We have a secret lunch spot on the Moyenne Corniche – the middle road to Monaco. It boasts a jaw-dropping view of the Bay of Villefranche and the sister villages on either shore. If you dare challenge the Stairway of Death, and you prevail (about 450 heart-pounding steps), turn right and you may enter this little paradise on the shoulder of a busy road. It is easily overlooked. We walked past it for four years before finally stopping for refreshment one day. A young couple runs the place – he is the genial cook and she is the busy hostess for all ten or twelve tables. If you speak to her in French, she will still be business-like, but a slight shift in her manner will express she has now accepted you as one of her flock, at least for the day. It is a pleasant position to assume.
The snack stand is called Point de Vue 2. Yesterday, we were trying to decide if it was merely a second establishment or a statement about their relationship. Our French was not quite up to the task of asking the second question, but we easily discovered there is not a Point de Vue 1. We decided that is the way it should be. Every healthy enterprise, love especially, needs the lively contributions that all participants can bring to the party. Jann suggested maybe we should write a joint blog with both of us commenting on the same topic – sort of like capturing the view from two birds on a wire – side-by-side but facing opposite directions. Maybe.
