This is part 2 of my trip around the world. Part 1 consisted of both work and pleasure, while this part of the voyage was all pleasure. You can read part 1 here.
Nice, France
I arrived in Nice about 12:30, cleared customs and found the telephones. None of the telephones were credit card types.
I decide to exchange the English Pounds (which had been Hong Kong Dollars) to French Francs. They have a vending machine at the Nice Airport that will take bills from most major currencies and convert them to Francs. A group of three Americans were puzzling over the instructions on the front of the machine as I watched. I gave them encouragement (I’d rather they lost their money than I losing mine…) One of them successfully fed the machine a series of $20 bills and pressed the button marked “end.”Sure enough, after a moment of reverent silence, the machine spit out French Francs and displayed the following message: “Thank you very much and have a nice day.”
We were all curious to see what it would say with English money, so I fed my Ten Pound bill into it. I could swear it gave a slight groan and then gave me some Francs. I had been hoping that it would say some clever English phrase such as “cheerio . . .” but it said exactly the same for English money as it did for U.S. Well now I had some money so I called Michel to let him know I was at the airport. Corrine, Michel’s daughter, answered and sounded happy to hear from me. Michel came on the line and agreed to pick me up at 1:30. I take my bags out to the curb and pull out a paperback book to read while I wait.
Michel is punctual and it is good to see my friend again. We arrived at his house in time for aperitifs and lunch. I have a Pastis
Note: Pastis is a popular drink in France. Next time you go you should impress everyone and order one. It is made from anise and has a licorice flavor. It is very strong and is usually cut with water, served over ice. You add the water to taste. When you add the water, the pastis, which is golden in color, turns milky white.
and Vin Rouge with Carpacio and a salad of mixed vegetables. I forgot how much I love the French style of eating. The food is wonderful. The drinks almost make me feel human again. All I need now is a shower and I might survive. So I take one. After my shower, Vianeytte bandages my leg. She recommends seeing a doctor, but I decide to wait a few days to see how it is doing. I have vivid memories about the first trip to France and seeing a French doctor 10 years ago. He spoke no English, and looked like Dr. Frankenstein. To this day I have no idea what drugs he prescribed for me. I’ll wait and see how I do. I tell Vianeytte she makes a good mother…
Michel is working on a small fence by the pool. My phone call this morning interrupted his work. Corrine is laying by the pool with a book over her face, one leg in the water. Vianeytte is on a lounge chair reading. I am stretched out on a bench relaxing and updating my journal. It is a very rough life here.
It is now almost five. I have finished the detective story | was reading. I did a set of Tai Chi and am now back by the pool on a bench. Vroom, Michel’s large black doberman type dog is on the bench with me, his head on my lap. It is not quite the same as my cats, but…
The rest of the day is a bit blurred thanks to jet lag. The weather here is cool, with sweaters needed in the evening. Michel builds a fire and we eat dinner inside. Dinner consists of a tomato, egg and tuna salad, bread and wine. Desert is strawberries and fromage. I go to bed at 9:30. I wake up a 3:00 and again at 6:00.