The Hills are Alive

Day 14 – drive to Lorgues

Today it’s goodbye to Casa Laura. Good riddance is too strong but the lack of comfort here has been an issue. The sofa was comfortable but every other piece of furniture including the bed appeared to be designed for maximum bum pain.

We’ve noticed this before in Italy that as long as there’s a table for people to sit around, Italians don’t seem to be bothered about such things as cushions or sun loungers or comfy beds.

We set off for our next port of call, Lorgues in Provence, just after 11am. As we couldn’t check in until 4pm, we decided to while away a bit of time in Menton (French seaside resort just across the border from Italy)then get some provisions on the way, arriving at our accommodation precisely at 4pm, ready for a dip in the pool.

For some reason or other, by the time we arrived and parked in Menton, we only had time to grab a bite to eat and then get on our way. As is the way, our lunch took ages to arrive and I had to return mine as the egg was raw.

Feeling a bit disgruntled, we set off to find the one and only supermarket in France that is open on a Sunday. Bit of an exaggeration but honestly, at times like this I adore England so much. Need to do your weekly shop on a Sunday? Take your pick of any supermarket. Need some wine at 9pm on a Monday? No problem. It’s a big “non” to getting much on a Sunday in France. No worries I’ll eat out. Maybe you will, but maybe Mr and Mrs Frenchie can’t be arsed to open up their restaurant on a Sunday. That’ll be a few peanuts left in the bottom of a bag along with a couple of jelly babies for dinner then.

Hence why we found ourselves driving through the heart of Cannes trying to locate the one Intermarche supermarket in the whole of the South of France that was open on a Sunday.

After nearly getting t-boned by two cars on a roundabout and missing the correct turning which then involved a convoluted u-turn, we arrived. By this time, to say we were fairly stressed would be an understatement, but we gamely chose some food for the next couple of days and joined the other Brits at the till who were no doubt longing for England like us.

Next, finding our accommodation, Villa Rosa. The owners sent us some very detailed instructions as to which roads to take but nothing to specifically identify it. Naturally we drove down a road that was wrong and impossible to turn round in. I then had the brilliant idea to look for the house number and voila! Here we are.

We have a glorious pool, a beautiful little house, comfort everywhere! The owners are lovely and say the pool is just for us.

Fantastic.

You might not hear much from me over the next couple of days. I’m going to be busy relaxing.