welcome to the haikutimes
Issue #276, December 25, 2024, Nice, France
Journal, December 25, 2024.
So, we awoke, all at different times, on Christmas morning, to a sunny Mediterranean day. I of course was up early and journalling but kept quiet, since the kids were basically sleeping next to the kitchen. Orion fixed himself a big breakfast once he was up and had taken a shower. Paige stayed in bed.
When she did wake up, she was feeling quite bad, which was unfortunate. Looking back, she feels that she had covid, since she lost her sense of smell. Orion also seems to have a cold, but he powered through it.
As mentioned, we exchanged no gifts. The experience of being in this unusual place for Christmas was more than a present, and I hope the experience, and memory, will be something we treasure.
Paige decided to stay in the apartment for the day to recover. I made sandwiches as I used to, for kid-dad adventures in days of old, and the three of us headed for the beautiful Nice beach, first stopping at a local patisserie where I could get chocolate au pin, and carrot cake for the kids, an impromptu gift that sneaked in there.
We ate the treats while gazing out at the wide blue ocean along with many other Christmas day travelers, who had come for the same blast of sunny Christmas ocean.
Why is it that looking out at vast stretch of open blue water inspires a sense of reverie? Perhaps there is some comfort in the serenity and the stillness, as well as the saturated colors of the day.
We moved south down the beach, making way to the Colline Du Château, which is a large bluff overlooking the ocean, upon which a castle and an old church once stood. It was green and bucolic, with paths winding through the forest; musicians played for people.
We wandered around the top via the Ascenseure du Chateau, enjoying the view, watching seagulls cavort in the waterfall that we discovered, cascading from a hidden spout above us.
We came down and walked around the bluff, past a huge military memorial carved into the limestone, past a cool sculpture of a Volkswagen to another harbor, Quartier du Port, where a generous assortment of expensive-looking yachts were docked. It was a fun stroll with the kids; looking at the shops, the color, the life.
Eventually, Phoenix piped up: “When are we going to eat?” We looked for a place to sit with our sandwiches, but finding nowhere adequate, Orion took charge and decided to take the bus back to the Place Beau Rivage beach. He has lived in Antibes long enough to have an easy familiarity with the bus system, so he confidently added fares to our bus cards, (using his phone, of course) which is how everything is done and arranged for these days.
So we drove back, but I hopped out before we descended to the level of the beach, wanting to take advantage of this lunch break to do a painting (in gouache).
Leaving the kids safely in a chill spot on the beach to eat the sandwiches I had made, I climbed halfway up into the park to do a painting of the Nice beach from above, where I tried to capture the gentle curvature of the harbor, the buildings and the waterfront. I was in a conspicuous spot, and noticed lots of people staring at me as they walked by.
Having finished the drawing, and ow hoofing it back to where the kids were eating, I got a notification that the air tag I had sewn into my glasses case was beeping at me through my phone, saying my glasses case was back in the spot where I had sketched.
Darn! Fortunately, I still had my glasses with me. I ran back to where I had been sketching, but could see no sign of the case, despite the map on my phone claiming they were there. Confused, I left and got the kids, and we walked back to the apartment.
As noted, Paige stayed in the apartment the entire Christmas day, trying to rest and recover. In the evening she felt well enough to make something to eat, producing a Cheesy Pasta for Christmas dinner, which we ate sitting around the table in our small apartment.
It turns out that my glasses case was up there the whole time. It had fallen down the front side of the wall. I was standing on. In the bushes, but I didn't think to look too carefully. We found them the next morning when we had a bit of a repeat adventure to the same park, bringing Page along with us this time.
Journal, December 25, 2024.
So, we awoke, all at different times, on Christmas morning, to a sunny Mediterranean day. I of course was up early and journalling but kept quiet, since the kids were basically sleeping next to the kitchen. Orion fixed himself a big breakfast once he was up and had taken a shower. Paige stayed in bed.
When she did wake up, she was feeling quite bad, which was unfortunate. Looking back, she feels that she had covid, since she lost her sense of smell. Orion also seems to have a cold, but he powered through it.
As mentioned, we exchanged no gifts. The experience of being in this unusual place for Christmas was more than a present, and I hope the experience, and memory, will be something we treasure.
Paige decided to stay in the apartment for the day to recover. I made sandwiches as I used to, for kid-dad adventures in days of old, and the three of us headed for the beautiful Nice beach, first stopping at a local patisserie where I could get chocolate au pin, and carrot cake for the kids, an impromptu gift that sneaked in there.
We ate the treats while gazing out at the wide blue ocean along with many other Christmas day travelers, who had come for the same blast of sunny Christmas ocean.
Why is it that looking out at vast stretch of open blue water inspires a sense of reverie? Perhaps there is some comfort in the serenity and the stillness, as well as the saturated colors of the day.
We moved south down the beach, making way to the Colline Du Château, which is a large bluff overlooking the ocean, upon which a castle and an old church once stood. It was green and bucolic, with paths winding through the forest; musicians played for people.
We wandered around the top via the Ascenseure du Chateau, enjoying the view, watching seagulls cavort in the waterfall that we discovered, cascading from a hidden spout above us.
We came down and walked around the bluff, past a huge military memorial carved into the limestone, past a cool sculpture of a Volkswagen to another harbor, Quartier du Port, where a generous assortment of expensive-looking yachts were docked. It was a fun stroll with the kids; looking at the shops, the color, the life.
Eventually, Phoenix piped up: “When are we going to eat?” We looked for a place to sit with our sandwiches, but finding nowhere adequate, Orion took charge and decided to take the bus back to the Place Beau Rivage beach. He has lived in Antibes long enough to have an easy familiarity with the bus system, so he confidently added fares to our bus cards, (using his phone, of course) which is how everything is done and arranged for these days.
So we drove back, but I hopped out before we descended to the level of the beach, wanting to take advantage of this lunch break to do a painting (in gouache).
Leaving the kids safely in a chill spot on the beach to eat the sandwiches I had made, I climbed halfway up into the park to do a painting of the Nice beach from above, where I tried to capture the gentle curvature of the harbor, the buildings and the waterfront. I was in a conspicuous spot, and noticed lots of people staring at me as they walked by.
Having finished the drawing, and ow hoofing it back to where the kids were eating, I got a notification that the air tag I had sewn into my glasses case was beeping at me through my phone, saying my glasses case was back in the spot where I had sketched.
Darn! Fortunately, I still had my glasses with me. I ran back to where I had been sketching, but could see no sign of the case, despite the map on my phone claiming they were there. Confused, I left and got the kids, and we walked back to the apartment.
As noted, Paige stayed in the apartment the entire Christmas day, trying to rest and recover. In the evening she felt well enough to make something to eat, producing a Cheesy Pasta for Christmas dinner, which we ate sitting around the table in our small apartment.
It turns out that my glasses case was up there the whole time. It had fallen down the front side of the wall. I was standing on. In the bushes, but I didn't think to look too carefully. We found them the next morning when we had a bit of a repeat adventure to the same park, bringing Page along with us this time.
solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen