Antibes

We left hurly burly, hustly bustly Istanbul and arrived in Nice, which by comparison is small (about the size of Christchurch) and orderly. The afternoon sun shone through a clear blue sky and the air, a little cooler than Istanbul, was 25 degrees.

But we are not staying in Nice, so after resolving one or two hiccups with our pick–up, we headed 20 km down the coast to Antibes and checked into the Relais du Positillon. We are at the top of this small four story hotel overlooking a little square, and beyond that a marina and castle. We have a balcony with table and chairs (which I get all to myself because being the 4^th floor keeps David indoors).

The wireless doesn’t work up on the 4^th floor so the blog office is now situated under the awning downstairs. The hardships we bloggers must endure!

We enjoyed settling in, then going for an evening promenade to check out swimming spots and cafes. Plentiful supplies of all.

Our host, Thomas Lebourg and his wife, Genevieve, and their three beautiful children came to pick us up the next afternoon for walks, icecreams, more walks, coffees and then a short drive further along to where the Cap d’Antibes has a hill with an old maritime church and great views up the Cote a’Azur.

We feel really fortunate to be here. The month of September is meant to be one of the best for the French Rivieria. The intense crowds of July and August have left but there is still fantastic weather. A bit like taking your holidays in mid February in New Zealand after schools have gone back but the weather at its best.

We are both feeling like it is a good move to have three and a half weeks here. Although we will switch accommodation on Friday we will not be flying anywhere for 25 days in a row.