Bon Anniversaire

A few little bits ago, I traveled over to the French Riviera and met my sister (hi, Annalise!) for a sisters-only week-long French-village walking birthday extravaganza trip. (Even though it wasn’t really our birthdays, saying it was gave us lots of excuses to let loose a little.)

We spent a few days acclimatising in Nice (yes, it’s very nice there and yes, we made that joke a lot). Then we hired a tour company to plan a 3-day hike through the Maritime Alps and carry our baggage for us, before returning to the sea for some final restful days.

We expected lots of wine and croissants, fields of sunflowers, quaint villages, and strolls under the sun (perhaps broken up by vineyards with wine-tastings).

What we got was way more. Wine and croissants, sure. But vast olive groves terraced down steep mountain slopes. Hardy stone villages perched atop steep mountain slopes. Thigh-burning trails up steep mountain slopes. And vistas of snow-capped mountains accessed via steep mountain slopes. Plus the justification to feast in the evenings thanks to spending all day going up and down steep mountain slopes.

Each day of our hike was very different. When we began, it felt like Colorado except with olive trees. Then we transitioned into Virgina, with vines enclosing a canopy of leaning trees. And finally we reached the palms and citrus trees and agaves of the Mediterranean.

One day we stepped into Italy. One day we hiked among free-roaming horses wearing bells. We climbed a bunch of stairs to a ruined chateau one evening. Ate lunch on the roof of a WWII fortification. Crossed bridges without getting our feet wet, descended rocky slopes without falling on our bums, walked 40 km without getting lost, and summited a mountain (for the first time together) without it hailing! Oh, and we didn’t get sunburned either; wind-burn, yes, but no sunburn!

We also sat by the sea, ate ice cream and chocolate, drank wine and limoncello, popped by Monaco just because we could, and generally enjoyed all our minutes as they passed.

A very merry unbirthday, to us!