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Good afternoon from Juan Les Pins…We have had some beautiful days here along the coast and this afternoon is no different. The temperature has been hovering around 80 (27 Celsius ) during the days and the mid-60s (19 Celsius) at night. The beaches along the Cote d’ Azur (French Riviera) have been packed with tourists from all over Europe…a little about the Cote d‘ Azur…The region lies along the southeastern coast of France, extending from Menton (at the Italian border) in the east to Cassis in the west (140 miles between the two). The coastline was one of the first modern resort areas and began as a winter retreat for the British upper class at the end of the 18th century. The largest city in the area is Nice with a population of 345,000 (I counted the last time I was there) and the total population of the region is around 2 million (I looked that one up).

I have had several things that I have wanted to write about since my last entry…please forgive any bouncing around between topics as you read…I mentioned the temperature earlier in Celsius and when you are used to good ol’ English units, dealing with the metric system takes some getting used to (I guess I should have paid a little more attention during science class). I bought a box of rice the other day (the French version of Rice-a-Roni) and planned to prepare it with chicken that night. When I got home I marinated the chicken (as any good chef would do) opened a bottle of wine (as any good Frenchman would do) and chatted for a while with Marien about the day. After a few glasses of wine and a nice chat, I decided to start preparing the rice. Now, you have to understand that I prefer to buy rice in a box…this generally means that the rice has some type of added flavor and more importantly, preparation directions right on the box for those of us who may be more challenged than others in the kitchen. So I grabbed the box from the cupboard, opened it up, looked on the side and vua-la…directions in French (of course) and all of the measurements in metric units. I know, I know…how hard can it be to cook rice, right? But when you have grown accustomed to the luxury of reading and understanding things in your own language, and suddenly the directions for something as simple as preparing rice are in a foreign language, you tend to get a little confused…or atleast I did. Thanks God for the little pictures on the side of the rice box that show each step (ever noticed those?…they are great when you look at a phrase and all you can comprehend are the actual letters themselves), and thanks God for the internet and websites dedicated to conversion charts where you simply type in the number of metric units and at the click of a button you suddenly understand how much water is needed for successful rice preparation…Fortunately the rice turned out to be pretty good (thinking back, the wine certainly helped us think so) and slowly but surely you begin to adjust to everyday life in a foreign country.

Sometimes the most simple things can get frustrating if you allow them to. Like trying to order tap water at a café instead of bottled water. If you simply ask for water (in French–d’eau) they will bring you bottled water and charge you for it. So if you want tap water you have to specifically ask for it….my French accent must still be lacking because when I ask for it (in French–d’eau du robinet) I usually get a look of great confusion from the server. Then we will proceed with trying to understand what the other is saying until they get frustrated and get someone who speaks English (shocking how they always know you are an American..hah). But in the end, you usually get what you were asking for and you get better at ordering with a little effort.

I went for a great walk yesterday. Growing up and living in the States I would rarely even walk to the end of the block and back…now I find walking to be a great way to explore new areas. You can move about as slow or as fast as your legs will go, stopping wherever you might want for as long as you would like. Traveling along a beautiful road with wonderful views in a car or bus is great. But the first time I walked along a road such as this the experience was much different. I felt like I was much more a part of the whole panorama.

I started going on my walks when I was living in St. Thomas last fall. I never planned on walking as much as I actually did. I even had my car shipped down as I was leaving the States to use for transportation…what a bad idea that was. Ever brought a finicky Swedish built car to a small Caribbean island? Seemed like a good idea at the time but a week after it arrived it really started acting up….must have been the Sun, it does start getting stronger down in those little latitudes. Anyway, if you have never been, St. Thomas is relatively small but extremely hilly. Unless you are a competitor in the Tour De France, a bicycle would even be pointless. So with a well below par public transportation system and very expensive cabs…unless you want to swim around the island (seems like a good idea after a few rum drinks) you walk. I really grew to like it. When I wasn’t working on the boat, I would usually spend part of my day walking around, exploring the beaches, and marveling at the views.

Walking here is much different. I don’t feel like I have to watch my back as much as I did in St. Thomas (certain areas) and they actually have sidewalks here…nice ones too. Juan Les Pins is situated on a small peninsula (the French call it a Cap) and the Cap is known as Eden Roc. There is a road that runs along the Cap, crossing over a hill down to the other side and you end up in Antibes…the neighboring town. The name of it is Boulevard du Marechal Juin (I have attached a map to the gallery that outlines the road). The walk takes a couple of hours but it is absolutely worth every step. You are offered great views of the sea, there are several small beaches to explore, rocky shorelines to perch on and admire the magnificent yachts (it is sure fun to dream about owning one) and the flora along the way is outstanding (some of the best I have seen). I have attached some pictures from the walk and I hope that you enjoy them.

If you are sitting around with nothing to do one day, go out for a walk. Go explore the woods behind your house or drive to the center of town and stroll around. You don’t have to be looking for anything in particular…just walk to enjoy walking…to borrow from an old Zen adage; most of us will walk through a garden without stopping to smell a single flower…that’s a good one to think about and has certainly helped to make my walks more enjoyable…Thanks for taking the time to read and I feel fortunate to be able to share these events in my life with you…As the French say, Bonjournee…Have a great day.

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