Intro to Europe 101

“It’s a blast.” He was enthusiastic, curious, at times in awe, and termed almost everything a “blast.” It was so much fun and gratifying to be with him, a blast for me too.

That’s my nephew, David Koester, who visited me recently, his first time to Europe.

David and Leah
Nephew David and Aunt Leah

“It was an eye-opening experience.  I’ve never experienced another culture before,” David told me during a recent phone conversation. “I’ve been raving about the trip ever since I got back.”

David, 39, is an account executive with Logicalis, an IT consulting firm. He lives with his wife Sabrina and 8-year-old son Jonah in Louisville, Ky.

 His buddy Matt had a business trip to Berlin.  They decided to meet in Switzerland for a few days.  He visited me in southern France prior to the Swiss rendezvous.

We had lunch here before David explored the old chateau in the Vieux Village of Roquebrune Cap Martin

His visit here was short, three days.  We were on the move.  First stop the Vieux Village (old village) of Roquebune Cap Martin. I live in the “new town.”

After an outdoor lunch in the town plaza, David explored, up to the old chateau, then up and down the skinny pedestrian alleys.  Since I am now walking with a cane, I stayed back.  “It’s so cool walking through these alleys, seeing the old architecture,” he remarked.

Old town Roquebrune Cap Martin

A favorite spot in the old village is the viewpoint overlooking Monaco.  Another day, a very rainy day, we ventured to the principality and opted for the hop-on, hop-off bus which gives a good overview of Monaco.  

Monaco

David, who is a financial wizard, informed me that Monaco’s Formula One makes more money than any other sporting event.   “It was cool driving over the starting line,” he said.

Roquebrune Cap Martin is adjacent to Menton, a Riviera town on the border with Italy.   It too has an old town, a maze of twisty alleys, as well as the imposing basilica of Saint Michael.  David visited all, as well as the city’s market, my favorite.  

The old town of Menton
David was impressed with Menton’s market hall. This is my bread stand where we bought some tasty goodies.

We crossed the border for an Italian snack at Grotta.  I love to stop there – Italian ambience, reasonable food and an enticing setting just above the coast.  

Another must is nearby Sainte Agnes, a medieval village classified as “one of the most beautiful villages in France.” Reaching the burg, said to be the highest coastal village in France at an altitude of 760 meters (2,493 feet), is not for the faint of heart. Follow a treacherous, narrow mountain road —  lots of hairpin turns and places where there is room for only one car.  Someone may need to reverse. Fortunately, David was behind the wheel. 

He drove my Suzuki Swift.  I was still recovering from the San Francisco broken wrist (see previous post, “I lost my money in San Francisco”) and could not yet drive.

He found driving in southern France “wild.”  He summed it up: “There are mopeds everywhere.  Everything is very tight.  You’ve got to be on our toes all the time…you need to be aggressive out there.” He did enjoy my humble car.  “I haven’t driven stick shift in ages,” he said. “It was fun.”

The views from Sainte Agnes are worth the trip. David trekked up a steep path to investigate the ruins of a chateau.

A steep path leads to the ruins of a 12th century chateau above Sainte Agnes
A medieval garden and cemetery are part of the chateau site.

Lunch was a treat, a multi course meal at a popular, rustic, local restaurant:  pork pate, followed by ravioli, and a main course of either wild boar stew or rabbit, all topped off with a slice of blueberry pie.  He ordered rabbit.  I went for the wild boar.  We shared.

For David, food in France is “phenomenal, awesome.”  He was impressed with the taste and presentation, and said it was much healthier than food in the U.S. 

The plan was to leave Sainte Agnes and continue up the mountain to Col de la Madonne, a mountain pass my super cyclist friend Bridget had raved about. The route is popular with serious riders on two wheels. 

We had three choices after leaving the village:  a road down to where we had come from, another with a sign to the town of Peille, and a third unmarked. GPS was no help.  We took the road less traveled – and too much adventure awaited.

No one has lived here recently — the only house we saw on our adventure into the hinterlands.

On and on we drove.  Nothing. No signs. Few other cars.  No civilization.  The road deteriorated.  Dirt. Bumps.  Pot holes.  Where were we?    We charged on until we came to a fork with a gate /barrier blocking  the road on the right.  Yet, according to David’s GPS (now working), we should take that road.  He got out and opened the gate.  

