Day 18 – From “Graine et Ficelle” to Nice (25km)

Another packed day of people, laughter and awesome encounters!

Started off the day by looking at the map, I had to get to the train station in Nice to meet my friend Kasia arriving from Dijon in the afternoon. I learned then that we were in fact very close to the coastal metropolis, maybe 20 or 25km away… and the ride to the Mediteranean would be all downhill! If my biking spirit had forgotten what easy and leisurely biking was like, it would remember it today.

We whiled away the morning chatting, working and munching on delicious snacks with Iza and her friend Pierre. The two of them, proudly in their 50s, were loving my biking project and eager to hear more about it, regardless of any nostalgia it might bring up for them. Pierre in particular, with shining eyes, told me of his biking, touring and travelling adventures from way back when, some of which also took place in Canada during a dog-sledding expedition he undertook in Quebec. He was amazed at all of the networks available to travellers and bicycle tourists these days, he loved hearing about the WWOOF, Couchsurfing and WarmShowers networks. By the end of it, I could tell he had been bitten by the bicycle bug like so many of those I meet – he wanted to get back out on the road too! “But, Katya (as he liked to call me by the Russian version of my name), what will my wife say when she hears that I am sleeping on stranger’s sofas?”.

Ah, well…

I had planned to leave at noon, knowing that in good company noon would morph into 14:00, and indeed I didn’t get going to Nice until past that time. The hour long trip from Iza’s was effortless, as I flew down the mountains I had biked so hard to get up, reaching the coast in no time and continuing east along the bicycle paths until I reached Nice.

I rolled into the train station and found Kasia there, rested from her train ride, with panniers, sleeping bag and all the necessities for surviving her 2 weeks with me on the road. Kasia and I are good friends, back from our days at the University of Calgary, with more things in common than just a first name. We are both Polish-Canadian (although she grew up in Saskatchewan and I in Alberta), we speak the same languages, and share many interests including healthy eating and biking. I am happy to spend time with her and discover a different biking dynamic than the solo-travelling I have been doing thus far!

So, having successfully found eachother in the touristy and overcrowded mess of downtown Nice we headed over to our Couchsurfing host for the next 2 nights – his name was Alex and he lived in a clean and quiet flat with his 5 year-old son Sandro. We immediately settled in and felt right at home, helped I’m sure by our host’s attending to our every need and desire – he even gave up his bed so that we could rest more comfortably!

In the evening, we spent a short while visiting vieux-Nice (the historical area), with a quick visit to the beach at night too.

A few more photos for you,

- Pierre helping me tweek some bits on the bike
- Iza and Pierre
- Nice beach at night
- one more photo of beautiful “Graine et Ficelle”

Day 17 – le Thoronet to Vance (65km) – night at la Graine et Ficelle

Today’s entry is not really about cycling, but more about people and places.

Phew!! A steep day, yet again. Going through Grasse was all up-hill too, but the thought of the following two days of little to no biking reassured me that it was OK if my legs were shaking, there was rest time in sight!

I arrived at my host’s place later than hoped for, navigating the last bit from Vence without a map. Finally, the lady at the convenience store pointed me in the right direction: “C’est la Graine et Ficelle que vous cherchez? Mais oui, je sais où c’est!” , evidently the friend of a friend who I would be staying with for the night was well known in the area!

And for good reason. Arriving at the property, I immediately saw a big shed with bikes (a good sign), until my eyes wandered a bit further to a… quaint greenhouse, a pretty patio with cafe-type chairs and mini-tables and on to the front door of the main house where a big retriever lay, blinking at me sleepily.

Birds were singing from trees all around, faint sounds from all corners were proof of working people, finishing the days tasks with the calm and efficiency unique to farms. My first feeling was of safety and comfort, I knew that I would rest well here.

I introduced myself to someone, as “the cyclist”, a friend of friends of Isabella, the owner. One of the girls smirked at my introduction – obviously, sweaty, tanned and shorts-and-helmet adorning me couldn’t be anything but a cyclist! They had not heard of my expected arrival however, they suggested I look for “Iza” below, pointing to somewhere down the hill.

Down the hill I went, noticing that my legs were not enjoying walking on the incline . I ignored the discomfort, and took in the sights around me instead…

If it is, by some miracle, possible to live out in the country while being “in the city”, in short, if it is possible to “have your cake and eat it too”, then la Graine et Ficelle has achieved it. Coming as I had from Grasse (big town) to Vence (medium-sized village) to Saint-Jeanet (small village), up in the hills of the Alpes-Maritimes not 20km away from the commercial coast of Cannes and Nice… I found myself in the midst of urban life yet most evidently on a farm! The beautiful modern-country-style house perched on top of the hill, from its wide windows the forested hills and wide sky always present, the bits of far-away villages nestled in the hills a feable reminder that people were, in fact, nearby. Below there were Iza’s vegetable gardens, numerous animal pens, overgrown paths and abundant flowers and grasses everywhere. I couldn’t believe such a place existed !

I found the owner, near one of her guest houses, a happy and approachable character giving the impression of one fulfilledin life.. She was surprised to hear that I would only be staying one night, in that case I would take her daughter’s room in the main house instead of the hut she had been preparing for me. I made a mental note to make a hut-reservation for after the ride, I could already tell this would be a place to re-visit!

After a shower and a session of cat-love with the resident 5 week-old kittens, we had a snack and tea with Iza exchanging different ideas on Permaculture, European-funded exchange programs and the difficulty of maintaining an organic farm in a consumerist-minded area. But bed time snuck up on us all too soon, and it was rest time…

Let the pictures speak for themselves, and may you, dear reader, seriously consider visiting this beautiful corner of France, if you find yourself in the area.

And if you’re wondering, “Graine et Ficelle” means “Seed and String”

You can find more info at http://www.graine-ficelle.com/

With best wishes,
Kasia – your world-discovering cyclist

P.s.

Photo details

- welcoming plaque
- directions
- main house 1 – the entrance
- main house 2 – the kitchen
- main house 3 – the dining area
- resident farm animals
- at the farm