If it’s Friday, it must be France …

That might be a sigh from me that was heard well out into the stratosphere!

Oui! C’est vendredi! It’s Friday AND it is France … we arrived in Nice yesterday and will be here until mid-October. It didn’t take us more than a moment to fall in love with this town all over again.

In fact, the trembling heart action began (it never fails …) as we crossed the last range of Alps and the Mediterranean coast came into view:

Next, the high-rise crush of  “nowhere to go but up” Monaco …

Then a small regatta near Eze-Sur-Mer. If you look closely you can see the spectacular perched village of Eze (that I often blather on about) on that last hill to the right, just past the arches. That’s the hill where I hiked and laughed my way down the Nietzsche Trail two years ago with my sister-in-law and niece on a sweltering July day. We did have a good time!

And then the sigh began ~ ahhhhhhh ~ it wasn’t too awfully loud ~ really, only about half the plane looked ~ Villefranche-Sur-Mer, the town next to Nice and one of my all-time faves …

I couldn’t capture Nice as the plane took a sharp bank just before landing and all we could see was sky on one side and water on the other. This is not unusual as the Nice runway is short and sticks out into the Med … always a spectacular arrival.

Another cool thing about Nice International Airport is that it is right in town! You could simply walk down the street and go for a dip in the Med or have a croissant if you just couldn’t wait. C’est unique!

A quick cab ride brought us to our home away from home for the next month. Here’s the view from our living room window and our well-appointed loft condo is in a building just like this. This is a pedestrian area with bistros, cafés, galleries and shops. The old town with its daily market and the beaches and restaurants of the sparkling Med are just a few minutes’ walk away.

Most important, for me, the inspiration to write is overwhelming here. It wraps around me with a gentle urgency … and I love it … ahhhhhhh …

Sorry – gotta get back to the WIP!

As most of you know by now, my husband and I have spent a lot of time in this part of the world so we knew this location well. We are thrilled to have the city experience of Nice this time but will also spend many days in our beloved Antibes just a half-hour along the coast. I’m having a book launch party there on October 4th but more about that later!

Please remember, dear readers, this is not Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous. This is a wonderful home exchange (our 9th) and any one of you can organize a similar experience wherever in the world you might want to visit. You know I love to talk about home exchange so feel free to ask your questions. Dream on!