Saturday, June 12, 2010

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.

16 comments:

  1. glorious glorious glorious! im so ready to get back to europe! she really is beautiful!

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  2. Oh I am living vicariously! What a lovely day. Perfect it seems.

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  3. What a beautiful place! I have always wanted to travel to Europe, just to see these quaint little towns. My dad has a lot of similar pictures from his mission in Italy. It makes me yearn for a more simplistic life.

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  4. Its like a post card! MAkes me hate it here all the more, but just enjoying each post and picture...brave little Zari, Dio and Mama!
    <3

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  5. How beautiful! I'm glad you guys had such a great day.

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  6. Oh, that does sound like a lovely day!

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  7. What an awesome day! Thanks for sharing. I love those little villages across Europe so much. And yes, your kids are beautiful.

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  8. That cat looks like my "wild" cat here in the US!

    I know what you mean when you say you are amazed that your daughter is a member of your family. My younger daughter is like that. She is a little like a woodland creature, not anything like my husband or me or her older sister. We are so happy to have such a different person among us, teaching us to see things differently than we would without her!

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  9. Adorable! I love the pots of flowers, too!

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  10. how lovely!!! ...awesome shot of the flowerpots...love the angle and perspective!!! :)

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  11. I love your description of Zari. That was very precious.

    And this trip, man, you're killing me! It just is so heavenly!

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  12. What an adorable little town! I just love Europe...what a great experience for your family.

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  13. I feel like we're right back in Southern France with you guys again. Such a pleasure. Best of luck with the packing and moving about. :)

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  14. Wow! how beautiful it is! And great that Zari hiked all the way up herself. i should plan more of such adventures in our less exciting part of the world.

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  15. Next time eat at the restaurant there in the village. It's a 5-Star by anybody's standards! The head chef's name is Romain. Tell em' Michael and Beth recommended the restaurant!

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  16. Thanks for the recommendation. I remember thinking that the restaurant looked really good. We're going to Nice again this summer and the hike is definitely on our to-do list!

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