Car Trouble in Paradise
Sunset on the Mediterranean
The drive from San Sebastian to Antibes is about 800+ kilometers. Add a little Txakoli grogginess, give each road about 7 names, forgo street signs, and you’ve got an interesting 10 hour drive through the French countryside. It wasn’t too bad though- Adam feels most comfortable with the French when he is behind the wheel. Add about 5 espressos, an understanding of the rest stop (“aire”) system, and the anticipation of finding the coast, and we made the time go as quickly as we could. Along the way we saw a castle/town right out of a fairytale called La Cite perched on a hilltop, the beautiful landscapes of Provence, and the glimmering water of the Mediterranean sea.
Surf beneath Adam's feet
Our arrival into Antibes was as hectic as usual. Using pre-printed Google Maps is a great way to get between cities, but it turns out the great minds in Mountain View created a system that isn’t ideal for the little twists and turns of tiny European towns. After tossing the directions by the wayside (“go 5 meters and merge… take the 5th exit off the roundabout… stay straight while jackknifing to the right… drive over a small fountain…”) we relied on instinct to get us to the Cap d’Antibes where our lovely little hotel Beau Site is located.
Cap d'Antibes
The feeling of sinking our feet into the Mediterranean at sunset was indescribable. The road behind our hotel lead us to a tiny little bay complete with a few sunset fisherman, a lazy sailboat, and the glittering lights of Nice off in the distance. The water is simultaneously blue and crystal clear, and the gentle laps of the sea on our bare feet set the tone for this portion of our trip (with one glaring exception, see a few paragraphs down).
Mussles avec Frites
From here our mission went accordingly: find delicious (non touristy) food, explore the string of cities along the Cote d’Azure, and soak up the sun along the various beaches. We followed a lovely path around the cape, on which we could sense the ancient history and imagine all the people who had walked before us. We visited Cannes and marveled at the super rich, super tan, (often super wrinkly) European ladies hopping from shop to shop. We ate mussels and frites in the old town, and continued our never-ending quest for the ultimate French macaron.
On our second morning, we woke up bright and early, excited at the prospect of heading into the minuscule state of Monaco for the day. The morning had an electrified air, filled with visions of winning big in the Monte Carlo casino, ogling European sports cars, and sipping cocktails while gazing at the sea (thanks to Tim, Jackie, Sonya, and Ian!).
Gas nozzles, can you see the diesel?
First things first, we had to refuel our faithful little car. Now this was not our first fueling, in fact we specifically looked for a Total gas station as they had proven to be easy and reliable for us already. We quickly found one in route to Monaco and stopped for gas. Our Audi A3 takes diesel gas. This was no problem, as all European stations have diesel (referred to as diesel, gazole, or gasoil). Adam’s trained eye went right for the green gas nozzle, the very same gas nozzle he’s been avoiding in the US for 17 years. We filled up the car, paid the nice (!) attendant who even practiced a little English on us (“good morning”, turns out that’s all he knew…) and headed on our way. Or so we thought anyway.
Our poor car is towed
About 4 minutes into the drive the car started acting funny. The engine was jerking a bit, especially when idling at a stop. A strange looking light came on in the dashboard, which we can only describe as a little loopdy-loop. While Sophia frantically searched through the French-only Audi manual, Adam witnessed several other lights illuminate on the dashboard. First the loopdy-loop, then the check engine, then a bright red light that seemed to indicate “GET THE HELL OUT OF THE CAR NOW”. So we pulled over into the parking lot of a frozen fish and chicken vendor, as our car sputtered and died. Uh oh. No car, no phone, no French. Monaco was about 25 kilometers away but it felt like a whole other world.
Monte Carlo Casino
After quite a few awkward interactions with French people who spoke no English and a 20 minute hike back to the gas station, we (when we say “we” we really mean Adam) discovered that the green nozzle is NOT the diesel gas in France (Sophia had seen “diesel” clearly indicated on the other two nozzles while we were fueling up and thought Adam had seen the same). Quite the opposite. Again, with no iPhones to pull up quick searches like “what to do when you put non-diesel gas into a diesel car” or “Europcar emergency hotline” or “how do ask for help in French”, we felt a little helpless, and Adam felt more than a little stupid for this careless but costly mistake.
View from the Picasso museum
In the end, we prevailed through patience and luck, the help of strangers, and 500 euro. The car was towed, the engine flushed, the carburetor and filter replaced (we think), and the car was back to normal 4 hours later. In the meantime, we had a delicious lunch at a little café, discovered a Picasso museum inside of the old Grimaldi royal family castle in Antibes, and even had Sophia’s favorite ice cream, Movenpick.
Huge statue in Antibes
Our day trip to Monaco became an evening trip instead, and was all the more enchanting for it. We had a wonderful time driving the cliffside roads, seeing unbelievable sports cars, navigating the tiny roads, sipping cocktails in the Monte Carlo casino, and dining al fresco over the Monaco harbor (home to more yachts than we’d ever seen in our lives thanks to a yacht show in town for the week).
The Cote d’Azur was a warm, romantic, and unforgettable experience. The culture has hints of Italian flavor due to its proximity to the border, and the people were remarkably friendly. One can easily see why so many famous painters and writers called it home.
Still in love on the Mediterranean
Everything continues to sound wonderful, except, of course, the car incident. In the end it leaves your pockets a bit emptier but a tale that will last a life time. I recall the harbor at Monaco, seen from the hills above, as spectacular. Your blog and pictures continue to entertain and inform in a most pleasing way.
When Dave and I were on our honeymoon in Spain and driving to Marbella we had no idea how to get to the hotel. He kept asking me for directions and I kept saying I don’t know which way is Lake Michigan, that’s how I know if we are going east. Needless to say it was a test and we passed. Have fun!
Loving everything you write — you are in such a beautiful part of the world.