I had a premeditated plan to “get out” this morning, to ease away from the safety net of the quiet little room where we are staying temporarily. In fact, that is a challenge I hope to meet everyday, to leave my comfort zone and to go somewhere that is filled with French people carrying on their everyday lives, where I am forced to utter a sentence or two in their native tongue.
After the school drop, I decided to get on the A8 and head to Antibes with my fully charged computer. My mission? To stop at a neighborhood cafe, have a coffee and get caught up on a few things, while being in and amongst the “locals”.
This was a little easier to plan than do. As I drove by little cafes along the beaches and in town I could think of a number of reasons why they wouldn’t be right, mostly because none of them advertised wifi, and maybe a shade of shyness. Finally, I told myself to just take the next open parking spot, get out of the car and go to the nearest cafe, because even if they didn’t have wifi I had some school papers that I needed to complete.
And so I took my coffee at Le Jardin du Cap, on the road to the beaches in Antibes. I’ve found the restaurants and cafes here don’t advertise the fact that they have wifi, but whenever I ask, they readily share the security code.
Truth be told, the majority of the people at Le Jardin du Cap that morning spoke English, except for the waitress. This is a popular vacation area for people from the UK. In addition to serving coffee outdoors in the morning, Le Jardin has a nice restaurant with outdoor seating in the back and a lounge area that reportedly gets pretty lively with karaoke at night {wish I could go back with all of my sing~along sisters one night}!
Next door is a great little shop where one could stock their larder or pack a picnic with quality meats, cheeses, produce, wines and some beautifully beachy home accessories.
In France, meals are generally “service compris”, meaning the service is included and you don’t need to add a tip. However, it’s customary to leave a few coins on the table as a way of acknowledging the service provided.
httpThat’s how I ended up at Le Jardin du Cap on the routed de. I asked if they had wi~fi and she gave me to code toute sweet. Aside from the coffee, they serve lunch and next door is….
Love following you along on your daily outings! You're a brave soul to be there by yourself – makes the motivation to get out and "do" that much more difficult! But I appreciate your efforts as I get to vicariously enjoy!
Looks like a lovely spot – for a coffee and to start dipping your toe in the French routine. Emily, I'm so excited for all the discoveries you are going to make over the next five months! Thanks so much for sharing them with us! XO
Wish I could be hanging out with you, EMily! I know that you will have a blast. Thanks for the posts from France.
Teresa
xoxo
How wonderful…..I love getting out and being a little adventurous even when it means getting out of my comfort zone on occasion. I bet it was sooo relaxing!