Ahh, la mer!

How do you come back from la Cote d'Azur?

How do you come back from the sun and the sea and les specialites regionales?

I can't. This is much harder than I thought it'd be, writing about my trip. That's why it's been so long. I've been back in Toronto for 18 days now, and NO I have not abandoned La Cave de Fang!! It's just ... everytime I think about it - there's just so many things I saw and experienced that I feel this intense longing. It has truly been a long time since I've longed for something this much - and it's been so long since I've been so in love.

So where do I begin? Let's just start with a recap of some of the things I did in France. Trust me when I say, this will not be the last post on this subject.

Of all the flights I've been on, this one was definitely the most challenging. Both getting in and out of Nice was a pain in the ass. I arrived in Nice via Chicago and Paris. Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport was an absolute nightmare. No organization, terrible signs - is this really Paris' international airport? It's an absolute fucking joke.

The first night I arrived in Nice, I expected to be dead tired. But, as with all first visits, I was energized and eagar to see my cousin to go out for dinner, which we had reservations for. I was really surprised when I saw Connie. She's 3 years older than me, and has been living in France for 14 months, four of which were so far spent in Nice. So, she's a local. She's changed a lot since the last time we met, which was.........nearly 4 years ago. We went to a restaurant in Vieux Nice. I was really out of it, and had no idea where we were. Everything was a blur - it was all narrow alleyways and darkened stores, as this was 7pm. The place was called Le Choucas. It turned out to be a fondues place. I did not like it. Even though Connie paid for me and we had some nice wine, a red Cotes de Provence. Fondues are lazy, tasteless cooking. We had beef and some kind of cheese fondue - I seriously did not enjoy it. But the salad was delicious. An incredibly fresh mesclun, with a light red wine vinaigrette and loads of olive oil.

My hotel was a pleasant surprise. Clean, quiet, and best of all, right next to the main road heading straight into Vieux Nice, Avenue Jean Medecin. There was a Ligne d'Azur stop right outside, and service had just started in November. Perfect. The next few days were spent wandering around Nice. Walking through the markets and shops of Vieux Nice was wonderful, as was walking along the sea. And of course, the most important thing - the restaurants.

You discover quite quickly that you'll never run out of places to eat here. Quite literally, every other establishment is a restaurant of some kind. I took great pleasure in roaming the streets looking for interesting restaurants to partake in lunch and dinner. Along the way, I found some really special places - among them a family owned restaurant called La Resto, which I will write about later. I made a promise to the owner's son, also named David, that I'd return next time I was in Nice. I definitely intend to keep my word.

No matter where you go in the world, a place is never as romantic, or as idealistic as you think it will be. The same holds true of Nice. Make no mistake, I truly enjoyed my time there, but it was greatly different from what I was expecting. After all those conversations with Frances and Annie, it still took me some time to adapt to being there. They gave me a good idea of what to expect, but for someone who's been going there twice a year for the past 30 years, I kind of expected a clearer picture.

Nevertheless, I want to end off today by saying that I'm in completely, blindingly, desperately, in love with the south of France. Everything about it was new and exciting and just...............exactly what I had hoped for. I learned a lot on this trip, and it was definitely one of my most memorable vacations. I need to thank Connie, who spent a lot of money taking me out to restaurants and who bought me a fantastic bottle of CH. Gazin to take back. And of course, my parents, who paid for my trip and who donated the Aeroplan points for a business class booking.

I'm not quite finished talking about France. Not quite yet.