South of France, Pt 2

Great success! I have acquired a motorcycle, a Harley Davidson Sportster 48 - it just seemed right, and neither the BMW 1200 nor the Ducati Monster were available, and neither was a Road King, so it's just me and 1200 cubic centimeters of Milwaukee steel out here to liberate Southern France, one kilometer at a time. We won't discuss the price of the rental.

It's pretty safe to say that I've exited my comfort zone mid-flight with something like a handheld tent fly as a parachute. This is where fun is found and where life gets interesting. I'm no longer terrified of speaking French because I might fuck it up; I'm going to fuck it up, but improvement is born from failure. My Harley is still something of a mystery, as it is not built for tiny little hairpins that would honestly test my skills on anything other than a dirt bike. We are bonding, though, and I'm starting to figure this little beast out. The roads here are an absolute, unbridled terror with shit for signage, often no way to tell directional flow of traffic, steep climbs in many places, and narrow mountain canyons that are unlike anything I've seen in the Rocky Mountains.

There is something supremely satisfying about the sound of the big V-twin rattling through these tight limestone cliffs and off the walls of several millennia of architecture, dragging the pegs as I try to avoid impending death either at the hands of a local nutcase or the concrete wall to my right. Tomorrow will be my first real ride, beginning in Villefranche, stopping at the Musée Matisse in Nice, to La Trinité for lunch, then through Monaco/Monte Carlo up to Menton for fuel and probably a beer. I'll loop back inland for the first half of the longest leg - to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to see the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. Finally, I'll cruise back to Villefranche for either dinner or a nap (likely both).

My sleep schedule is still, as they say, "le fucked." Jet lag can suck it, but I really can't complain other than that.

I miss my dog. He's in good hands.

More wine, and then a plan for Wednesday. À demain!