Greetings from France on Bastille Day. The weather is very hot and the air conditioning powers away in the background. There was a time when I dismissed Air conditioning as an American folie. It was very seldom seen in France during my first visit 20 years ago. I could not contemplate doing without it today. I can hear the fireworks in the background and the noise is emanating from the port of Nice below. My only real concern is that I am dangerously low on wine and I am home alone babysitting. I hope my wishful text will find my wife as she finds refuge in Nice from a particularly difficult day with a 3 year old and nearly 2 year old. In the words of their hero Peppa Pig, “Silly Daddy”. I decided to stretch the limits of their ability to get on a tram, get on a train and walk in 35 degree heat.

John on the way to Juan Les Pins - Bastille Day

I then decided to see if they could eat in a restaurant under virtually no shade. Silly Daddy Pig. While the view was spectacular in Juan Les Pins,

Juan Les Pins, COte d'Azur

I never got to revisit F Scott Fitzgerald’s old haunt, the Hotel Belles Rives. I had visions of dumping the wife and kids for an hour as I sat on the veranda looking out over the med, waxing lyrical with the ghosts of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. I did manage to get within 50 yards of the place though, but only because this was here.

Kids enjoy keeping Daddy steps away from F Scott Fitzgeralds old haunt

As the great Bob Dylan once wrote ( or sang ), “twas in another lifetime, once of toil and blood”. My rapidly depleting wine is superb and I got to hang out with some great people today and see some stunning scenery. However, call it age or a sense of what’s important, but I’ll wait a few more years for my Hemingway moment. Even though I am still bitter about the hand ball, I love this country and I love their wines. I am on my last sip of a wonderfully cheap Cotes de Provence that I used to drink when I lived here many years ago. Some things still stay the same.

“Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé !”
Possibly my favourite scence in film history from Casablanca