The past two days we’ve visited some nearby towns, nosed around for a couple of hours, and then returned to La Condamine to cool off in the pool.  Temperatures have been somewhat cooler than in Paris, but still around 90 or above.  On Monday we went to the nearby town of Vence, which is only about 12 kilometers from La Gaude.  For such a short distance it is a harrowing journey down narrow “two” lane roads at best, and single lane roads at worst, with switchbacks and steep grades constantly a challenge to my skills with a manual transmission; I think the ride is worse for the passengers. Vence is an old walled city, with the former moat now a road, and with houses built into the walls. After wandering the cobbled streets and visiting typical tourist shops for a while we had lunch at a shaded cafe in the central square.  In the nearby cathedral is a mosaic by Marc Chagal that overlooks the baptistery.

The central square of Vence

The following day we drove to Eze, which is a tiny town just northwest of Nice perched high on a hilltop. Eze is a beautiful village with very narrow cobbled streets filled with flowering bushes and vines.  As small as it is, it attracts throngs of visitors, and we discovered one of the most difficult problems in these small villages is finding a place to park; although our Renault Scenic is small by U.S. standards, it is a large car here and fitting it into a parking space takes patience and luck. After touring Eze we headed back down toward our car and discovered a small trail called the Chemin Nietzsche, named after the German philosopher.  Nietzsche stayed in Eze for a time and would take this trail from the village down to the sea as he contemplated.  It is said he composed portions of “Thus Spake Zarathustra” on these walks.  We weren’t really prepared for a hike, but set off down the path anyway, shopping bags in hand.  Matt and Sam scouted ahead and found the trail went on for a great distance and became more rugged as it descended.  We met a couple coming up the trail from below and asked if they had reached the bottom, which they had.  The woman looked at us exhaustedly and said “It gets much worse!”

Below Eze on the Nietzsche trail

At that point we decided to turn back, having covered about a third of the descent.  I would learn later that the trail is 6 kilometers long, described as a moderate hike, and takes 50 minutes down to Eze sur Mer and 90 minutes for the return.  If we had come prepared it would have been a great hike.  Once we regained the town, sweaty and tired, what else to do but stop in a perfume shop.  As I stood there in the air conditioning I felt notably out of place in my dusty shoes and dripping shirt. A quick lunch in a nearby cafe, and it was back to La Condamine for a swim.  What a pleasure!