out, the place we wanted to eat - le Jimmy's - a restaurant with a commanding view of the hills above Nice and a great pizza place, was hosting a wedding. So we waited until it finished, once again having a perfect opportunity to people watch and then had great pizzas. Dawn's was like nothing we'd ever experienced - thin crust topped with muscelin and Parma ham slices.
We were back at Fragonard by 8:30 and then I wearily posted this blog. Tomorrow we're off to the Mas de Viales.
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