Oysters and - gulp! - sea urchins

A beautiful day on the Côte d'Azur! We took the train into Nice (6 minutes from Villefranche), did some shopping at the market, found a fabulous cheese shop and bought some fromage, and then went to lunch at Nice's most famous seafood temple - Cafe de Turin. Looked like a movie set with white tablecloths, tin ceiling, tile floor etc. About the only thing on the menu is shellfish, most of it raw. We had a dozen oysters and decided to be brave and try sea urchins -- also raw. (They are the dark things at the top of the plate in the photo) The oysters were excellent: cold, briny, super fresh. The urchins were okay but I'd probably not order them again. Not much to eat and not much taste.
We're off to Antibes tomorrow for a hike along the sea, lunch, and perhaps a visit to the Picasso museum. Best to avoid Nice since it's Carnival and the town is a zoo.
School is going fine. It's hard to believe we're half over!

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The Truffle Market in Puget-Theniers

Last Saturday, we took a great trip on a little train that goes from Nice into the mountains. Looks more like a tram than a train. But the views are amazing and the mountain valleys beautiful.  Our destination was Puget-Theniers, a little village about an hour's trip above Nice. It was the site of the annual truffle market, complete with a marching band, sellers of wine, cheese, baskets, sausage and -- of course -- truffles.  We were the only tourists within miles. The fresh truffles were for sale at 120 euros for 100 grams, about $160 for 4 ounces.  A walnut-sized truffle costs about $40. A lot, but one truffle goes a long way, and the taste and aroma are amazing! We took one home and had an very special meal of truffled pasta with enough left over for a truffle sauce for our filet on St. Valentin (yes, Hallmark has convinced the French to celebrate Valentine's Day)

The marche

The truffles -- black gold!

The couple we bought our truffle from. They are holding a 300 gram truffle worth almost $500!

Truffle dog demonstration; smaller than a pig!

Is this France, or what?

We got snow, too!

So, all those folks in Maine are complaining about the snow. Well, we got snow, too, right here in Villefranche.
Here's a picture. You need to look carefully to see the snowflakes in front of the orange trees, but they are there. Several profs had to leave early because they were worried about getting home to their homes in the hills. There couldn't have been more than an inch up there. Nothing stayed on the ground here. Context is everything!




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Location:Quai de l'Amiral Ponchardier,Nice,France

Scenes of Villefranche

Villefranche is a ancient fishing village, now a trendy summer resort. But in the winter, it retains the charm of what it must have looked like 50 years ago. We're staying in the old town and here are some pictures of the streets and alleys in our neighborhood. No cars, for obvious reasons. (You can click on the picture for a larger view).

French Washerwoman

We have a European washing machine in our apartment, but no dryer. Here's how one dries the clothes a la francais:

A hike around Cap Martin and lunch in Menton

A spectacular day -- 70 degrees, full sun, and breezy; nicest day we've had on our February trips to France. We had a lovely walk around Cap Martin, a peninsula sticking into the sea east of Nice, on a path below the homes of the rich and famous. We took the train to the beginning of the walk (tickets for old age pensioners, a mere 3 euros each), walked around this beautiful peninsula and into Menton.  Menton backs up to the Italian border and is reputed to have the warmest climate in France. After walking 5 miles or so, we had lunch in a sidewalk restaurant looking out on the sea. Linguini with mussels and clams was the main attraction. Mmmm! Then back to Villefranche by bus. Then a nap.  Old age pensioners need their rest!

Nous sommes arrivés

After what seemed a long night that was actually five hours short by way of a 5-hour time change, we arrived yesterday in Villefranche to our sweet little apartment, across a pretty square from the village church. Remember the song you sang as a kid -- frere Jacque? And the bit about "sonnez les matinas?" And the "ding, dong ding?" Well, I now understand it too well as they ring "les matinas" every morning at 7 am, right across from our apt, and they get pretty enthusiastic about it. Of course, the bells also ring the hours and half hour. Blessedly, they pause from 10 pm to 7 am. Local color and very atmospheric.
Here are a few pics of our front door, the square we look out on, and our little "street". None of the roads in the old town are big enough for cars, too narrow and too many steps. Another blessing from another era.













More later

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Location:Place Félix Poulan,Villefranche-sur-Mer,France