26. May, 2016

WEDNESDAY 25-05-16

My first task this morning was to clean the barbecue from last night. My word what a mucky job, disposables would be easier but they're banned on most campgrounds due to the fire risk, only gas and electric are allowed.

After scrubbing up we popped round the corner to the Tourist Information Office to enquire about television repairs, in the hope I could get the built-in DVD fixed. Unfortunately the young lady had no idea where we could go, but suggested we try at the supermarket since they sell televisions there. Down the road we went. They do sell tellies, and big ones at that, but there were no members of staff to ask. Not to be defeated we approached a lady up by the tills. Well you'd have thought she'd been asked to explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity or something. Surely what I was asking them in a roundabout way was 'If you're television went wrong where would you take it, who would YOU call?' The only suggestion forthcoming was to try the internet. So that explained why there were no members of staff near the televisions in the store, they never sell any, because televisions in France never need repairing or replacing.

In the end we bought a cheap little mains powered DVD player for about £30 which runs ok with our TV back at 'base'. So now we have a bit of evening entertainment should we wish.

That still left me with the problem of the duff video camera. I kept going back to it in the hope that I could sort it, but so far it has alluded me. It's so frustrating because with most things there's a 'Plan B'. If the SLR packs up, there's the pocket camera, if there's no electricity available everything can be done using gas or the 12v supply on the vehicle, etc. But there's no Plan B for the video. Before our American trips I bought two identical Sony video cameras in 2007 (a long story). Both travelled with us, only one was ever used. In fact that camera travelled on all of our holidays after that. That sits at home now as my spare. The one we've bought away this time has only done the Istanbul trip and so has no justification for packing up on me. But it has, so now I've either got to bin it or try and get it back home without damaging the exposed raised tape transport mechanism, and get it repaired. I think I'll try for the latter.

This now leaves me with two options, go video-free for the rest of the trip, or buy another one. If I buy one I've either got to keep it fairly basic and as cheap as possible, or leap to the next generation of camera which will cost quite a lot of money, and if I do that I'd rather be doing that back home where I can sort any issues during the warranty period and also be able to read the manual.

With that in mind we took a wander after lunch to the 'out of town' shopping area up the road. I found just one shop which was selling just two video cameras. Not much of a choice then. Still at least I know where to come if I can't find one somewhere else within the next couple of days.

This evening before dinner we went for a nice stroll down to the beach, well technically it's a beach but really it's thousands of tons of well-spread large pebbles. If we stand facing out to sea we find ourselves in a large bay. To our right on the edge of it is Antibes and we can see the large yachts anchored there. To our left we have the start of the runway for Nice airport just on the edge of the bay, Nice town being just round the headland. Planes coming in to land at the airport pass across in front of us touching down just before they disappear.

This evening's meal was Spaghetti Bolognese accompanied by some hot toasted baguette with 'snail butter' on as The Chef calls it. These culinary artistic types seem to have their own language.

Tomorrow we are off to Cagnes-sur-Mer just along the coast, where maybe I'll find a cheap video camera.

26. May, 2016

26. May, 2016

26. May, 2016

25. May, 2016

TUESDAY 24-05-16

We were up fairly early this morning as we were off out, beating many of the Germans to the showers.

Having wandered up to the bus stop we were soon on our way using the very regular service which runs between Nice and Cannes, the trip lasted about twenty  minutes and cost us €1 each, in fact whenever we get on a bus here it costs us €1. If it's a fixed price, I wonder how far €1 would take us?

Being over cautious at times we're inclined to get off a bus too soon rather than be taken too far out of town as we did yet again in Pula, Croatia. The bus driver must have looked in his mirror as we got off and thought to himself 'They're fit, they must have decided to walk the rest of the way'. No we hadn't, we'd just done it again without realising it.

When we eventually arrived in the heart of things we were very impressed with Antibes, especially the Old Town. It was nicer than we expected, the further we walked the better it got, though tourists weren't very welcomed near the yachts in the marina area. One of the yachts moored just off the coast looked like one of Roman Abramovich's, this particular one has a pretty distinctive shape. It's coming to something when a Russian Oligarch owns more boats than our Royal Navy these days.

Everywhere we went yacht crews were busy sprucing up their multi-million pound charges, presumably for the arrival of their owners to party around the Monte Carlo scene for the forthcoming Monaco Grand Prix. 

Lunch was good value at a snack bar which the locals used. In all it cost us about €12, which is pretty good value. We always try and dive down the back streets to eat in such places. We're not the sort of people to spend hard earned money in fancy eats establishments.

The Chef liked Antibes so much she fancies going back there again for a second look, no doubt we will, only next time we'll leave the cameras behind and have a relaxing day, and we'll stay on the bus for another two stops.

When we got back 'home' we popped down to the supermarket for some bits including chicken pieces, legs by the look of it, couldn't find breast with the skin on, and beef burgers so that we could have our first  BBQ of the trip.

By about 18:40 we were starting to send up smoke signals from our pitch. Fortunately the wind was calm and so it didn't waft around in any particular direction.

This evening I went to replace the videotape cassette in the video camera and it's playing up, refusing to close with the new tape in it. So now that's another problem to add to the list.

Tomorrow will be an odds and ends day and maybe book a couple of bikes for the day since we didn't bring our own folders with us.