What We’ve Been Waiting For

​Sun-Mon, February 1-2, 2026 — Nice to VilleFranche-Sur-Mer

Bonjour a tous! Meg here. After having fun watching the women's Australian Open, Dean was able to figure out a way for us to download the Eurosport App that allowed us to also watch the men's final - Carlos Alcarez v. Novak Djokovic.  Dean and I are big Carlos fans. The fact that he reminds me of my nephew Max has a lot to do with it - not to mention Carlos' mad skills on the tennis court. He's fun, fast, amazingly good, and can make some truly unbelievable shots. So, knowing we had to be at the school at noon to pick up the keys to our apartment, Dean and I had to leave the hotel by 11:15. Despite the match being tied up with a set apiece, we left as scheduled, only to find that our schedule was wrong. The route we had planned on taking was no longer an option at 11:15, so while we did get closer after exiting the tram, we determined the best option was to walk. What was forecast to take us 44 minutes took us 35.  We arrived a little sweaty, (well, I was), but on time!

The schlep was worth it! We have a pretty nice setup here, our own one-bedroom place just a few doors down from the school. There's loads of space for the two of us.  I'm crazy about the balcony and trust that we'll get nice enough weather to sit and enjoy the view on the days we're not heading to school.  We will not be wanting for much.

For our first night, Sunday, we decided stay in and cook for ourselves. It was a hodgepodge, but nice to have a relaxed evening. The main market is the « Casino » just a  5-10 minute walk uphill.  The little store is facing the boulangerie and the boucherie (bakery and deli). As it was Sunday, the deli was closed, but the bakery was open, so we chose our bread and then got the rest of our staples at the market. We opted for Mexican fare, as I spotted a burrito kit. No black beans to be found, but the white northern bean worked as our base, and when you add taco seasoning to them, it was a passable substitute. Shopping is not the same: there's room temp milk, Weetabix cereal, and most everything in small quantities. We've noticed food ratings on certain foods. Shocker, cookies get an F rating, while yogurt gets an A. It's a nice and easy way to see what nutrition choices you're making. I'll have to check the wine rating...

Today was our first day of school. Dean and I were surprised at the number of people. There are at least 50 students, the majority Americans. Dean and I are about the average age of attendees, which makes sense; one needs to have spare time (and spare change) in February. In the summer, most likely, more kids would attend the school. Besides Americans, there are several Brits, a couple of Koreans, a woman from Kazakhstan (but lives in Monaco, just a few miles away), a younger guy from Iceland, a woman from Singapore, and a man from Germany.  You get the picture...

As Dean noted, "Everyone is starting today. Most people will be here three or four weeks. A half-dozen folks are here for their second tour of duty, having attended in past years. Most of today was spent giving us a few tests — listening, writing, reading, and speaking. Arrgh.  We were taken into a room, one at a time, given a sheet with a dozen drawings of a mother, father, and their two kids doing things like doing homework, going to bed, cooking, going to work or school… The task was simply to describe what we saw. A clever three-year-old would have put me to shame!"  I felt much the same. 

After the tests, we were sorted into smaller groups. In my class of 10, there are six women and four men. We have 5 nationalities represented, and our teacher, Victor, makes 6. It's going to be a lot of work, but I really liked Victor. He spoke only French, and at times, I felt like I was just barely hanging on!  Starting tomorrow, no more English (or native tongue) can be spoken, only French. I'm excited for the chance to improve my French speaking ability. This is really a dream come true for me. 

As I type this, Dean is putting together our bikes, which, amazingly, arrived today after being shipped from Dan's house on Friday (a thousand thanks, Dan, for the incredible packing job!). Once the weather improves, it is our hope to get a ride in the morning before heading to school. By how I feel tonight, however, that could be a tall order. I'm completely wiped out. Fortunately, we'd get the ride before school, which might be just the thing to kickstart our mental capacity....right??