The Town of Mougins

Bonjour…actually its ciao now since we are in Italy. Dad and I are on the train from Verona to Venice. We left our car in Verona…our friends said it was much easier to take the train to Venice than to drive and park. Train is easy…and I am happily lying on the floor…stretched out at Dad’s feet.

First, I wanted to share some thoughts on Mougins and France. On Friday, we went to the Christmas festival in the old town…families, parents, children and dogs. It was very crowded. The town spread hay all over the road and parking lot and, much like festivals back home, vendors came to sell their wares. That’s where the comparison to back home ends. So many beautiful cakes and pastries, fresh made crepes, candied nuts, hot wine. So festive. The town set up an “ice skating” rink for the kids. From a distance, it looked like ice…but it wasn’t. It was actually big pieces of board laid down with a white surface on top. It LOOKED like an ice rink with the fence, the place to rent and put on skates. Bundled up children with red skates moving in synchrony around the ice. Very happy…lots of laughter and much encouragement from the parents who stood by drinking hot wine and eating meats and cheeses from the vendors. It was a community…everyone knew each other and the conversations were vibrant and festive. And so many languages…French, Italian, English. At one end of the festival, 2 boys were singing English songs to the swaying crowds.

Dad centered in on one stand selling meats from Corsica. They let. Him sample everything…and he bought 3 meats and some cheese. He plans to keep it for Ryane and Ian…they arrive in Nice on December 17th for 10 days..so excited to see them. Dad and I ate dinner at “the Little Spoon”…one of our favorites. Sondra waited on our table…she always treats me so well and is pleased when we come in for Dinner. Dad ate Beef Stew with Ravioli and wine and then had an apple tort for dessert. We happily walked back down to our little house.

Ok…so Dad struggles with directions. He thinks south is north…and north is south. On Friday morning, we walked into town so dad could see the shortcut to our house. Maps always routes us the long way. Anyway, we walked around, had Cappuccino and a croissant at Petit Provencial…the local bar and pizzeria. He thought he had it all figured out…not so fast. Remember that north/south confusion. In the afternoon, after a romp in the woods with Indie, we headed to Grasse to visit Botany (the outdoor and pet store) and the Casino (grocery store). Dad bought food and treats for me for the trip to Italy. Then he bought coffee, cream, water….and an Alexa Dot…at the Casino. I thought we were done with Alexa but Dad is a geek…so Hello Alexa. On the way home, he ignored Maps because HE knew better. We. Got into the little town of Mougins…no. Problem. Then, God Love Him, Dad got confused and turned right at the circle instead of left. BIG mistake. In a matter of minutes we were in the boonies with no familiar landmarks…just hills, small roads and vineyards. Dad managed to drive the wrong way down a little one way road for maybe half a mile…still ignoring Maps because he is smarter. Finally, after 15 minutes, he finally turned Maps back on…and we back tracked back to town…through the vineyards, up and down hills and now the right direction on the one way road. Oh boy was I glad to get home!!!! And (alas) Alexa is up and running…but she doesn’t respond to my barking.

On Saturday, Dad got up and started laundry. Laundry is a process because the dryers just don’t work like American dryers so Dad hangs all the laundry up to dry. It hasn’t been a problem and, to my knowledge, he has not run out of clean TShirts, socks and underwear. After starting the laundry, Dad and I decided to break down the barriers and get some local knowledge. So…back we walked into Mougins…up and down the road for about 15 minutes. The Old Village of Mougins is nice but it really doesn’t represent the French people. Mougins has a small Main Street…bank, hair salons, pharmacy and restaurants/patisseries. It was Saturday and the everyday folk were out. Petit Provençal was full of locals…drinking coffee…wine and God knows what else. Laughing and talking. Jesting with each other and the. Bartenders who clearly they knew well. Happy, festive. Almost like the birds in my old back yard…yammering noisily at each other. Dad got a coffee and we sat in the back, listened and read. Well, Dad read..I curled up at his feet and napped. After coffee, we took a long walk through the country side. Rolling hills…so green. A small 2 lane road. All of the structures were old…weathered but still there. Each one telling a story. We looked down into the valley and across to the hills in the distance. Just beautiful. Both Dad and I felt a real connection with France…with Europe. Somehow this walk defines the essence of our journey together. Staying away from busy tourist haunts and enjoying the beauty and serenity of the local flora and fauna…and standing in awe of the ancient structures around us. Ill share photos with this post. We walked back home and packed for our jaunt to Italy. Back to the festival that evening and dinner with friends.

So glad you are keeping up with us…on to Italy!