Antibes

Another easy day trip from Nice is the town of Antibes, which is famous for Picasso setting up shop there for a time in the mid-1940s. The town itself is quite picturesque and, like many places around here, has a harbour full of multi-million euro yachts. We looked at the sales ads and saw one that we both liked for a mere E55MM. That was the sale price, as it was originally for sale at E67.5MM. Always being suspicious of used items on sale, we just walked away.

In the evening we went to a fabulous restaurant a few blocks from our hotel. We listened very carefully as the waiter went through, in very fast French, all of the specials on the menu (written on a blackboard), then asked us, still in French, if we would like an aperitif. Jim said very quietly, "Let's ask if they have Prosecco" and the waiter responded, in a very proper London accent, "Sorry sir, only champagne". He then spared us the agony of having to speak French to him all night...and spared himself the agony of hearing us. (There were other anglophones in the restaurant and everyone was initially addressed in French. We always start by speaking French, not English. He probably knew by the way that we walked and our complete lack of style that we were not French, but we like to think that we have completed nailed the correct accent in "Bon soir".)