I'll always have Paris: Juan les Pins

My junior year of high school—which is over four years ago now for a little reality check for my relatives—mom and I hosted a French girl, Ailys, from Lyon for two weeks. The following summer I went to Europe and stayed with Ailys and her family for some time. We had such a great time: they are such a warm and kind family, so I was very happy to reconnect with them while in France. So, Ailys invited me to celebrate her parents 25 wedding anniversary with them at their home in Juan les Pins which is near Antibes and Nice. So on Friday I arrived in Juan les Pins with Ailys and her friend Marion where all of Ailys’ family and friends were waiting. We arrived late in the evening, so we had a quick dinner for 20 people and went to bed because we had a big day ahead of us.
Waking early, the big group of 30 ish people all convened down at the docks awaiting the big surprise:

We were to celebrate all day on a sailing boat sailing across the high sea of the Mediterranean! Le Don du Vent, A Gift from the Wind, came into the dock and we loaded her up with the rest of the goodies… a refrigerator full of a delicious roast, sides of couscous and green beans, and colorful ice cream in a bowl made out of nougatine.

The guests boarded one by one according to what t-shirt they received. The Tebboune family custom made t-shirts for everyone with a little name or inside joke on the front. Everyone’s fit them perfectly… mine was: “C’est fou ca!” which means “That’s crazy”. The story behind this comes from the summer I spent with them after junior year. Now, I had been learning French for two years by then, but of course it was wildly insufficient for living with a family. So, we spoke mostly English, but like any good foreigner I learned a few key phrases, and “That’s crazy” was one of them. I said it all the time as we white water rafted for 9 hours down the Ardeche River in the south of France… believe me everything was crazy on that adventure!

So back to the story, everyone received their fashionable shirts and we hit the water! At a certain point, I remembered that I get pathetically sea sick just at the sight of crashing waves. So… being the only somewhat stormy day, somewhat meaning that 90% of the time on the Cote d’Azur it is clear as crystal and as breezeless as the inside of a milk carton, there were a few white puffy clouds and lots of wind which created waves. Needless to say, I spent the ride to the destination swimming spot breathing deeply and thinking about the fact that if I were to get sick and let go of the rope, I would fly off the boat into the churning water and might never see the light of day again… yes the waves were that big. But thankfully, we arrived safe and sound to our clear oasis between two islands. No waves, no nausea, just clear blue water and a boom box. We set anchor and immediately started drinking, eating and celebrating. Here are a few boat pictures:

Just call me Mermaid Nikki...

Ailys uncles and aunts organized a few skits that told the story of James and Pascal’s live together… it was quite hilarious!

Incredibe desert!

Sunset

I napped on the deck, swam in the water (which had jelly fish and was chilly… go me!), drank several glasses of the Algerian concoction Pascal made, and just hung out in the filet, the net at the front of the boat. The day was like a dream. The ride home at midnight was even more incredible… there were still a lot a waves but we were going directly into them, so up and down, and not swaying back and forth (this makes an huge difference for me) so all we younger kids went to the front of the boat and had the ride of our lives! It was one of the most incredible feelings I have ever experienced: heading towards black waters and ice-blue stars, up-high to the peak of the waves, and down low to the valley of the waves. A truly unforgettable moment…

The following day was a spent in the mandatory swim suit dress code just lounging by the pool. Napping, reading and eating… yet another perfect day! Lunch was the only thing on the agenda that day; it lasted for about 5 hours: we had appetizers and great wine; French sausage with all the fixings, then barbequed pineapple (you put a whole pineapple on a skewer, put it over the grill for about 8 minutes or until it starts to bubble, then serve hot with ice-cold Brazilian liquor which is this beautiful bottle)

followed by cake and coffee. And all the while, we were telling stories and jokes, and let me tell you, I did quite well with the stories and some of the jokes, humor is really hard, especially drunk-slurring humor… I even participated in telling stories and a joke or two (and people laughed!!!!) It was a very productive, fun, tasty, and educational lunch!

Ailys relaxing by the pool...