Let’s Go France and Monaco… For those who have never been to the French Riviera, it’s impossible to describe and truly must be seen with one’s own eyes. There is no picture we could take, or words I could write that would do it justice.
As we crossed over from Italy through the many coastal towns and made our way into France and Monaco, I was surprised to see that there is barely a sign between the two countries. While the Italian side of the Riviera is also beautiful, nothing compares to the luxury and amazing views of the French side. As I write, we are parked high on a mountain-side looking out over Monaco with ocean as far as the eye can see. Our home on wheels provides yet another stunning view and amazing writing space. While I write (and drink white wine and snack on Olives) Stijn is reading his book up top in bed, being caressed with cool ocean air- life truly does not get better!
We are constantly reminded of just how fortunate we are and reflect upon it almost daily. We are proud of ourselves for taking this opportunity and making it happen and truly seizing every moment. Every experience, both good and bad, and mostly good has been such a treasure thus far. The memories that we are making on this adventure are going to keep us going for many years to come and we couldn’t be happier about our decision to take it.
The next few days we spent exploring a bit of Monte Carlo but to be honest, our hearts weren’t really in it. Regardless we wanted to take in the town and especially the famed casino and while our 40 Euro’s didn’t last long, we still had a great time; just seeing the luxury cars in the parking lot was worth the visit. Everything from Bentley’s to Ferrari’s-there is certainly no shortage of wealth in this place- it was quite a show! None the less, it is a very big place and we’ve been in so many big cities as of late, we just weren’t feeling it as much as we might have thought, so we decided to get back on the road and head for Saint Tropez.
We decided to hit the toll highway so we could make use of the great rest stops and settled in for the night. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be a good one. At around 4:30 a.m., Stijn woke up to what he thought was me going to the bathroom but what was actually a guy breaking in to our camper while we were in it. He had cut through the window and was just about to reach in a grab our camera and lap top when Stijn gave the biggest roar I’ve ever heard and scared the would-be thief away. He ran off and hopped into what was an already started car and hit the highway. Shaken at the desperation and brazenness of the thieves, Stijn got out and looked around at the camper to check for other damage. To our surprise they had previously broken into the driving compartment of the camper and had actually been inside long enough to rummage through the dash board and look for technological gadgets before even trying to enter through the window. I was completely freaked out by the idea that he was inside our little home, while we were sleeping- my mind reeled at the ‘what if’s’ and I wasn’t able to get back to sleep for the rest of the night- luckily Stijn didn’t mind keeping me company… and sane!
Fed up with thieves and attempted robbery- this one being a whole other level of violation considering we were inside at the time- Stijn started playing around with what we thought was our broken alarm system. It had been disabled when we bought the camper and we thought the wiring was bad- luckily for us though, Stijn was able to fix it and we are happy to say we now have an active alarm system. We consider this another win for us over the petty thieves of Europe. The passenger door is a little worse for wear and clearly it is an easy target so with any luck, this will do the trick and we will not reporting anymore attempted, or otherwise, robberies. We’ve heard a lot of talk about the influx of immigrants from one country or another and the continuing frustrations the EU is with regards to crime. We’re not sure if that is the case or not, but we certainly have our guard up now and have learned a lot from the last week in the Mediterranean and hope that we are a bit wiser for it.
After getting off the toll road early this morning, we found a great little campground only about six kilometers from Saint Tropez. After settling in and regaining our peace of mind, we unloaded the bikes and headed into town but not before a little wine tasting en route. This area is famous for their local wine and while the particular blends weren’t to our liking, it was still a great way to take in some of the local flavour. We are constantly impressed with the local food and wine of almost every place we’ve been in Europe so far- it seems as though everyone is growing their own produce which means the fruit and vegetable stands are plenty- and a favourite of ours. When we do have to hit the grocery stores, they are very near in quality and certainly much more reasonable in price- in particular cheese and other dairy products. A large log of goat cheese, a wedge of brie or one of our favourites from back home Boursin, are all only a Euro or two- needless to say we eat a lot of cheese. Equally the wine is as delicious and as reasonable- most bottles at the grocery stores are under five Euro but taste like something you would pay $20 Canadian Dollars for at home. Clearly we are enjoying the local food and beverage in each place we stop in.
