Nice

9 September 2015:  I'm sitting at a café in Vieux Nice, sipping Chablis and wondering how to begin this blog post.  Every day since May 1st, I've written and posted a report about our hike on the GR5 from Hoek van Holland to... Nice.  Today we hiked from Aspremont to the official terminus of the GR5 at the Maison de l'Environnement in Nice.  So this is my last report about our GR5 hike.  I think I need another glass of Chablis to take that on board...

We received a warm welcome at the Maison de l'Environnement in Nice, which became the official terminus of the GR5 just a few years ago.  The folks there were very interested in our hike all the way from Hoek van Holland, and they gave us "Ville de Nice" tee-shirts and caps as souvenirs for the occasion. 

Of course, we could not stop there.  The real terminus of the GR5 has to be the Mediterranean Sea!  So after checking into our hotel (the New York), we walked down to the beach.  We did not merely walk into the water.  I performed the little ritual that I had planned back in Hoek van Holland.  (See the post with that title, dated 30 April 2015.)  I poured some of the North Sea water that I have been carrying along the entire length of the GR5 into the Mediterranean (thereby diluting the salinity of the latter by an infinitesimal amount).  I then added Mediterranean water to the remaining North Sea water in the little container.  That mixture of North and Mediterranean Seas will be a tangible souvenir of this wonderful, memorable hike. 

So now we face the transition to life off the trail.  We are struck by the intensity of urban life:  There are so many traffic lights in Nice!  After more than four months of hiking, when we carried everything we needed on our backs, we now have decisions to make every time we step out the door.  Do I need a jacket? An umbrella?  We went out this evening for dinner and brought along jackets in case the weather turned cool, but nothing in case of rain.  Well, it began to rain during our dinner.  We'll have to dash through the rain back to our hotel.  Had we still been hiking, we'd just dig into our backpacks and pull out the necessary clothing. 

We'll make the transition back to urban living, but we'll also look forward to our next hike in the mountains...

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Departure from Aspremont this morning, hiking toward the last hill of the hike:

The Mediterranean now dominates the horizon.

It's all downhill from here, Mary!

The route followed by the GR5 into Nice includes a nasty, dangerous section on a road without shoulders or sidewalk. 

We paused for lunch at a pleasant restaurant, where Carroll chose a ... salade niçoise.  What else?

Arriving at the Maison de l'Environnement in Nice, we encountered our last GR5 marker!  Imagine how many of those markers we've seen (plus a few that we missed) since May 1st...

They served us well:

We were warmly welcomed at the Maison de l'Environnement.  

Wearing our new "Ville de Nice" caps and tee-shirts, we waded into the Mediterranean - and provided a show for the sunbathers and swimmers on the beach. 

Carroll performed the ritual of Mixing the Waters:  First, he poured some North Sea water into the Mediterranean.

Then he collected some Mediterranean water and added it to the remaining North Sea water in the little container. 

Finally, he filled a separate container with Mediterranean water.  This container will form a pair with a container of North Sea water that we collected and saved. 

Et voilà!

L'Hôtel New-York:

Tonight's celebratory dinner:

The last in a long series of tiramisu desserts:

Au revoir!

Aspremont

8 September 2015:  Yesterday's long hike took a toll.  This morning, we were slow to start and felt tired on the trail.  It was a difficult trail, too.  

The trail from Utelle (821 m.) began with another scenic traverse across a steep mountainside but then descended to the valley floor to cross the river.  The rocky surface of the trail made the 624 m. descent difficult and tiring.

Then, after lunch by the river (195 m.), it was time to climb up the other side of the valley to Levens (580 m.).  We needed a break when we got there, so we paused at a café.  

It was mid-afternoon when we started hiking again.  According to our topoguide, there remained 3 hours of hiking to Aspremont, our destination.  That estimate may or may not have been accurate, but the trail marking outside Levens certainly was not!  Following GR trail markers, we found ourselves walking in a circle through a forest of scruffy trees and bushes, with numerous other trails branching off and intersecting the one that we were trying to follow. 

