On day two, we boarded a bus that returned us to Nice. We spent the morning exploring Vieux Nice (Old Town Nice). The farmers' market was open that day so we were let
loose to ooh and aah at the fruits and vegetables and flowers and spices. What a sight! We walked right into a chef's dream...mounds of olives, baskets of perfectly red cherries, bushels of squash blossoms, bags of herbes de Provence (a mixture of dried herbs such as thyme, savory, fennel, marjoram, basil, and lavender that's a fixture in the Provencal kitchen). One of the stars at the Nice market is Madame Theresa who makes and sells socca, a southern France specialty. Socca is a flat cake baked in a cast iron skillet. It's made of chickpea flour and olive oil and then seasoned with black pepper and is a popular (and tasty) street food.
After my first perusal of the market, I decided it was time for a break, so I sat with some of my new friends and enjoyed my first (of many) cafe au lait. I so love how meals and beverages are served in France. A small cup of coffee arrives, with saucer, and is accompanied by sugar cubes and a (very) small spoon. Sometimes the coffee is in a small cylindrical cup on a small platter that also carries the sugar, the spoon, and a biscuit or piece of chocolate. I just love the detail and care.
After my cafe break, I took some time to explore the narrow (and I mean, narrow), winding streets surrounding the market. At a tiny boulangerie, I found what was to be my lunch: a zucchini quiche and a small lemon tart topped with burnt meringue. The friendly shopkeeper brown-bagged my lunch and I leisurely made my way to my group's meeting place, once again passing the bunches of white asparagus, the masses of sundried tomatoes, the bundles of lavender.
Our next stop was the medieval village of Eze, perched atop a rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean. The bus ride was just as memorable as the visit to Eze. We drove along the coast initially and viewed marinas filled with all shapes and sizes of boats, with yachts anchored a ways off the coast. Then we followed the curvy road to Eze, winding along mountains, passing villas with terracotta roofs, crystalline pools in the meticulously manicured back yards. Once we arrived in Eze, we walked to the top of the peak and toured the stone paths of the castle. I had just enough time to explore and then find a shady bench where I ate my takeout lunch.
One more time we boarded the bus, this time heading for La Font du Broc, a winery northwest of Cannes. The ride took about an hour and a half so we napped on the way. I had visited some wine caves in the Loire Valley west of Paris, but I hadn't visited an actual winery until now. This winery did not disappoint. We toured the cellar, the grounds (magnificent) and then convened in the tasting room for the true test. The tour guide poured a rose, white and a red for us. Even better, she set out some platters with stinky cheeses and bread and some tasty olive crackers that I happily found at a grocery store a few days later. The wines were great and loosened us all up. It was our first true bonding moment. I bought a bottle of the red to share with G when he arrived.
Next: a walking tour of Cannes.
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