Today turned out to be a crazy good day...thanks to serendipity once again. Since it was still raining and not great for the beach or people-watching or a passagiata, we decided after breakfast at the Gran Caffe to get in the car and go to Italy which is just a few miles east of Monaco. We did want to do that at least one more time before we leave for home.
So we decided we would go all the way to San Remo, the first big town in Italy along the sea from France, and a little further than Ospedaletti where we had gone for lunch at Byblos several weeks ago with the Linds and Johnsons.
Jill checked her Michelin Bible and found a 2-knifeandfork, Ulisse, just off the autostrada in San Remo that specializes in fish, so off we went. It took less than an hour and it was a lovely place. The only drawback was that it was Monday lunch and there was only one other table taken, and so the atmosphere was kind of staid.
Jill checked her Michelin Bible and found a 2-knifeandfork, Ulisse, just off the autostrada in San Remo that specializes in fish, so off we went. It took less than an hour and it was a lovely place. The only drawback was that it was Monday lunch and there was only one other table taken, and so the atmosphere was kind of staid.
But the risotto ai frutta de mare, gambaroni alla griglia, and semifreddo con rhum and cafe macchiato were all just great.
We rolled out of there at about 3:30 and took the road down into the city. San Remo is a big city...we parked and walked along the waterfront which did not impress us as it is a bit scruffy.
Inland a few blocks was much nicer with shops and restaurants.
But after about an hour we decided to leave. We headed back to Francia, passing Ospedaletti where we had dinner two weeks ago at Byblos with the Linds and Johnsons, and decided to stop at the next town, Bordighera. That's the town where Kim Smith lives...she's the good friend of the Johnsons who came to dinner with us last Saturday night.
We had given Kim our contact information that night so that she could email us with hers, and then we could make some plans to get together again. But we hadn't heard from her yet and since we hadn't planned to be in her town of Bordighera, it seemed like we were unfortunately not going to make contact with Kim anytime soon.
It was now about 5pm and Marty wanted to make one last attempt. As luck would have it, we were sitting in a very chic cafe in Bordighera that had WiFi, and as Marty checked his email there was an email from Kim containing her phone number. He dialed and Voila! she answered.
We had given Kim our contact information that night so that she could email us with hers, and then we could make some plans to get together again. But we hadn't heard from her yet and since we hadn't planned to be in her town of Bordighera, it seemed like we were unfortunately not going to make contact with Kim anytime soon.
It was now about 5pm and Marty wanted to make one last attempt. As luck would have it, we were sitting in a very chic cafe in Bordighera that had WiFi, and as Marty checked his email there was an email from Kim containing her phone number. He dialed and Voila! she answered.
Kim said she lived right nearby and would come to meet us. How serendipitous was that! She joined us for a cafe a few minutes later.
Then she showed us around the center of town. It's a simply beautiful and very classy town, a hidden gem with no tourists, right on the riviera! We fell in love with Bordighera!
Kim then asked if we would like to come up and see her apartment. We of course were delighted with the suggestion. She will be staying here for three months, the max you can stay without any papers more than just your passport...no visa, no carte de Sejour, etc. she's in one of the best neighborhoods, in a very classy part of town. You can see that there is a lot of money here, and it's definitely not a scruffy little beach town.
Kim warned us that she is in the top floor of a 4-story building with no elevator, but that didn't bother us. The stairs weren't bad and then we entered her sweet little apartment. It's about the same size as ours in Beaulieu, but with an extra bedroom.
Kim then asked if we would like to come up and see her apartment. We of course were delighted with the suggestion. She will be staying here for three months, the max you can stay without any papers more than just your passport...no visa, no carte de Sejour, etc. she's in one of the best neighborhoods, in a very classy part of town. You can see that there is a lot of money here, and it's definitely not a scruffy little beach town.
Kim warned us that she is in the top floor of a 4-story building with no elevator, but that didn't bother us. The stairs weren't bad and then we entered her sweet little apartment. It's about the same size as ours in Beaulieu, but with an extra bedroom.
It's a long story, but the kicker is that when all is said and prorated, we're paying on the average of $115 per night for our 1-bedroom overlooking the Mediterranean, and she is paying about $33 per night for her 2-bedroom in the center of town!! How's that for a deal? Both are GREAT!!
Now it's about 6pm and Marty has to put more money in the meter. Kim says she had bought a rotisserie chicken for tonight and she has a few more things in the house, and asked if we'd like to stay for dinner. We looked at each other and immediately agreed, without consulting, that this would be a great idea and we shouldn't pass it up. So Marty moved the car to her street where it is free residential parking, and Kim and I quickly went to the local grocery store that was just closing to get a few more things for our dinner.
They had already turned the lights off in the store, but they let us in to get some pre-sliced prosciutto, mozzarella de buffala, bread, wine, and fruit...perfect with the chicken! We came back, set the table, put on some music, lit the candles, set out the food and poured the wine. Marty and I looked at each other and said: 'Where are we?!!'
Now it's about 6pm and Marty has to put more money in the meter. Kim says she had bought a rotisserie chicken for tonight and she has a few more things in the house, and asked if we'd like to stay for dinner. We looked at each other and immediately agreed, without consulting, that this would be a great idea and we shouldn't pass it up. So Marty moved the car to her street where it is free residential parking, and Kim and I quickly went to the local grocery store that was just closing to get a few more things for our dinner.
They had already turned the lights off in the store, but they let us in to get some pre-sliced prosciutto, mozzarella de buffala, bread, wine, and fruit...perfect with the chicken! We came back, set the table, put on some music, lit the candles, set out the food and poured the wine. Marty and I looked at each other and said: 'Where are we?!!'
We relaxed over our delicious impromptu dinner and spoke about lots of things. We brain-stormed about her ideas about what she wants to do based around her yoga expertise, and we discovered lots of possibilities, especially here in the Côte environs. Kim was delighted to learn how Justin runs his similar personal training business to give her ideas for her startup.
Then Kim took us on a moonlit passagiata along the boardwalk at the sea...magnifique!!
All of a sudden it was 11:30 and we realized we had to drive all the way back into France and Beaulieu. Kim does this route all the time because she still has many friends and connections there from when she used to stay in St. Jean Cap Ferrat. She said it takes exactly 40 minutes...no problem...we had our trusty GPS. We got in the car and reached Monaco with no trouble. Then our GPS starts directing us to drive higher and higher to what felt like the Grande Corniche, the one Jill didn't really need to experience again ESPECIALLY in the PITCH DARK at MIDNIGHT!
Suffice it to say that it took considerably longer than 40 minutes to get home, and Jill was holding on to the dashboard even though Marty was driving nicely and it was too dark to see the cliffs below. And we made it safe and sound.
Another fabulous day on the French/Italian Riviera.
Bonne nuit, tout le monde...
No comments:
Post a Comment