We are family!

Well, my cousin Paul (in truth, second cousin but more like a brother to me) arrived a couple of days ago and left this morning.  I hadn't seen him for several years so it was great to meet up and share some adventures. The first night we were joined by the husband of a friend of his for drinks and dinner. The guy is Italian and speaks almost no English so our evening conversation was completely in . That was good, if not challenging, for me!  We ate at L'Oursin Bleu where I'd eaten last year and, again, it was fabulous. We all had different main courses and Paul's scallops and pasta was particularly well-presented.  Too bad the weather was cool and showery so we had to eat inside.

 Yesterday, he wanted to go to La Turbie, a village way up in the hills above Monaco. There is a Roman ruin there called Trophee des Alpes constructed around 10 AD. So, we hiked up to it and then to the top of the tower - lots of stairs!  We felt we'd earned our lunch at a popular restaurant in the village called Cafe de la Fountaine.  My two course was okay but not great - I think the roast chicken I had had hiked over a mountain when it was alive; it was that tough. The people and car watching was great fun - lots of Ferraris and Rolls Royces around here!  Our little Citroen probably felt jealous.

Afterwards, we drove to another charming village north of Vence called Tourrettes which I'd discovered last year and Paul had visited when he was 18. Thankfully, with the car, we could then do a big grocery shop at Super U on our way back.  I am finding the hike up the hill to the apartment from the grocery store quite difficult and Paul liked it no better. After our big lunch, we decided to have a simple meal on our terrace and enjoy the stunning views. Besides, neither of us was keen on the thought of a long, steep walk back up from the quay. So, we enjoyed our rose and relaxed. Life is good!