Another visit

Since I was in the region, I wanted to go see Adam and the kids.  It had only been a few months since I had visited them, but I still wanted to go and visit them.  I missed them a lot and with Maya gone, I thought about them constantly.  I had time.  It was all just a short flight away after all.  So after visiting the beautiful Ilkley, I decided to make my way to the South of France.  The travel was a little bit convoluted, but still acceptable all things considered.  I woke up early and caught a train from Ilkley to Leeds.  Once I arrived at Leeds, it should have been a short train ride to Manchester.  Sadly, the train was cancelled and I was jammed with dozens of others onto a later train.  It was one of the most overcrowded trains I have ever been on.  People seemed to take it in their stride as they joked and laughed about the situation we were all in.  After a painful and uncomfortable trip, we arrived in Manchester.  There I switched to a different train for the short trip to the airport.  Once I was at the airport, I thought that all things would be easy, but once again I was very mistaken.  I was confronted at Manchester Airport by the busiest and poorly managed security control I have ever experienced.  I couldn't quite understand why it was such a mess.  There seemed to be enough check points and there also seemed to be plenty of staff working, but for whatever reason, it was a wait of close to an hour just to clear this mess of a security check.  Once I was on the plane, I fell asleep.  It hadn't been a long distance traveled, but there was something about all the hiccups which had just drained me.  When I woke, we were close to landing.  I looked outside my window and immediately felt warmer.  Once we disembarked, I immediately put my jacket into my bag and walked out into the warmth of the Cote D'Azur. 

The kids were at school and so Adam picked me up from the airport.  We were both all smiles to be able to see each other.  It was a strange but pleasant feeling to be able to just "pop in" to visit.  This was now my fourth visit to the region, a fact which seemed very strange to me.  As we drove back to his home, I also realised that I knew the area quite well.  I didn't have the same sense of novelty from visiting somewhere new, but instead I looked at the streets with a feeling of familiarity.  We had a stop to make on the way back home to pick up Emil from school.  Adam stood in front of the door to the school as I hid to the side.  As Emil ran out, Adam pointed back towards me.  A big smile crept across Emil's face as he saw me and he came and gave me a big hug.  We headed back home to try to surprise Sofia.  When the car pulled in, she ran to the windows and saw me sitting in the car.  Once again, being able to surprise these kids made the trip worth it.

There wasn't too much to do for the next few days.  I had no need to do any tourist visits.  Instead we spent our time with the day to day activities of life.  We looked after the kids, helped them with their homework and got them ready for school.  For Adam and myself, we then just whiled away the time with chores, sitting in cafes and time in restaurants.  It was all extremely pleasant and a nice slice of the life in this picturesque part of the world.  For myself, it was a welcome period of rest and relaxation.  All of the activities with Adam and the kids were an absolute pleasure and only made the time I had more enjoyable.  One day when we were in Nice, we sat down outside at the restaurant Du Gesu.  With the kids at school, we were able to linger and just talk and enjoy the moment.  The weather was good.  The heat of summer was gone, but it was still ideal to sit outside.  The Nicoise classics were brought to our table and we slowly ate and drank our fill.  I thought back to when Phil, Todd, Tanya and Veronica had been with us.  That had been at the peak of the tourist season and we weren't even able to get a table here.  Now it was much calmer and more conducive for us to talk.

I wasn't without my tasks to complete whilst I was here.  Since Veronica hadn't been able to make her trip, I had been slowly gathering presents for her and the family.  Being in Nice, I immediately thought of Auer and their delicious candied fruits.  After lunch, Adam and I went over to the store to browse.  It is a classically designed store that looks like a throwback to another century.  They take great care to make their candied fruits using only the best fruits and their products show this quality and attention to detail.  Veronica's family have always had high standards when it comes to food, but even this surpassed all their expectations.  The candied chestnuts were a particular favourite of Veronica's father, so when I bought a box, I bought a few extra for Adam and myself to enjoy with our coffee the next day.

Adam had an appointment one day in Cannes.  Rather than just sit around and wait for him, I went for a walk around the town.  It felt much more like it did the first time I visited.  The big crowds were gone, but it was again still pleasant.  I found a small store selling tinned fish that Veronica's family and I liked and bought a few tins.  With the small chores I had planned now all complete, there was nothing left but to walk around until Adam was finished.

I thought back to all the times I had now been to Cannes.  I had gone from a wide eyed and young traveler seeking adventure to someone with more obligations and responsibilities.  I had clearly changed and developed, but I still looked up and around at my surroundings with a level of happiness.  It was beautiful, and I was lucky to be here.  The reasons for me being here had changed so much, but I was still thankful for it. 

I headed back home with Adam.  There we picked up the kids again and enjoyed the remaining time I had with them.  I would see them again, but when and where that would be was still to be determined.