There are just some things in life...

There are just somethings in life which are a must do. This past week, I travelled to the French Riviera with my friend Julie...the entire trip was magical...from the sea blue water... to the stunning cliffs along a jagged coastline...to waking up for 10 days in a row without an alarm (now that is heaven!).

From Nice to Monaco and the towns in between, the place is truly exotic and glamourous. And yet, in the middle of all the glamour, it was perhaps the most natural trip I've ever taken. For all that was going on around us, Julie and I settled into a wonderful rhythm that you find only with an old friend - where conversations run deep, and silences run comfortable. I think we may have been more excited to be with each other, than to actually be in the Riviera.

The first two days, we spent in Nice - our hotel was lovely - where the bedroom opened up to a balcony of exotic plants, and birds singing through green leaves. To be honest, we slept a lot in Nice... both of us were ragged from the journey, and from the constant pulse of our busy lives. Our mornings were filled with that blissful state of waking up as the sun rises, drifting in and out of sleep, until your eyes finally open to the day, with the sun high in the sky. It's the kind of sleep where your bodies begin to recover from the cummulative exhaustion that comes with never properly slowing down.

After Nice, we headed to Monaco- to a lovely hotel on the Port de Ail. The room came complete with a living area, kitchen, and balcony overlooking the big yatchs moored in the harbor. We spent our evenings on the balcony, sipping wine, taking in the sun set, and listening to the ropes creak back and forth as the boats swayed in the harbour. With the exception of one major night of mosquitos... Monaco was blissfully uneventful. As the days passed, our bodies recovered more, our tans deepened, we went for long walks in the morning, swam in the ocean midday, and chatted the nights away with bottles of red wine.

The trip was about rest, recovery, reflecting on the life we've both lived well in the 61 years between us... and more importantly, the life yet to go...

Quite possibly, Julie and I may not have found the cure for cancer in our time together, but we certainly found the equation for relaxation - something both she and I never seem to take the time to do. I can only hope it stays with us for a long time to come...