French Escape

 Menton  is buzzing and very very busy.  The 90th Fête du Citron has begun. And once again  I have left, just as it is starting.   For the past week massive deliveries have been arriving at restaurants and at the shops that sell local goods and gifts, staff have been unpacking and arranging everything ready for the influx of visitors. Final touches were added to the citrus sculptures—t he theme this year is, for obvious reasons, the Olympics The inauguration ceremony was attended by many, I’m sure the parade on Sunday was spectacular but instead of attending, I went for a walk in the mountains, in Italy.   The people that I spend time with, have experienced 30+ years of these fêtes, so they only see the disruption: the impossibility of parking, the difficulty of getting about even on foot, the packed trains, the queues in supermarkets, the unlikelihood of being able to make a restaurant reservation for the duration of the celebrations.   But it is great for the town and many people cer

   I must be the only person in France who doesn’t go out every morning, to buy a baguette—the queues first thing, at the boulangeries and my local supermarket, attest to this. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love baguettes and all the other delicious fresh bread but I prefer a sliced wholemeal for my sandwiches and I like to vary my carbohydrate intake... While I'm on the subject, I also adore French (and Italian) cheese, it is so indulgent somehow. But in my opinion there's nothing to beat a good mature cheddar, especially with a pickled onion—now that is something they don't get right here, onions should not be pickled in balsamic. However, like many French people, I do shop for food every day. In my case, part of the reason for this, is that I don’t have a car and therefore am limited by what I can carry. Well, I do have a car but it is currently not working. It has been difficult to find a garage that will repair a 1997 XK8 and we have been waiting rather long time.