Hike to Peillon

I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday. But it wasn't. So we started looking at where we could go for a day trip on the regional bus system (anywhere for 1 Euro and children ride free). After lunch, we decided to visit Peillon, a perched village in the mountains behind Nice. The only "problem," which turned out to be our reason for visiting, was that the bus stop was at the bottom of the valley. A hike straight up the mountain sounded fantastic. Here's the view from the bus stop. You can see Peillon perched at the top of the closest peak.

Here's a better picture (not my own)

Dio napped in a hiking backpack on the way up. At the entrance to the village was a fountain, where Dio took a nursing break.

Zari hiked all the way up and almost all the way down. I was very impressed. She was really proud of herself for making it up "all by herself."

Our next stop was a water spigot. We refilled our water bottle and the kids played in the water for a good half-hour until we dragged them away to see the rest of the town.

The entire village was up and down and under charming little archways. Not the place for a stroller or a bike.

The only flat surface in the entire village was the square in front of the church. A bored-looking teenager kicked a soccer ball against the church wall. Not much else to do in Peillon.

It's so out of the way that there are no shops. Just a restaurant, a church, and lots of charming little houses.

I love the pots of flowers going up this staircase.

Dio found another water spigot and got even wetter.

A cat caught a mouse and played with it before eating it.

Sometimes I look at Zari and amazed that she is part of our family. She's so beautiful--in the full sense of the word, not just on the surface. She's her own person and is very much aware of what's going on around her.

Time to head back down. The view of the valley.

After we made our way back down (with Zari riding in the Ergo on the final stretch), we had an hour and a half to kill before the bus came. Since we were at the bottom of a valley, we figured a mountain stream wouldn't be far away. We were right. We played in the cool, clear water, the perfect thing after a long, hot hike. And then we waited...and waited...and waited for the bus. It was the last one of the day and we hoped that it was going to come. Since I'm back home blogging, you have probably figured out the bus finally made it!

It was a lovely day.