July 1986. Louise was eight years old and she and I had travelled by train to Nice from Grenoble, arriving well after midnight. The cab driver couldn't find the address I gave him, so I decided we'd hop out and go it alone. Eerie, wandering through strange, quiet streets, with a child in tow, not really sure what you are looking for. Well, I knew I was looking for an old apartment building, among many, but the higgeldy-piggeldy layout of the area and the lack of straightforward signage made what would have been a fun challenge in broad daylight into a spooky mission.
Of course, we eventually found the right building, and worked through the antiquated locking systems that gave us access to a lovely little apartment - our home for a month.
The apartment belonged to Janice and Albert, an English couple in Grenoble. Janice ran an English language school there and Albert was a nuclear physicist at the International nuclear research facility in Grenoble. I had landed on Janice's doorstep, while door-knocking for English teaching work, just days earlier. That was in June (and only a month after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster).
Janice explained that the school didn't offer Summer programs and, in fact, closed for the months of July and August; but, if I could come back in September, there would be a job for me. I told her I needed to find work before then as I didn't have sufficient funds, and, immediately, she came up with an idea.
"Would it help," she said, "if you stayed in our flat in Nice for a month?" Normally, their daughter lived in the flat but she was away on uni holidays in July, so it was free. "Then," said Janice, "my husband and I always go to Turkey for the month of August, and you could stay in our house." How could I refuse? Janice was enabling my dream: to live and work in France for a while. (I'd randomly chosen Grenoble as the focus of my job-search efforts, by closing my eyes, twirling my finger and pinpointing it on a map of France.) "Come back on Friday and I will give you the keys." Astounding generosity to a stranger!
I went back on Friday, and was introduced to Albert, as Janice handed me the various keys. "Albert, this is the young woman I told you about, who's going to stay in the flat in Nice and then mind our house. What's your name again, dear?" Amazing trust in a stranger!
The apartment in Nice was a lovely space - bright, spotless, well-equipped and nicely decorated. Louise and I settled in comfortably and enjoyed a month of Riviera living, before fulfilling our house-sitting commitment in Grenoble in August. When Janice and Albert returned from Turkey, they offered us the use of a caravan which was sitting in their driveway. I paid to have it towed up to the village of Le Sappey, in the Chartreuse mountains above Grenoble, and Louise and I set up there in the council caravan park. From the end of September, ours was the only van in the park. For a minimal weekly rent, we had stunning views and a well-equipped playground for Louise.
I bought myself a little yellow Fiat to get around. Louise was enrolled, thanks to Albert, at the International School in Grenoble - set up for the children of foreign scientists, so I would drive her down the hill to the school bus stop on my way to work - or, eventually, Greg would.
Greg came over and joined us for the last few months, picking up plenty of handyman work, by word of mouth. He specialised in paint 'n' papering as he didn't need much in the way of tools for those jobs. He was able to help Albert with renovation projects at the English School, too. After classes, Janice would bring in pizzas and we'd all settle in for the evening, while Greg and Albert worked. Janice and Albert were always cheerful, pleasant company - and so kind.
Winter came and we found ourselves well and truly snowed in. Although I had parked the van quite close to the amenities block, it was still a freezing cold walk to the toilet, through a foot of snow. Showering became unpleasant too; the building was unheated and the hot water from the shower rose had turned cold by the time it reached my body. Greg managed well, being tall, but poor Louise had no hope. She and I began to bathe in a basin in the van. I started dreaming of camping on tropical islands and eating freshly-caught fish for breakfast. I also realised soon after that I was pregnant. New beginnings. It was time to think about going home.....
Visiting Nice again now, I find my memory fails me. I don't recall exactly where the apartment was, or the streets we walked each day. But it's nice to be here. It is a beautiful, sophisticated city, but it has kept its heart; the old town is a living, breathing, French residential district - not just a tourist trap as many quaint areas become these days. Louise, as a little girl, is very much "present" with me here. I can picture her pulling her little custom-made dolly trolley down to the beach each day to watch the beach volleyball games with me, calling down to the neighbour's little girl to join her to play in the courtyard, playing with the cats in the apartment building, drawing her diary pictures.....
I hear that Janice and Albert, now retired, are still living in Grenoble. I'm sure they don't realise that they are the heroes of my favourite travel story, teased, of course, from a much bigger story. I must contact them......
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