A Hike Up To Eze

After our rainy excursion to Cannes, we were treated to an amazingly perfect day. Karim and I decided to take the train to Eze-sur-Mer and hike up the Nietzsche trail to the old village of Eze perched in the mountains. The views seen from the trail were unreal.

Just starting off on our hike at the base of the Nietzsche trail

A lovely vista seen from the trail

Another look down below

And a look up at how much ground we still needed to cover!

Patterned dress in dappled light

Looking up at the old village - almost there!

A sculpture garden built into the side of the mountain

And it got even better when we made it up to Eze an hour later. Each turn through the winding cobblestone streets offered another visual treat - pale building facades coming together with the brilliant blue sky, secret passageways and bursts of brightly colored vines.

A favorite pastime - posing alongside a sculpture

A final look down below

Orangina

Up until this point, we've neglected to inform the world about one of the more cherished and absurd aspects of our life in France: our car, affectionately christened "Orangina."

First and foremost, a big thank you goes to my uncle Lionel and my parents for giving us this car. I'll try to ignore my suspicion that the gift is little more than a prank that they're playing on us to get a few laughs.

The specs: Orangina is a 1972 Citroën 2CV (“deux chevaux”, or "dedeuche"), with a 2-cylinder engine churning out a massive 28 horsepower. Yes, that's right - it is basically a lawnmower engine and 4 wheels under an orange umbrella. In fact the engine technology ("flat-twin"), groundbreaking in 1948, was the basis for significant innovations in the world of grass-cutting.

It is also worth noting that Orangina is a convertible. A cabrio is a must have in north-central France, and Orangina doesn't disappoint. Her vinyl roof rolls back like a sardine can, and we've been enjoying the rarefied French air blowing through our hair. While we're on the topic of wind, you might notice in the photos that Orangina also features flap-up windows - just enough space to stick my arm out to receive the many high-fives offered as I drive through town.

Interestingly, all of the older French people have made the exact same proclamation in talking to me about the deux-chevaux: "Succès garanti!" (guaranteed success!). Indeed, when driving this car I am confident in my ability to make friends and influence people. And also carry large loads of French baguettes.

We've gotten a few questions about the name "Orangina." Orangina is of course a delicious orange-flavored French soda, and we chose the name upon learning the color of the car. But since acquiring it I've come to realize that I have the impression that I'm driving around in a soda can - another great reason for the moniker.

Surprisingly, our only technical difficulty so far was my fault rather than the car's. After getting the car and driving it around for a few days, we were running low on gas so we took her to the nearest station for a fill-up. Making an assumption based on the age and fumes emitted by the car, I filled her up with diesel. Of course, she sputtered out as soon as we pulled out of the gas station, and it took us 3 or 4 painful-sounding restarts to get her back to our place, less than 1 km away.

Realizing that I had put in the wrong fuel, the next morning I decided to bring it back to the Carrefour gas station to drain out the diesel and refill it with the proper gas. In order to get it there, Liz got in the front seat to steer while I pushed her through the streets of Avon (of course wearing the mandatory bright-orange safety vest) as on-lookers sped past at 5 km / hr, their laughter audible through the closed car windows. Keep an eye out for my upcoming appearance on France's Funniest Home Videos...

Genève

We had the good fortune to make a trip down to Genève for a few days before classes started.

The purpose of the trip was for an INSEAD visit to Richemont, the holding company for Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Piaget and some of my favorite watch brands, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin. It was amazing to be able to get some direct exposure to the company's executives, and one board member seemed particularly impressed by my knowledge of the company's cash flows (this type of geekiness is promoted in business school).

As would be expected, the whole affair was quite fancy - Montblanc pens attached by chain to the reception desks (like at a bank), an absurdly varied lunch spread (sushi, Lebanese food, and of course a variety of French and Swiss mountain cheeses), and the Jean Nouvel-designed headquarters overlooking Lake Geneva (which was very similar in style to the Fondation Cartier building in Paris, which he also designed).

View from the chalet at the center of the Richemont HQ

A tree growing in the Richemont building

But the most exciting part of the Richemont visit for me was a trip to the manufacture where Vacheron Constantin watches are made, by hand. Wandering around in lab coats we walked through every step of a process that can take years to complete, watching thousands of tiny little mechanical components (not to mention copious amounts of diamonds and other gems) come together in an amazing fusion of engineering and art.

But Geneva isn't only luxury goods (although luxe logos seem to dominate the skyline, along with signs for private banks). Liz and I had a great time strolling along the lakefront in the early evenings, checking out the jet d'eau from every possible angle and appreciating the natural beauty of the Alps and the Jura. Of course, plenty of touristastic photos were taken...

Jet D'Eau

Geneva = Jewelery, Watches and Private Banks

Liz: "The sky here is soooo cool!"

Liz breaking the rules by sitting on a hoist (a rare moment captured for eternity)

Forced to pose

Meteo quiz for John Perman - Why are the clouds so interesting in Geneva?

After paying way too much for food the first night (40 CHF, or $40, for Pad Thai?!) we ate some quick-n-cheap Lebanese on the second night and made our way down to the lakefront. There we found an open air bar playing reggae music and serving panachés (beer+Sprite) as swans swam in the water alongside us. Liz was ecstatic, while I relived childhood memories of a swan attacking me at this little lake my parents brought me to (it took me playing the role of "The Ugly Duckling" in the Hans Christian Andersen play to get over that).

My worst nightmare

Of course, the next day we went to feed the swans and an especially aggressive one bit my big toe...

A Rainy Day in Cannes

We had one day of full-on torrential rain during our vacation in Antibes. For some reason, Karim and I thought that it would be a perfect chance to go on an excursion to St. Tropez. So, we hopped on a train that took us part of the way there, only to discover that it was Assumption Day and it would take us 3 hours by bus to make the rest of the journey. No thank you. So, we hopped back on the train and decided to stop in Cannes on our way back to Antibes.

Rather than glitz and glamour, we encountered more torrential rain there and people hopping around like drowned rats. Here are a couple snapshots of our adventure:

Here's Karim looking dapper as ever in lilac on lilac

A very cool shot Karim took in the middle of the street

When it REALLY started to pour, we gave up and headed inside for a drink

And Karim proceeded to take this strange series of photos of me

Here I'm asking him to knock it off!

When the rain let up a touch, we headed back to the train station and retreated back to Antibes and spent the evening relaxing and playing cards with the wise Becca who knew better than to venture out on a day like that!

Antibes continued

Antibes was so beautiful, I can't help but share some more pictures...

Dried fruits at the marché

A spread of legumes

Quite possibly my favorite tree in the world

Another great composition by Karim

The old village

A scene at the beach taken before I got sun poisoning (doh!)

Karim - can we move here? ;)

Le Soleil Toute L'Année Sur La Cote D'Azur

After settling into our apartment, it was time to meet Becca, one of our very best friends, in Antibes. It was exactly what we all needed...fresh produce, fish and cheese purchased from the adorable marché, LOTS of amazingly tasty 2 euro rosé, and quality time together. Oh, and Becca managed to train for the New York marathon each day. She inspired Karim and me to join her on a few runs and walks around the Cap as well.

Cap d'Antibes has to be one of the most beautiful and serene places in the world...

Karim's favorite photo of the whole trip (he thinks he was channeling Slim Aarons)

The trees in Antibes are unreal - just so beautiful

Love the composition of this photo - nice work Karim!

Fishing in a speedo - how French!

The rocky coast

Karim catches us from behind

Marché full of flavorful produce