Aisha Isabelle

Cagnes-sur-Mer

I visited Musée Renoir today and the grounds are beautiful. It makes me want to move to the South of France and buy a villa. As I was standing on the second floor balcony, I looked to the right and in the distance, high above, was my next destination.

I walked from Renoir’s house to Château Grimaldi but on the way I made a pit stop at the church at the base of the town.

Now, let me tell you something: getting to Château Grimaldi by foot is a feat. As I have stated before, my thighs and inclines do not mix well. Good thing the town is  so picturesque that I hardly focused on the strain of the ascent. When I reached the summit, to one side of the château was a square where a group was playing pétanque and other’s were sitting around and talking. I walk around the area and spied a giant flower arrangement in the form of an engagement ring which lifted my spirit.

I eventually make it into the château. The building has an open courtyard in it’s center and the views from the rooftop are spectacular. The one thing that sticks with me from this visit though was a giant shiny red apple installation.

Menton

On my last day in Nice I chose to visit Menton. On the way there I was highly tempted to get off at Monte-Carlo and experience Monaco but I stayed seated and only hopped off at my intended stop.

There was a pervading sense of sadness, walking through the streets and visiting the shops. The honey store that I loved had been transformed into a different business still within the condiment space but it wasn’t the same.

I was glad to see the stone mosaic sprawled in front of the church overlooking a Mediterranean view and as I wended through the rising winding streets of town to the cemetery, I came across a cat and dog face-off.

Walking back down through another route to the bus stop, I felt a sense of finality. I was done with my assignment in France and it was time to go back home and start a new chapter in my life.

I had come to this place again just to experience another end again. And I was okay with that. I said goodbye to Menton, hopped on my bus and took in my last glimpses of the azure coast as we journeyed back to Nice.

What better way to end another chapter in life than treating myself one last time to Fenocchio and savoring each scoop as I walked up to Place Masséna and then strolled down Jean Médecin one final time.

MAY 17

P.S. There is a navette (small circulator) that will drive you to the top of Cagne-sur-Mur where Château Grimaldi is located. I only spotted it once I’d gotten close to my destination.