Last night Shan had suggested we visit Menton on today's adventure. Somehow a short drive into the local countryside seemed more inviting than a race east on the auto-route. I know I will pay the price of not going to Menton, and I am sure to hear about it a few more times, but today we set about to visit the clifftop village of Gourdon, just 30 minutes from the hotel.

The last time we visited, we had a wonderful conversation with Annette, who worked in the auberge near then entrance to Gourdon. That time in March a few years ago, it was cold and rainy, but the warmth of the open fire, relaxed atmosphere, happy people, and the two big dogs were too much to resist. We never really made our way to the village -- it was just more fun to stay in the auberge and chat with Annette. This time we missed Annette and went directly to the village.

We went so quickly to the village that I left my wallet in the car, and didn't realize this until we had climbed the 200 meters to the village. Oops! I left Shan there figuring she wouldn't get into any trouble. We have been together for 27 years and I should know better by now. You can probably guess the next words from Shan,"Which dress do you like best?" Yes, she'd found the only dress shop in the village! Remember -- we did not drive to Menton today as she had wanted! Small price to pay.

Gourdon is a 13th century cliff top castle, with sheer drops of over 1500 feet on three sides. Absolutely breathtaking! From the ramparts one can see for miles across the valley toward the Mediterranean with the paragliders riding the thermals high above. The brilliant yellows and blues of the wild flowers and roses surrounded us. The pink clouds of the smoke bushes were blooming everywhere wild along the way.

The woman who ran the dress shop recommended Le Vieux Four for lunch. We had walked by it earlier, but it looked like just a hole in the wall. When we returned and actually went inside, tiny, just 6-7 tables, we had found the perfect spot. A superb lunch, just perhaps I won't hear about not going to Menton today.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for some famous French strawberries, fraises de bois. Shan found a curious yellow fruit that the shopkeeper called nèfle, a loquat-like fruit that I had never seen before. She gave us a couple as a petit cadeau. It tasted somewhat like a kiwi fruit, citrus-like and very sweet. (The picture is the nèfle.)

So, today was a good day!