It has been about a year and a half “South of the Border” and living “la vida loca” … aka the good life on the beach. We’ve had an assortment of “visitors” and really enjoy the house on the beach. It is an amazing area and I still marvel that the 25 miles or so to town to go shopping is not creating an insanity bubble in my head. I remember places we’ve live in the past where 3 or 4 miles to shop was a major operation and carried massive anxiety. Now we drive the lane, the dirt road, the pot-holed highway and the main highway to get to our hunting and gathering places and then make the return trip. And we do this every Friday afternoon.
For the past year we have also had pizza almost every Friday night at our most amazing local pizza place “Old Mission Brewery” – it was “born” about a year ago on the hillside (about a mile of deep rutted dirt road to get there) and moved to a building a couple of miles from us last November. AND they closed 2 weeks ago in preparation for their move to a better location in downtown Ensenada (yes, better for them … not necessarily better for us). So, when they reopen next month we will have our Friday nights in town after our shopping.
The latest and most amusing is the DIET. If you don’t know about HCG, then check it out. You either take a sub-lingual or injection daily (we do the needle). Menu is based on 500 calories per day and is fascinating. I have taken on the role of “head chef” to add a bit of life to our meals … herbs and spices don’t have calories (and as long as they are not oil based are ok) and transform the bland into the “interesting” at the very least. Yes, there have been a couple of “we don’t need to do that again” things, but overall it is working out. I’m creating some interesting fat free things for us that fit in the limited choices presented by the diet. Can you say “some white fish, chicken breast, and lean beef”???
We can have salad, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, onions. Dressings include apple cider vinegar and lime juice. Stevia is the redeemer that mellows the harshness of the vinegar.
The net effect is one of getting skinnier. I’m down over 20 in less than 3 weeks (and we had an “off the reservation” weekend with guests and eating).
So… at our first dinner here, I looked over the table at Don and said, “I’m going to try some.” The waiter brought me a wine made from Italian Nebbiolo grapes, and my eyes popped out of my head. This wine was HUGE. I mean BIG. A little rough, but that’s not a bad thing. And, I have to say it “yummy.”
Saturday we drove to Badalucco, Italy to have lunch at a place that is a temple to all that is Mushrooms. Two hours later, stuffed to the brim with everything Porcini, we drove home and crashed.
Thursday morning, we drove to the highly-popular port town of Antibes, hugging the coastline halfway between Nice and Cannes. This town has long been one of the most inspirational settings for artists and is home to the largest pleasure port on the Riviera. Our eyes popped out of our heads at the sight of so many mega-yachts.
We spent a few hours meandering the busy Thursday morning market in the old town. You can find everything at these markets – food, and more food, household goods, clothes, jewelry and all the usual Provencal artisan items. There was so much to buy that we left without buying anything! We did “invest” in a yummy Socca (Provencal Savory Chickpea Pancake) – here’s Don enjoying himself!
On to lunch in Cap d’Antibes! Our good friend, Lynne Edwards, had recommended a restaurant called, “Le Bacon.” You long-time readers will know that Don would never pass up an opportunity to eat at a restaurant with named “BACON,” so we made our way there and… WOW… there we were, just two average Americans eating among the rich and famous! The restaurant is perched on a small peninsula and overlooks all of Antibes, Nice, the Maritime-Alpes, etc. Don had fois gras and boulliabasse and I had little loup de mer foam raviolis and grilled bass. Another pinch-me moment!
Two more countries to add to our list this trip. All in one 24-hour period!
Friday is market day in Valbonne… so guess where we went? After getting our “exercise” shopping, what did we do? We collect another 2 Michelin stars and dined at Lou Cigalon.
ead, and voila, scented gloves were all the rage. The town of Grasse, known for producing gloves, jumped on the bandwagon and over time (and the eventual decline of the glove industry) it earned it’s nickname as the “Perfume Capital of the World.”
