Welcome to Villefranche sur Mer

View from my window.

I have arrived in France.

It took a couple of flights to get here and I did manage to get horribly lost in Heathrow but after 14 hours I made it, safe and relatively sound. I landed in Nice and spent the night in a hotel there, exploring the city, just before falling into a much needed 12 hour slumber.

Today, I re-packed my bags and, with the help of my rather delightful cab driver Gino, (who also drove me from the airport last night) I made my way up, up, up and over the hill to the incredibly charming and picturesque town of Villefranche sur Mer. We headed straight to Chez Betty at the Hotel La Régence to pick up my keys for the apartment where I will be staying for the next two weeks. With the help of Alice, my amazing french tutor in Vancouver, I was ready to ask in my halting french “je viens chercher les cles de mon appartement” but Gino was having none of it. He had secured the keys and a map to guide us to the apartment before I could even open my mouth. I was a bit disappointed that I had missed my opportunity to butcher the language but felt somewhat relieved as well.

The flat was just half a block up the street from Chez Betty and as I hauled myself up the three flights of stairs I discovered a very small but sweet bachelor flat. Upon opening the blinds and the windows and the green painted shutters I was stunned to see an absolutely breathtaking view.

I had done some shopping in the morning in Nice and so I unpacked my provisions that consisted of cheese and wine, baguette, french ham, Echiré demi-sel butter, some grated carrot salad. I sat at the tiny table before the open window and spent the next hour eating my lunch and staring at the view, feeling incredibly, overwhelmingly blessed.

I start school tomorrow and have all the butterflies of an eager first grader.

My adventure has begun.