Closing time? already?

July 30, 2010

tags: Cote D Azur, Currencies Direct, Food & wine, Living In France, Moving To France, Sunny France, Valbonne Square

Entrepreneur is presumably a French word. So the thrash up the hill in Mornas was a waste of time because the fortress, the only possible attraction in this village, and thus the only really commercial opportunity for the village, was closed.

Now call me old-fashioned, but it seems to me that if you have a fabulous old relic (and I am not talking about that nice lady decorator) then you might want to make decent use of it when people are likely to be at leisure.

Mornas, like much of rural France, away from the Cote d’ Azur, goes to sleep from the end of October until the beginning of May. That gives you just half the year to extract a living from whatever assets you posess. Opening the fortress only from 2 to 5pm and not on Sundays in the height of the shortened tourist period is as ridiculous as running a cafe and closing for lunch.

Thus we slogged up the hill in the morning heat, only to discover that the fortress was closed, and only open at a time of day when it is too hot to do anything but siesta or swim in the pool, brilliant!

On the way back home, we stopped at Lac St Cassien, about 50 km from Cannes for lunch. It is a beautiful lake with a few rough and ready cafes, where we indulged in moules frites, (mussels and chips Northy) which were excellent.

Lac St Cassien in the Var, Simon and Moya, note sunny skies

In the evening to Valbonne for a sorely missed bit of Square Bashing, which regular readers will recognise as a verb meaning to abuse alcohol in Valbonne Square.

We were accompanied by Wing Commander Spensley and delicious wife Maryse, former picture editor at Vogue, who had hot footed from a photo shoot at a villa owned by an old friend.

The Wing Commander, or 118 senior as he is sometimes known, has still not read this blog after the first ever episode, so I can safely say whatever I like about him, however he is normally so charming, it is often hard to find anything rude to comment on.

However his weak spot is his superiority complex which emerges after the consumption of several bottles of wine. Last night for instance, I can report that he considers himself superior to most of our friends, including some that refuse to use their Lordly titles, in fact superior to everyone. Clearly I am in no danger of being any sort of competition to him, being as I am, an ex council house boy, the son of a shop assistant, and in his world, a slob, an epithet that I accept unreservedly. In his opinion, but only after excessive alcohol consumption, and here the Irish Coffee did nothing to calm him, I am uneducated, I did not go to a proper school, and I write this appalling blog. I also believe that he is also galled because he suspects his lovely wife quite likes me.

The square is buzzing with tourists as one would expect in mid summer, bit I am proud to say that the Wingco and I were the last to leave. I do wish the very friendly staff would not start putting chairs on tables before we had finished, or appearing in their jim jams, but when we remonstrated with them, they ponted out that it was close to 1.30am and they closed at 12.

Chris France

buying a house in France, moving money? www.currenciesdirect.net/chrisfrance

Latest local news? http://www.fr2day.com/

Best Estate Agency in Valbonne? http://www.rivierarealty.net/

Best French Riviera Property Agent?

http://www.afa-international.com/

http://frenchriviera-properties.com/

rent my house in summer? http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p412514

Best on line resource in Valbonne? http://www.valbonneonline.com/

Secret supper club http://www.red-radish.com/

Wedding reception? http://www.bastidestmathieu.com/

Valbonne Tourist Office http://www.tourisme-valbonne.com