Je suis arrivé !

Arrived in Nice, via Zurich, at 2 o'clock this afternoon. Happily, my luggage did too! It was wonderful to be in a French airport again... where the cleaning crew wears Prada and the airport security was on guard in Ferragamo. My landlady graciously arranged to have a limo meet me at the airport. Our first stop was at the Cafe la Regence (Chez Betty) on the Avenue Foch in Villefranche where, by pre-arrangement, I was to pick up the keys to my apartment (how great to begin French village life with a stop in the local cafe!). The limo waited till the key swap was a fait accompli and then delivered me to my (heretofore unknown) new address at Residence Cantegril on the Avenue de la Barmassa. I will be at this address until March 1 when Kevin will join me and we'll move into a larger apartment.
As soon as the taxi driver deposited me at my front door, avec beaucoup de bagage, I met a lovely couple from Switzerland (Bruno and Sylvia) in the courtyard. Bruno will also be attending the Institut (while Sylvia will be on holiday). We have already made plans to meet at 8 tomorrow morning and walk to school together!
Next on the agenda...finding my actual apartment in the building. I forgot that in France the first floor is actually the second floor. Took me a few minutes, with the assistance of a lovely (elderly) Frenchman who lives in the building, to figure out which apartment I was in and how to make the keys and lights work (a challenge in a completely dark stairwell!). The keys opened the door into a lovely studio apartment. It has a small kitchen (two stove burners, a mini fridge and microwave...still seems excessive for me), a bathroom with a miniature washer/dryer combo (this will be a challenge to figure out...I've posted a picture of this strange device here and hope one of you can tell me how it operates!) and a living/sleeping area complete with daybed, desk and chair, bookshelves, easy chair and television (tonight I watched 66 Minutes...yes, that's right, 66 Minutes). I have a lovely balcony with table and chairs that overlooks, immediately below, the winding Avenue de la Barmassa, lined with orange and lemon trees and beyond, the rade (bay) de Villefranche! Magnifique! (I've posted my first photos of the view from my apartment here.)
After settling in a (tiny) bit, I decided to take a walk before dark to get my bearings. I walked down the hill to Avenue Marechal Foch (remember Chez Betty?) and found the nearest alimentation (grocery store). Well, it wasn't quite a grocery store, it was more like a small enclosed alley with a few groceries on either side of the alley. I bought a wedge of cheese, some melba toast and a bottle of Cotes du Rhone (and a pack of dusty toilet paper). This will have to do until I can find the real marche where I will stock up on fresh fruits and cheeses and baguettes! I found my way back to the cafe (where I got the keys, remember?) and ordered a glass of vin rouge. I sat at the bar and read a French newspaper ( http://www.nicematin.fr/ ) and tried to fit in with the regulars who were all engrossed in a French soccer match. While I was there, another student came in to retrieve her apartment keys. I introduced myself to her, and she told me she is here from Germany. She spoke very little English, and since I speak very little German (Riesling is about the extent of my German), we are hoping we will do well in school and converse in French. It's shaping up to be a truly multi-lingual, multi-cultural experience!
The walk home after I left the cafe was like climbing Mont Blanc (which I saw from the plane this afternoon!). Straight up hills...very steep! Unaccustomed as I am, you can imagine how exhausting (and yet exhilarating!) it was.
I'm going to post a few photos and call it a day (actually I haven't slept in 33 hours so I'm calling it two days...). Have to get a good night's sleep so I'll be fresh for the first day of school! Bon nuit!