The heat of France

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Tuesday July 23 to Saturday July 17

OK so catch up time again. We have been relatively slack over the past few days since our crunch day in Cinque Terre.

Tuesday was washing day in the morning – and meant getting some use out of our balcony and our swimming pool and the beaches (such as they are), but somehow, we still do a fair bit of walking. Wednesday was much the same.

BTW, our passports caught up with us on Tuesday so we can sleep a bit easier …..

Lunch and afternoon tea and supper was spent on our balcony. Shaded and breezy to relieve the hot. All up, Sestri was brilliant.

So Thursday was another big train day. What a mix up!

Our first leg was a cock-up. We actually had first class tickets from Sestri to Genoa (paid a bit extra but what the heck). We were to be in coach 1. Now a little bit about Italian trains. They number variously from the front or the back – and they are up to 15 coaches long. They stop at a station for 2 minutes and that is all the time you have to get on or off AND with your baggage. So, I asked the ticketing guy at the station whether on our train, Coach 1 would be at the front or the back. He assured me it was the front (after consultation with his mate that could on reflection have been a chance to have a crack at some Aussies…..). Without an abundance of comfort, we stood up the front. Now, the coaches for these inter city trains were not numbered on the outside, but once inside, we could see that we were in fact on coach 9. Problem was that this train was already packed so we couldn’t even move along the corridor (dragging our gear of course). The train was a compartment type train with a narrow corridor down one side. Our option was to sit where we were (there were some fold out seats in the corridor among the others and a heap of bags) or to run the gauntlet and try to get to the other end of the train by changing carriages within the allotted 2 mins and each of the next few stops. We decided to tough it out on these seats (about the size of a small camp stool) for the hour or so of the journey while our 2 first class seats remained empty for the entire journey. Oh well.

Our next leg was Genoa to the French border. This train had a long layover in Genoa so there was no problem getting onto the right carriage. The journey however was 2+ hours and I was lucky enough to be seated next to a grubby bohemian who didn’t shut up (in a loud monotonous drone) for the entire journey. Added to that, the train which started on time got held up by signals at the end and was 35 minutes late. You may have guessed that we missed our next connection.

Good news at last, our ticket was valid for 60 days so we were able to catch the next train – 60 minutes later.

Our hotel in Nice was near the station so that we were able to pick up our car there the next day. Quick layover overnight.

Just as well. The room was so small the furniture was painter on the walls! Just kidding. It was actually ok – but the smallest room so far. Quick unpack and out and about. Nice seems to be a big and busy holiday spot, and a walk down the main street reveals a modern thriving city. We go for a walk along Blvd Anglais (sp?) along the beach – which is fairly ordinary by Oz standards but otherwise OK. We decide to toss that in and head into the arty area, and that is more ‘interesting’. Lots of studios, restaurants and seedy back alleys teeming with seemingly (perhaps unfairly) less savoury types. Chris and I push on and nearing exhaustion, we stumble across an Irish pub. Why not?!! One Vin and one beer on the tables outside among the hoi polloi. Yummy until the local Gendarmerie decide in number to shake down around a dozen or so potential miscreants. They took names and addresses and searched bodies and bags – all 20 metres away. It was a little scary.

Anyway, it got worse and after the cops left, the numbers swelled and they got noisier. The Irish pub packed away its chairs and tables and we took off. Not sure what happened after that but it was an interesting insight into Northern Africans in Nice.

Sick of pasta and pizzas for dinner, we decide on Ham, salad and wine in our room. A great innovation.

Comfortable night, lovely breakfast at the Best Western, we pick up our car (a VW diesel auto with that crazy cut-out technology) at the station. All goes well until the GPS doesn’t work and can’t find satellites and we are stuck trying to get out of the middle of Nice. After 4kms, we eventually find a parking spot and kick the GPS in the gut. It works. Sweet! We are on our way. Got tooted once and gave the guy the finger. Everyone was happy!

280 kms drive to Nimes (our first stop for 2 nights). All good but we use the tollway and it costs a fortune and you have to pay by cash. Cost us $45 before we jumped off onto other roads. Bit of fumbling there (and more toots/fingers) but we get through relatively unscathed. We have lunch in a wayside stop not unlike the Oz equivalent except for the rubbish disgustingly left by those who went before us. Pigs!

We found our hotel in Nimes (Ibis). Rooms are bigger but with fewer facilities however it has parking and a pool. It is still very hot.

We check out the local area and get supplies and look for dinner. We decide tonight on Sushi and salad in the room (emulating last night) and it was fantastic also.

So on to today – Saturday 27^th.

Up early, self breaky in the rooms and early start out to the ‘Pont Du Gard’ a fantastic pre Christian construction of an aqueduct over the Gard river to get water supplies to the town of Nimes. Still standing, it’s magnificent (google it if you are interested). An early start beats both the crowds and the heat (37 today and too hot for sightseeing!).

After that we head into the old town of Nimes with its Roman monuments. Cannot for the life of me understand the parking arrangements so we go back to the hotel outside the town and catch the bus in. Much smarter and cheaper – and instructive for the rest of our visit to France.

Nimes is a quaint city and well worth the visit but we head off tomorrow for the Tarn Gorge – and possibly more hiking, but the temperature will need to drop a bit or else it will be more time by the pool and a drive-by in air conditioned comfort.

Dinner at a local restaurant was excellent.

Not sure about wifi in the next week but will get something out if we can.

Love to all


Chris and Ian

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Comments

[Anna]

joy of holidays.
hi Ian and Chris, Nice to see you are having an fantastic holiday. The Italians are extremely charming , but they never get it right!!! For the better beaches you have to stay home, but I am sure, you would not have missed the experience. We are having a mild winter here. Keep enjoying the trip, we are thinking of you.Kind regards Anna..