We decided to re-trace our steps and walk along a road for about a kilometer to a point where we could re-join the GR5.  Close to the road, we passed several people chatting beside their parked cars.  Mary opened a conversation and told them that we found ourselves obliged to walk along the road for a ways.  Perhaps they could give us a lift if they passed us later on the road...

We set off along the road to the next village, Sainte-Claire.  (It was bad, dangerous road for walking, without a broad shoulder.)  About 15 minutes later, two of the people Mary had spoken with pulled up in their car and offered us a lift – all the way to Aspremont!  It was an offer that we could not – or, at least, did not – refuse.

We enjoyed chatting with the couple – Eve and Dominique – who were very friendly, with interesting projects under way in their lives.  And, of course, we were very pleased to arrive at the Hostellerie in Aspremont in time for dinner!

Tomorrow's destination: Nice.

*   *   *

Departure from Utelle: another sunny day!

From our vantage point, the road that is carved across the precipitous slope on the opposite side of the valley appears to be an extraordinary feat of engineering. 

Recalling his discovery of fresh figs when hiking into Nice in October 1989 (his previous experience with the fruit having been limited to Fig Newtons), Carroll looked for figs on this tree.  Alas, the figs do not appear to be ripening well here. 

The Vésubie River:

The trail climbs to Levens:

A last look at Levens (which did not charm us) before turning into the scruffy forest with poor trail marking:

Eve and Dominque – great folks! – wave goodbye after dropping us off at the Hostellerie in Aspremont. 

The Hostellerie d'Aspremont:

Utelle

7 September 2015:  There are no accommodations – no refuge, no gîte d'étape, etc. – on the GR5 between Saint-Delmas-Valdeblore and Utelle.  The hiking time between those two villages is 9 hours, according to our topoguide.  That's more than we like to hike in a day, but we decided to have a go at it today.  (The alternative was to leave the GR5 after about 6 hrs and to hike for another hour to a place where there is a gîte d'étape – not a very attractive option.)  Although this section of the trail crosses no fewer than 7 passes, it does not go up and down dramatically to do so.  Much of today's hike traversed across the mountainside, offering spectacular views. 

The hike did include a one-hour segment of walking on a road.  We don't care for road walking – especially during an long day – so we planned to try hitching a ride on that road.  Well, it turned out to be a mountain road with very little traffic on it, but we were lucky:  Just as we finished our lunch and began to walk down the road, a young woman (whom we had noticed shuttling between a water fountain and a stable of donkeys) drove up and stopped for us.  She had been providing water to her donkeys.  She gave us a ride and knew exactly where to drop us off to connect again with the GR5.  We enjoyed chatting with her and learning about her business of renting donkeys to hikers.  She also sells soap made with donkey's milk – savon d'ânesse – a gentle beauty product.  Those donkeys looked good.  You can buy her soap (or rent a donkey) online at: www.lesanesdelabrasque.com. 

It was a long day of hiking, ending with a tiring descent to Utelle on a rocky path.  We were pleased to settle into the municipal gîte d'étape (which we have to ourselves tonight), and to have a hearty dinner in the little restaurant in the town square.

*   *   *

Departure from Saint-Delmas-Valdeblore:

The first hour of today's hike was no fun at all: straight up a steep slope with hardly any switchbacks. 

Once we reached the first pass, our trail traversed across the mountain – easy hiking with great views.  In the distance, we could see the Mediterranean! 

Inspired by Chloé, Mary has become a big fan of podcasts while hiking. 

Today's lunch included something special: a can of sardines that Carroll bought in Montbeliard in early July. 

Hiking up to and through the Brèche du Brec (1520 m.) was a special adventure, even though a group of goats was there ahead of us. 

After descending from the Brèche du Brec, our trail carved a dramatic traverse across a steep mountain slope. 

Mary discovered wild thyme and other aromatic herbs growing along our trail. 

Descent to Utelle:

The gîte d'étape in Utelle: