Thursday 28 August 2008. Whilst Fran and Mum looked round the market in Villefranche, I climbed the hill for a closer look at the castle.
We had already caught a glimpse of a complicated structure from the tender boat on which we entered Villefranche. Our cruise ship, the Island Star is moored in the bay. On an earlier visit we had climbed the hill under the arches of the bridge to reach a coach that would take us on an excursion to Monaco and Monte Carlo.
This time I reached the approach to the castle over the bridge, the very end of which, under the fortress wall, was a drawbridge.
Someone is about to test just how strong it is... Ah... strong enough!
Whichever way you go, under the bridge or up the road to it, there's a steep climb!
Looking over the parapet back towards the town I could see the market and beyond, the bay of Villefranche.
Mum and Fran were still looking round the market when I got back and we agreed to go for a drink. Mum still wanted to look at a stall so we pointed out which cafe we were going to and sat down. The owner asked us to move to the opposite end as we had sat in a meals only area so we moved and Mum, not being able to see us, finished her shopping and decided to wander off in the exact opposite direction, so I had to go charging through the market, dodging locals and dogs to catch her before she got herself lost. I've still no idea why she would choose to go in the opposite direction to where we had said we'd be, but there you go...
We had our drink and I nipped off to stand on the street to draw this sketch, which was not helped by a bus driver who stopped right beside me and switched off his engine, totally blocking my view... I waited a quarter hour but he wasn't going to move. I had to cross the road and finish it from there - a challenge for perspective, and of course as soon as I had finished, the bus driver moved...!
Then a short walk along the seafront before making our way back to the harbour to catch the tender boat back to the ship.
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