I was nervous.  This can’t be right. What if we get stuck?  We are alone in the boondocks.

 But on we went, deeper into nowhere. To my relief, my chauffeur decided to turn back and take the other road. There was little improvement, but it had to lead us out of this isolated back country.

Peille is another remote medieval village tucked in the mountains.

Hope: A sign to Peille, the town we had rejected when leaving Sainte Agnes.  We gleefully took it, and realized we were retracing much of the territory we had just covered. ??  This road was not much better than the others and nightfall was coming.  But, we were en route to civilization. 

Peille is old and picturesque, a cluster of stone buildings below the main road where we parked and then headed downhill to check it out.  Nothing was open except a funky, bar café.  Perfect. We loved the cozy ambience, the local vibe, and the well-earned beer.

Our salvation: A bar that was open.
Downtown Peille: old stone houses, vaulted passageways.

David was good natured about this fiasco.  He was a joy to be with – never complained and was thrilled with all. Mea Culpa.  I will not subject future visitors to the search for the Col de la Madonne. 

David continued to Switzerland where he spent a few days in the Grindelwald-Lucerne area with Matt.  He called the country “the most beautiful place I have ever been to.”  However, he found it very expensive.

The boys in Switzerland. Matt and David.

In an email after returning home, David wrote the following:

“I had such a great trip.  I think about it all the time.  It was so great to see you.  I’m so excited to come back.  I can understand why you made the life decisions you did.  Seeing the world is so much fun.  We are going to plan a family trip to Europe.”

I hope they will visit me.  I can’t wait.  I know it will be a blast.

David, Sabrina and Jonah

ALL PHOTOS ABOVE BY DAVID KOESTER

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MORE PHOTOS BY DAVID BELOW

David followed the coastal Corbusier trail near my apartment. The scenery is spectacular.
We split this veggie entree at a Menton restaurant. David found food here healthier than that in the U.S.
Peille by night
La Turbie, a town near Roquebrune.
Chateau in the old village of Roquebrune Cap Martin
Basilique Saint Michel in Menton.

28 thoughts on “Intro to Europe 101”

  1. LEAH, The photos were beautiful, of course, and your willingness to share the adventure with your nephew was great! I loved following your path and wondering if you spent the night somewhere or travelled in the dark on such roads. You and I are so fortunate to be able to type and express happiness in life. I, too, use a cane after having my second knee replaced. This time it was a breeze because I used a young surgeon who uses robo. He implanted a different, better working knee, too! I love young docs! Now, if only my spine worked better! No surgery for it. The doc wants to fill a couple of spaces or use cortisone where my discs are no longer discoing! It’s all needle work, but I’m unsure I’ll even do that. Ah, life is changing. Sending hugs and hallelujahs! Linda Neely

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    1. Hi Linda. It’s great to hear from you. I am happy to know you liked the post. We had lots of fun. Two US cousins just visited. I will write about our adventures. I learned my lesson. We did not get lost in the backcountry, but did encounter some challenging roads. My knee replacement is 15 yrs. old. — no longer perfect but I am not anxious for any more surgery. Have to keep moving and think positive. All the best.

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  2. So very enjoyable to accompany you and David, Leah! It’s amazing how you continue to remain devoted to your calling, even at such challenging times. Continue healing, continue writing! My best, lots of love and deep thanks!

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  7. Reminded me of how I felt on my first trip to Europe. It’s so wonderful to experience other cultures. It changes your worldview in so many ways.

    Completely agree with David’s assessment of driving in France. It definitely requires your full attention, and as he said, its really fun to to drive a stick shift again. I always love hearing stories about GPS failing and resulting in an adventure.

    The photos are great.

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    1. I remember my first trip. It was thrilling. David is an excellent driver. He handled the terrain and traffic like a pro. I was impressed and grateful. We laughed about our misadventure. You can definitely get off the beaten track in rural France.

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  11. Love the blog. Glad to hear your out and about again. You have introduced your nephew to the world outside of the US and now he will return to France with his family.

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    1. I have no regrets about taking the road less traveled. It’s an adventure. I am not thrilled with old age, however. No more slalom course, not even blue runs. We did have fun.

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