Chapter 12: Villefranche
Nice Place
27.09.2023 - 27.09.2023 80 °F
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"Villefranche"
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
This is the French Riviera, the foot of the French Alps, the port that serves Nice and the principality of Monaco which is only eight miles away.
"Villefranche" (pronounced VEAL Frawn Say) translates to "free town." Charles II of Anjou enticed people to move here in 1245 by offering tax relief as an inducement; hence: free town. Enticement should not have been much of an issue as this is a lovely place with an exceptionally deep harbor. One who came: Tina Turner who named her estate "Villefranche-Sur-Mer."
But history has also been unkind here in recent years. In 2016, an Islamic radical drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing 87 and injuring 434 more. In 2020, in another Islamic attack, a man stabbed two and beheaded one at the local Notre-Dame de Nice.
In 1939, this was a gathering spot for displaced foreigners, among whom were many Jews fleeing Nazis during World War II.
In less than a year and the establishment of the Vichy Regime, antisemitism took hold.
In August of 1942, 655 foreign Jews were interned by the Laval government, all but 100 of whom were ultimately deported to concentration camps and, presumedly, executed there. Liberation came here on August 30, 1944.
This is a "tender port." What that means is that their is no pier for us to tie up. Because of that, to visit this place, we must anchor in the "Villefranche Anchorage Area" which is, in fact, a bay in front of the town. Then, our crew lower a few of our tenders (lifeboats) and use them to shuttle passengers from Queen Elizabeth to the town, back-and-forth, on demand, until the day is done. When the water is calm as it is today, that process is easy. If the water is rough, getting from the stability of the large cruise ship to the rocking and rolling of the small lifeboat can be challenging for the able-bodied and dangerous for the mobility-impaired. There are no worries about that on this beautiful, 80 degree, sunny French day.
Our trip in to Villefranche revealed a "quiet port town" full of steps--not a friendly environment for B4. We strolled a bit along the waterfront of what is a mostly a fishing village, but strolling is not our strong suit right now. Climbing up the hill to see what's there is pretty much out of the question. I'm not happy that my left leg problem is the reason we are not more adventurous. Tomorrow is 5 weeks since that cortisone shot and i am still not 100%. Tomorrow is a very long excursion. I'm crossing my fingers that i can do it. My friend and neighbor lent me a cane, i might just break down and take it with me tomorrow.
We made the mistake today of eating breakfast on the ship, we rarely eat breakfast. Part of our plan for Villefranche was to have lunch in a little cafe, something we both enjoy. Unfortunately we weren't hungry so we scraped that plan. Strolling the village, there is shop after shop, stand after stand, of what i call 'Trash and Trinket' stores. When i was a lot younger i would bring home lots of souvenirs and little gifts, i loved the trash and trinket stores. No more. it's amazing how great all of that stuff looks when you are in a foreign land buying it and how by the time you get home, you look at it and wonder 'what was i thinking'. So my rule is stay out of the trash and trinket stores. With that rule, these little villages don't leave much to see. On a tour or excursion, when they give you 'time to explore on your own', that is code for shop the trash and trinket stores.
Back aboard QE, Deck 12 and the padded lounges there provided a great home while we read and waiting for afternoon tea to be served. Finding the right spot to stay in the shade was tricky as we swung a bit at anchor. It was as if the afternoon sun moved back and forth rather than the consistent progress we are used to on land.
Later on, the dreaded announcement said, "Thomas Spicer and Rose Spicer from Deck 7, please urgently call the Purser's office." They were missing and unaccounted for as of 5:26pm. The last tender from town was scheduled for 5:30. We are to sail at 6:00. This situation is different from our other ports because the Spicers can't just come running up to the gangway. They need to be "tendered" to the ship from the town.
I'm pondering the logistics of this situation as I write this. We scan our ship cards when we leave the ship and when we re-board the ship, not on shore. That makes me think that everyone is already back aboard by 5:26 except for this tardy twosome. The 5:30 tender is waiting ashore and, by radio, ship security is telling the crew of that tender, "Hey, do you see a couple named Spicer? Our computer says there the only people not back aboard." The tender crew would have had to report, "Nope. Don't see 'em."
Looking over our balcony railing I see one tender alongside and one standing 100 feet off the starboard side. If all was well, both of those vessels would have been into recovery mode, being hoisted back up and secured into their spots suspended over the Deck 3 Promenade. My guess--and it is only a guess--is that there is another tender along with a short team waiting on the dock in town for the Spicers to show up. What if they don't?
Hence the shipboard announcement. The Captain is hoping somehow the Spicers scanned out but mysteriously did not scan back in when they came back to the ship--maybe hours ago. That scenario is not likely but... Then, at 5:50, this tour boat came alongside. At 5:52, the Captain came on the PA announcing, "Everyone is on board." Spicer disaster avoided.
We pre-ordered chateaubriand for two, medium rare, as our evening meal and look forward to tonight's entertainment. The Daily Programme bills it thusly: "Join the Royal Court Theatre Company as they gleefully indulge in limitless imagination on the stage with catchy musical numbers, mesmerizing choreography, dazzling costumes, and spectacular singing." Talk about raising expectations: "catchy," "mesmerizing," "dazzling" and "spectacular" are adjectives reserved for, well, something truly AMAZING.
It's better to under-promise and over-deliver than to raise expectations and then disappoint. What did they actually deliver? Well, I am embarrassed to say, we decided to skip it and make it an early night. We have, wisely or foolishly, booked an excursion for tomorrow that requires us to be in the Royal Court Theatre at 7:15. Why would we subject ourselves to such a schedule? I have no good explanation.
