Pre-trip work!

 April 14, 2025    Kids Go Hiking, Rod and Katie Eat Crepes

Team Morgan decided to go in two different directions today. You might recall on April 5th, we hiked partway up a large hill for some good views of the area. The plan was to complete that hike when Simon arrived. We have at the Airbnb a guide from the Tourist Office regarding hiking in the area. 

The hikes are rated according to their difficulty. The hike we took to St. Paul on April 8th was rated "easy" and yet Rod and I took the bus home rather than hike back with the kids, which proved to be a good choice judging how tired the kids were when they got home. 

This hike to the top of Baou des Blancs is rated "moderate level" and lists an elevation change of +/- 450 meters, 10km round trip, and a 3 hour duration. Now, at mine and Rod's ages, it's not that we COULDN'T do it, but at what cost? 

We certainly don't have anything to prove, so we sent the kids on the hike with our blessing. After all, Collin took Simon, Paul, and Clare on a 10 day trip to Montana in June of 2023 to hike in Glacier National Park so we knew they were capable of the excursion. Besides, there are no bears or moose in the area.

Below are some photos from the kids with Collin narrating in the captions.

Right from the start, we knew this "trail" was gonna be a tough one.

Many sections had us crawling up like a ladder.

Somehow, no one had any ripped pants by the end!

We were getting close, the red dot is our destination.

Simon pausing to stand on a rock. He couldn't stand straight up because the rock was not flat on top; 'pokey' in Simon-speak.

The top!

The fog moved in and out, and when it cleared, we had some great views.
Blue dot: Mediterranean Sea
Purple dot: St. Paul de Vence (visited on April 9)
Green dot: Walled part of Vence
Red dot: Our Airbnb

A wider scope of the view.

Even though it began to drizzle, our descent was FAR easier.

While the kids were hiking, Rod and I turned our attention to procuring some French crepes for lunch. After all, we are in France and should have some before we leave. We found a little restaurant that served all kinds of crepes, sweet ones, savory ones, dessert ones, etc. 

The top crepe is cinnamon and sugar and the bottom one has apples. Both delicious!

The tiny restaurant.

We walked around old town Vence again, got caught in some rain sprinkles, and beat the kids home in time to fix dinner. We ended the night by watching two episodes of One Piece and playing cards.