As former boaters, staying near a large harbor evokes good feelings. We often muse about returning to the cruising life,  but perhaps as power boaters, not as sailors. So, let’s examine our options:

With our current budget, we figure this one is affordable. Okay, no too roomy, but affordable!

Next up, what if we hit the lottery? Here’s an option, though Diane wasn’t too enthused: Much more commodious, but it doesn’t have that “je ne sais quoi” that Diane is looking for.

Now, if we inherit a country, or something like that, here’s an option: 

That’s Katara, a 408′ luxury yacht, built for the Emir of Qatar. It only accommodates 28 (it’ll fit our family), but requires a crew of 60 to sail her. Maybe if my consulting project is successful?

Now, if you have a ship like that, you have to get around on land, right? Here are a couple of offerings we found: 

Yes, that’s a Bentley SUV! But perhaps something more modest might be your taste? How about this one? 

That’s only a Rolls Royce sedan.  Kind of inconspicuous, but it gets you from here to there.

Enough of that.  We hope you had a great weekend. Au revoir.

We’re now three days into Antibes and are feeling pretty comfortable getting around. We know where the stores, the restaurants, the beaches and the school are located.  Everything else is a bonus.

So, Bellies: Filling your belly with good eats is really easy here! Many excellent restaurants do choose from. And since this whole region used to be part of Italy, there is a very strong Italian flavor to the food. Hard to complain! While we ate Italian for the first 3 nights,  we decided to really go local with our dining last night. Therefore, we chose a Thai restaurant! In the French Riviera?  Sure, why not?

Well, Bill did one Italian dining thing last night; he stood in a long line to get a sampling of the city’s best gelato! Here’s a photo of the offering.  It was truly worth the wait! Tonight, we needed a break so we cooked at home.

Jellies: Following his recent long ride, Bill has had some hip issues (inflamed bursa) and so has backed off from running for a bit to insure there’s no difficulty with the upcoming Camino. He’s focused on swimming. The water is calm and warm, so it’s been an easy transition.

Well, warm water is good for other things, like Jellies (jellyfish). Yep, he managed to make the acquaintance of one this morning. It was a painful meeting, but it didn’t last long.  Hopefully the jelly and his friends have drifted elsewhere by tomorrow morning …

Books: School is going well! We are, no doubt, the oldest students, but … so what? We’re having fun, working hard and learning a lot.  Actually, the are several families that are here studying together.  That seems like a fun thing to do. Maybe our kids/ grandkids will join us next time?!

Finally, another beach shot just to remind folks about why we’re studying French in Antibes.

We are closing in on our first complete week of French schooling. In one more week, we will be let loose on the French countryside to ply our newfound skills as Francophones.

So, how are we doing? Recall those conversations when someone says something to you and perhaps hours later you think; ‘you know, I should have said such and such’?! Well, that’s what conversations in french are like! Someone asks you a question or just says something and you are immediately at a loss for: “what did they say? “, and “what do I say back?”. If only you had 5 minutes or so to figure out what they said and how to respond, our French would be so much better! Well, it doesn’t work that way.

Here are a couple of examples of speech-gone- wrong:

1. This morning, a woman cleaning the stairs at our apartment complex asked us (in French), “are you going for a hike?”. Bill’s response: “Yes, we have an apartment up there!”. She smiled, thoroughly convinced that Americans are really dumb!

2. Yesterday, Bill was asked, “where do you come from?”. Bill’s response? “We leave next Saturday!” Once again, that universal look of “dumbness” broke out on the French person’s face.

Seriously, everyone we’ve met have been very gracious and patient with our efforts to speak French. But, boy, do we have a long way to go!

Jelly update: On day one (when we first noted Bill’s jelly sting), it was a painful nuisance. Yesterday, it caught fire. Much swelling and welting. A visit to the local pharmacy (using our newfound French skills) put us on the path to relief! It will be a while before it goes away, but at least it is not continuing to worsen. 

Hope all is well with our family and friends back home.