Morocco and now Menton, France 2018 | Ste Agnês

It is a week ago now, but I have notes! Yes, I'm home, and cleaning up the mess that this blog has been in since trying to post from Morocco and France. The weather here at home has been in the mid-teens, which is perfect for walking and gardening. Today it's chilly though, and it cannot be long before winter calls. A persistent red squirrel batted away at my front yard bird feeder today, until he`d dumped its contents on the ground. He left nothing for the birds!

On Saturday's walk we climbed, and then we climbed some more. The bus picked us up at the usual hour and headed up to Ste Agnés.  This off-the-beaten-path village would be my choice for a month-long vacation in France. We wound our way up a steep climb, snaking along in the middle of a stream of cars, vans and trucks, going up, and coming down. It's often a one-way road; and other times, it's one and a half. We slithered our way through tight squeezes, backed up to let downward traffic pass, pulled off the road, and on again, until finally we reached the end of the road: a parking lot near, but not at, the village. A cobblestone road leads up to the village; we stopped at the top to look back at the sea and the coast below.

Ste Agnes from the road; our destination is the top

The freeway, Menton and the Mediterranean below

  It was siesta time as we crept our way through the village streets and squares, still climbing gently until we reached the old fort, a remnant from the Maginot Line built in 1932.

Remains of the old fort

This original garden is being restored and maintained by volunteers

Made it!

 This was our first serious climb of the week, and definitely worth celebrating!