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Published: April 7th 2017
Got the damn' camera working properly!! Yay!
And since today is another gorgeous sunlit day here on the Côte d'Azur, we decided to retrace our steps to show you some of what I could not manage yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to purge all of the pictures from the camera to get it to work properly so you don't get to see our fellow tour-ists.
First up, Marian's friend Sam, whose English was pretty good actually, was most anxious that we see this teeny-tiny, itsybitsy, well, frankly, HUGE house at the top of the hill on the east end of Nice. Magnificent views east and west over the coast and an unparalleled view south over the Meditarranean. He was astounded that Susan and had never heard of the owner, the world-famous singer, Anton Jean. In desperation, he turned to David who, as someone significantly younger could be expected to be au courant, for confirmation. David had never heard of Anton Jean either.
Anton Jean, Anton Jean! Sam repeated, getting a little frustrated. You must know him!
Then, I swear, a little light bulb went on over all three of our heads at once. "EL-TON John," we pronounced simultaneously!
The relief on Sam's face was palpable. So was our envy of Sir Elton's pied-a-terre. Here, join us.
The pictures are taken at the top of the Castle hill. There was a castle here for hundreds of years until Louis XIV decided that he wanted a secure route through Provence (then a separate principality from France) to invade Italy. Secure meant leaving no large fortresses sitting astride his supply lines through the mountains. So the castle had to go.
And go it went. Right down the hill on the other side where the ever-practical Nicois used the stones from the demolished fort to build their first-EVER port. As Marian explained, Nice had never considered itself a maritime city. They left that sort of nonsense to the gangsters and pirates of Marseilles and looked inland to the farms and mountain passes to Italy for their food and their trade. Which is why salade Nicois is traditionally made with CANNED anchovies and CANNED tuna - the ingredients came overland from Italy. Oh, and by the way? NO green beans - hurray!!! - and NO potatoes - aawww, rats.
Even now, the Nicois have NO fresh seafood
specialties. The regular fish market is even held a couple of miles inland, next to the train station because that is how seafood arrives here.
So, pictures of and from the castle hill. There is an elevator which takes you up 90 metres to close to the top of the hill. It is tiny, slow, and FREE!!
By the bye, these pictures are taken at approximately the same height above the countryside as you would experience from the top of Vimy Ridge. In fact, at its highest point Vimy Ridges is 145 m above sea level. It is also the highest point on all of the west side of the Douai Valley, which is why its capture was such a vital moment in World War I. Also why it was referred to as the "Gibraltar of the North." And why the French took a quarter of a million casualties trying to take it in 1915.
(The 100th anniversary of the Battle is April 9. It marks not only the remembrance of a fight which helped shape modern Canada, but also a victory from which the German armies on the Western Front could NOT, and did not, recover.
I would argue that once they lost Vimy, possible victory had slipped out of their grasp and the best they could achieve was a stalemate. And they threw that away with generalship that was not just bad, but even WORSE than that of the Allies which was quite bad enough, thank you!!)
And now for something completely different: pictures of the Aude shop where they make preserved fruits (and chocolates - but who cares about that. Since I can't eat chocolate, I don't!)
Also some streets in the old town, just for fun.
And, finally, should he read this, happy birthday to Mike Mannes of Oklahoma City. My oldest friend and one who almost always calls me on my birthday. Sorry I missed you this year, Mike!
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