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Published: October 22nd 2017
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Geo: 44.17, 8.34517
After intending a 6-day stay at St. Clair, we left after 12. Our excuse was to avoid the motorway traffic around the Monaco GP weekend!
David continued with his bike rides into the hills with Rien which he enjoyed immensely, particularly the banter from his bike-buddy. Meanwhile, I pottered about back at the 'van, researching the trip, reading and sitting in the sun.
Saturday evening, Rien kindly invited us 'next door' for supper prepared and cooked by himself - a concoction of grilled aubergine, ham, mozzarella and tomato, followed by pasta with a meat and ratatouille-type sauce. Another enjoyable evening was had by all.
Monday dawned and it was time to think about packing away but David spotted that one of the rear tyres was looking flat. He inflated it using his cycle pump before we set off for a garage (recommended by Patrick from the campsite) on the outskirts of Le Lavandou to get it checked out and were asked to return later that afternoon. This put something of a dampener on our spirits as it placed into question whether we should be able to move on if a replacement tyre was required. However, at the appointed hour, the mechanic removed
the wheel and soon found an embedded screw mid-tread. Luckily the damage was repairable and all done, very efficiently, in 15 minutes.
Tuesday morning, we were hitched and ready to go by 8, saying our final goodbye to Rien we drove out of the site knowing that the exit on to the main road might be tricky as it is the scenic coast road along to St. Tropez. However, Rien had come to our aid and was on the pedestrian crossing near the campsite gate and had stopped the traffic to let us out. Love that man!
Once on the motorway network near Hyeres, the journey was straightforward and the weather sunny but not overly warm, taking us past some familiar locations from previous holidays. Just before leaving France, we looked back and below us to see Menton which looked stunning in the sunshine and a place on our must-see list. Another year.
The weather deteriorated as we ventured into Liguria and by the time the motorway junction for Finale Ligure was upon us, the heavens opened and did so as we pulled up at Eurocamping Calvisio where the atmosphere was quiet compared to the manic frenzy of our visit last July
when full to the brim with families. We were later told by Yvonne and Daniel, our Swiss neighbours, that the site will be full by the weekend due to a cycling 24-hour endurance race.
The rain eased whilst we set up - not the full works with awning and the like - for our 3-night stay, and the open-aspect comes with the bonus of a well-laden lemon tree so we shall be sure to stock up before leaving.
After a snooze, we drove out to find an intriguing restaurant from Trip Advisor. The satnav took us straight to the location, and to be honest, from the minuscule sign above the roadside doorway, you would not spot it or indeed give it a second look. However, we parked up and went in to ask about a reservation where we were met by a young lady who spoke excellent English. Our table booked for 8pm, we then took a look at the walled medieval district of Finalborgo, which is a knot of twisting alleys. Delightful.
We returned to Bastian Contrario later where many tables were already eating, mostly Italian, which says a great deal and the English-speaking waitress, between flitting from kitchen to table like a whirlwind, helped us to choose. We settled on sesame flatbread to nibble before our pasta arrived - David's with mussels, mine ragu - but you definitely can taste the difference with the fresh as opposed to dried pasta. We skipped the main course of fish/meat and went straight to dessert of tiramisu and pannacotta. An excellent meal in typically rustic Italian surroundings, very reasonably priced and deserving of the reviews.
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David
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sounds like you are having a brilliant time. lots of water here