France 2024 – Days 25 and 26 - Nice and back to Bergerac

DJ experienced the dictum Turismus muss Weh tun! Because after a late night enjoying watching the soccer with his fellow French aficionados he had to wake up early. Ronnie and I had gone down to the beach and then stopped at the boulangerie to buy a baguette and croissants (Ronnie was obsessed with buying eggs but fortunately it was too early for other shops to be open) so we could have a regular French breakfast and go! Using the knowledge I had accumulated from my early walk the previous morning, and what I had learnt from Matt, I took the family for a nice walk in the park, which Ronnie used to test the different playgrounds. The best was a giant whale built with wood and ropes, which posed all sorts of challenges even to an old hand as Ronnie is. We paid our respects to Général Leclerc, who was one of Napoleon’s must trusted generals and a native of Nice. Despite being a commoner, Napoleon showed him great favor and once invited him to go hunting with some other VIPs. It didn’t end well for Leclerc, who was shot on the face and lost an eye. One of the other generals duly took the blame, but legend has it that it was Napoleon himself who shot him (apparently he was a lousy shot). Still, one-eyed Leclerc continued winning battles and was eventually elevated to the rank of Maréchale of the Napoleonic empire.

From there we took the bus to the inland hills of the city, to visit the Roman amphitheater (but we couldn’t go in because they were setting to have a concert), the Archaeology Museum (which was closed because it was Tuesday), and the Matisse Museum (which was closed for renovation), and I thought it would be a good idea to walk down the hill to get back to the old town. By the time we reached Plaza Garibaldi DJ was already looking unhappy (my mother would have said “ya lo ve con odio”), but we soldier on through the old, old part of town, which is very charming, and took the elevator to the top of the Castel, where we found a nice cafeteria where we were able to have some restoration of sandwiches and a much needed beer. Ronnie used the opportunity to treat himself to a caramel waffle and an Orangina (orange juice with bubbly water, which is a beloved drink of kids in Europe). The Castel is where the old fort that defended the port was located, but was destroyed in the 1600’s when Louis XIV attacked Nice (remember it belonged to the Duchy of Savoy), and the new Castel is now a beautiful park where Ronnie climbed an Eifel Tower made of ropes, and where a very fake waterfall affords an amazing view of the Côte d’Azur.

By the time we got down everyone was ready for a siesta, a time I used to go to the supermarket to get mussels and shrimp for a very well received dinner, and afterward Ronnie and I went to the rocky beach, where he enjoyed a very long swim. When we got back Mom and Dad had already taken off for their Riviera Night Out.

I had this strange dream, where bells were ringing all around me, and with a start woke up to the ringing in my phone. It was Faby, who for the last half hour had been trying to wake me up so I could buzz them into the apartment!

Because of a disconnect during planning, I needed to get back to Bergerac that day, to be there when Géraldine came to visit us in Bergerac. Actually, to visit me, because Faby et al. have another day in Nice, and two days in Marseille, before they come to Bergerac, where they will overlap with Géraldine for only a day. So once again I jumped from train to train to get back home, and finally got there at 17h15, in time to fix dinner and hit the sack.