As we entered the harbour we were amazed to see heaps of racing sail boats for a Rolex race with boats from all over the world. Sadly we had missed the race but it was still so neat to see all of the boats and the teams gathered around the harbour so we grabbed an ice cream and walked around town to soak up the ambiance. I am delighted that Saint Tropez is a much smaller, more manageable town, surrounded by beautiful waters, wineries and great little bistros and shops.
The next few days we spent lounging around and soaking up the sun- but that’s not to say it weren’t earned. Every day since we arrived at our little sanctuary of a campground, we have taken the bikes either in to town or used them as a mode to explore the neighbouring villages. But these were no casual bike rides… this is a mountainous terrain and we do NOT have mountain bikes! Our 3 gears make for a great work out, which is often followed by a few hours pool-side recovering and then wine and cheese- or champagne if the mood strikes us! We are still trying out the various champagnes we bought earlier in Riems, France when the moms’ were with us, and while all have been enjoyable none have come close to our ’99 Bollinger that we bought when we sold our last house project in Garneau. None the less, we continue the hunt… a tough job that we take very seriously!
From St. Tropez we headed west to Le Levandou- a place only about 30 kilometres away where Stijn and his family used to spend their summers when he was a child. Though close in distance, the road was not without its traps- the windy mountainous roads were high and somewhat treacherous- a fact that seemed to go unnoticed by the French. So narrow that if a small animal had strayed across there was no room to swerve or manoeuvre around it without launching yourself over the steep cliff of which there were no railings or boundaries as such- a fact the French motorists seem not to notice and race by at 100 kilometers per hour or more. It would seem impossible if there were not piles of cars far below the roads at each corner.
Le Levandou, a less flashy and seemingly more ‘real’ of a place than St. Tropez where people are often openly flaunting every penny they have, we quickly settled in at a fantastic little campground mere minutes from the beach. This little town is full of charm and character with backstreets full of tasty restaurants and a boulevard that is hopping with eateries and shops both day and night.
Continuing on our much slower pace, our sole goal for the little town of Le Levandou was merely to enjoy as much beach time as we could possibly fit into each and every day- and that we did. Each morning we would wake slowly and usually a bit on the later side, take our time drinking a few cups of coffee while reading a book or playing Yahtzee, before slowly making breakfast and then making our way to the beach. The beaches here are seemingly endless with one quaint town running into the next- all entirely lined with fabulous beaches. We quickly found our favourite spot and after purchasing a much needed umbrella for the late afternoon shade settled in day-after-day of constant cloudless blue skies and amazing turquoise waters.
Each day after returning from the beach to our little campground- home to hoards of Dutch people once again who, like Stijn’s family once did, all stay for weeks and even months at a time. Our early evenings entailed more local wine, cheese and often more reading or Yahtzee- oh the hard life! Rose wines are the local flavour here in Le Levandou- being quite literally surrounded by wineries on all sides- we’ve taken to them quite nicely but I must say, they are particularly potent for some reason and often one glass is enough to take you to the tipsy point. Yet the locals seem to be impervious to its strength and order it at restaurants and cafes as if it were water.
We gleefully spent our evening riding our bikes to the boulevard and walking around or dinning on Moules et Frites- the local specialty. I can’t say that I’ve ever tasted mussels so delicious or fresh as we tasted here- nearly each on still wearing the barnacle of the sea to prove their freshness, provided a salty and sumptuous delight. The merry-go-round that endlessly entertained Stijn and his siblings as children is still present on the boardwalk –though I’m sure with some upgrades complete with batman mobiles and alien space crafts! It was thrilling to spend time in a place that filled Stijn with so many amazing memories- even if their favourite fishing grounds have since been transformed into a huge harbour!
With no sense of time or date- quite literally we were off by a day or two and often our internal clocks betrayed us by a few hours or more- we decided that our week here was nearing an end and that it was time to once again hit the open road so that we can make the Running with the Bulls Festival in Pamplona in a weeks-time. But first we will make the trek to Marseilles to fill our Dutch gas tanks for cooking which is a much more difficult task than one would think. We plan on slowly making our way to Spain and are already excited for the Paella and Sangria and more local flavours of the next destination!
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