It took me two days to reach the French department Alpes-Maritimes via Nancy and Lyon (Autoroute du soleil: A7). Driving onward on the La Provençale A8, the area between Cannes and Nice was much more urban than I anticipated. Campings were wedged in between urban areas, only accessible through narrow mountain roads and more importantly: full. After almost two hours of searching (at one point I had been driving for more than 13 hours), and a waning sun, I found a camping and a spot for late arrivals. The earth was so hard I couldn't hammer my rock pegs in the ground so I slept under the stars next to my car.

When I left The Netherlands my head was still full with work and the weekly care for my father. I hadn’t made space for myself to plan ahead.

The next morning I walked to the Mediterranean Sea and made the decision to head for a camping I had been to many years ago in the Parc national du Mercantour. Lately I’ve been making a point never to visit the same place twice, but I was tired of driving and I knew the camping in Saint-Martin-Vésubie was situated in a beautiful fruit orchard.

I probably had a romantic idea of the Côte d'Azur. The very least I expected to find more space. Currently there are almost a million people living in the Nice metropolitan area. It’s a busy place with bustling traffic, which gives you no time to pause.

Saint-Martin-Vésubie

The camping was everything I remembered it to be. The last time it was springtime, with some patches of snow just above the tree line at 2300 meters. This time the sunlight was harsh. The camping is situated just outside the 12th century village. It’s no more than a 10 minute walk to the village square.

Tripes à la Niçoise
Saint-Martin-Vésubie has some really nice butchers and artisanal food shops. I’m probably the only Dutchman who likes tripe. I found the following recipe which corresponds with the ingredients on the jar I bought: Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add cow’s tripe (first blanche the tripe in water with vinegar for 20 seconds). Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in white wine, tomatoes, carrot, garlic, onions, thyme, bayleaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 8 hours.

Souffle de la nature

On October 2 in 2020 storm Alex hit the region above Nice. Within 24 hours 571 millimeters rain fell causing a gigantic flood, which swept away a large part of the river Vésubie and its surroundings. Almost a year later most of the rouble wasn’t cleared up and many houses were still inhabitable. The ancient part of the village was spared because it was built on an elevation.

Mountain hike Cime de la Palu (2.132) - Cime de Clapeirette (2.333).

Mountain hike Forêt Communale de Saint-Martin-Vésubie - le Boreon

Next stop: Monaco.