We generally don’t like early departures but this morning couldn’t have been easier. After a quick breakfast (Simon our host even kindly offered to scramble us an egg) we drove to Newquay Airport for a 10:00 flight to London Stansted. Our plane, a Flybe flight with propellers, had wheels that came down on the side of the plane rather than underneath it. That was quite a surprise to see that sight out our window.

Getting to London was the easy part. London Stansted Airport was total chaos with waves of people pulling suitcases toward each other. Our flight to Nice was on Jet2.com, another new airline to us. Our plane was a brand new 737 300/800 with soft lighting, but there is a definite party vibe on this airline. All announcements are prerecorded and end with “Have a lovely holiday.” Our flight even began with a recorded but upbeat speech about how everyone should be nice, no verbal abuse allowed, no drinks will be served if you appear inebriated, no opening any alcohol you might have in your possession, and have a lovely holiday. It was pretty amusing. They even said, “Time to tidy up. Turn in your trash to the cabin crew.” It was like being on a school field trip. I actually nodded off and was awakened with a jolt when the plane landed,

At Nice Airport we were thrilled to be upgraded to a BMW and followed the GPS aided by my phone’s Google maps to our hotel in Antibes. It is bright and airy with a swimming pool and outside sitting area. The hotel itself is cream colored with light blue shutters. The contrast in weather is striking. Rather than rainy and cool, it is sunny and in the high 80s. No more sweater weather for us. We were even given chilled water at the Sixt Car Rental,

Tonight we took a 10 minute walk to a restaurant located in a garden. It’s been a long day and today’s blog is short, but we are excited to head out tomorrow for new adventures.