We had an early start today, leaving our house in Goult for the last time. We had to drive to Forcalquier to make up for our delayed Hot Air ballon flight. The drive seemed so much easier without the rain… and a few more days of driving experience. The weather was also much kinder to us and with the clearer start we were able to get airborne.
We drifted across the lavender fields of this part of Provence, some villages and towns … and a sizeable national park and I have to say the gentle nature of ballooning certainly is enjoyable. We had a great international contingent on the flight feature Aussies, Filipinos, Germans, Canadians and Americans … not to mention some French as well.
Soon after lift off ….
On the way down
All in all a fantastic experience… but we had places to go… We were due in Nice to return the rental car by 4PM. Due to the balloon ride I had to flag my idea of driving to Monaco before returning the car… but we still had designs on going to Nice via Vence (another medieval town). The way there is via the Napoleon Route… which is a very high, scary drive through the Alps. The road actually rises to 1270 Metres and has some very tight turns and steep drop offs. In hindsight… an amazing drive… but it certainly made my palms sweat. As a result of the challenging route … Vence had to also fall by the wayside… as time ran out.
So we eventually navigated our way to the car rental depot … with a few more mishaps from GPS lady… and were able to farewell her for now. I won’t need to drive again on this trip… and Nice is a bit like India without the horns, cows and extreme numbers of motor scooters.
We checked into our apartment… which is ‘minimalist’ but will provide a place to sleep.We took an exploratory walk around the beachfront and the old city. There were lots of people about … including those who think it reasonable to lie on the stones that are the beach here. I’m definitely sticking to Aussie for my holidays at the beach! In saying that it was a beautiful warm evening and we stayed out to eat in the restaurant strip near the apartment. There were lots of people of all ages and nationalities enjoying the warmth.
Until tomorrow
Rob
Rob's "Beats Working" Blog 