I don't remember exactly what we did on which day, but all days were spent in Menton, and we ate up every second.
We drove right to Marche U, our old neighborhood grocery store, to park for the beach. New owners and new name, but exactly the same inside. Niko, our homeless friend from the Netherlands, was no longer there. The girls gave a jump for joy to be back.
We spent a good portion of those two days like everyone else at the Riviera that time of year, at the beach and in the water. It was hot and humid and that water, which is delightfully NOT cold, was so refreshing.
That colorful, stacked town is our favorite.
We ate lots of popsicles.
We went to the marché and were reminded of all of the amazing food. I don't know if you can tell the size of the bell peppers, but they are enormous and sweet and delicious.
We stopped by our old Italian farmer's stand; it had moved inside to a bigger space. They immediately recognized us and we had a happy reunion. We saw several other familiar faces too.
Some things at the market we don't miss as much...
We got our old favorite snack, socca.
We went to a favorite little square in town to listen to live music and get a drink out of our familiar fountain.
We walked through town on the walking street seeing familiar shops, hearing the cicada sounds from the touristy shops, peeking in children's clothing and toy stores that were frequented then and reminding us that time has passed, and stopping in our favorite candy/cookie shop.
We walked up the windy streets in old town and up to the cathedral.
We walked along our old street, Boulevard de Garavan and remembered our walks to the olive grove, along the street to town, the views from our home, and over the fence to the home itself. It brought a flood of happy memories, a slice of their active childhood, the struggle of Geoff's illness, adjusting to homeschooling, and a life apart from the world.
We went to our favorite patisserie where we used to get fresh, hot pain au chocolates at 5:00PM, right when they came out of the oven. They were just as good that day as they were then!
We ate at some of our favorite seaside restaurants.
On Sunday we attended our old ward in Nice and it was like a celebrity had arrived when Geoff walked in. All of his young men, now married with young children, flocked around him thanking him for influencing their lives. He is STILL used as an example in ward councils for the work he did in those last two months as young mens president. It was heart-warming. We really loved seeing so many beloved people.
After church we met up with some friends from home, the Litchfields, in Ville Franche for a picnic on the beach. Oh my did I think I would melt right there on the sand. I was the only one who didn't take a suit, and I regretted not being able to cool off in the gorgeous blue water.
We stayed as long as possible that last day, not wanting to leave. We wished we had stayed in Menton and not Nice. Our Airbnb in Nice was on the 5th floor with no air conditioning and sweltering hot at night. But the worst part is it was an hour from where we really wanted to be spending all of our waking hours. Long story why we stayed in Nice (that has to do with our hotel with free points canceling while we were in Switzerland and scurrying to find something available at the last minute), but next time we'll be sure to stay in Menton.
We ate a nice seaside dinner that night and stayed on the beach until the sun went down. We stopped by the cathedral where there was a concert going on and listened for awhile, then we said goodbye until next time.
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