#31 – 1984 Week 34: I am trying to get brown this holiday.

A good place for Romance.

2024: Lucky you, you get a week and a bit this week. That’s ‘cos I’m heading to the South of France and Italy with Karin (and Sylvie, Sandra and Anne-Marie), so it makes sense to give you the whole adventure in one block. Except, as I mentioned last week, I’m not actually taking my diary with me. I guess I wrote this in another notebook and copied it up afterwards. There are some photos to go with it. Check out my travelling-to-France-with-a-neckerchief-and-vintage-suitcase look. I had a beret too, but sadly no photo of that. No smartphone. No phone. No money. No dress-sense. No clue about girls. No worries. I’m getting away from it all and from all that stuff in my head. So maybe this week I’ll lay off the introspection, and just let you come along with me on a dreamy road trip to Le Midi, basking in the Mediterranean sun, whilst lying on some somewhat grotty beaches. With four girls. Sigh.

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Monday 20 August 1984
233-133 Week 34

Up at 3:30 for 4.30 departure with Karin. Marseille, here we come! We drove bloody fast down the motorway, straight there, with few stops, and arrived at 12.15 Karin drives with her window open. It is annoying. At the station we met her friend Anne-Marie, at whose little flat we are staying, and then we picked up Sylvie and her cousin Sandra. The flat is small, sunless and a dump, and there are five of us in one room. Marseille is a rather large pit, a ‘bidonville’. We had a nice dinner at the house of the mother of Charlie. Charlie is the ‘husband’ of Anne-Marie. She is 20, he is 40. He is a great bloke. So is his African mother. This holiday is going to get me used to girls.

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Tuesday 21 August
234-132 Week 34

Rose late in spite of being awake for hours. Breakfast? French breakfast is pretty bad. Coffee plus nothing. Looks like it is going to be an unhealthy holiday. Sat around and waited for the afternoon to come round, and then we went to Marseille's main beach (Prado). Well, what do you expect? Shit beach. Billions of people. Quite windy. Water very salty, which is good for swimming, but it gets in your eyes, mouth, hair. Loads of exposed breasts. So? I am trying to get brown this holiday. How absolutely vain and scummy. Back to the flat at 7:00. And talked with Charlie about his life. What a character. Played Taro until quite late and then went to sleep with the three girls in that one room.

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Wednesday 22 August
235-131 Week 34

Up we got and into the car for a bit of ‘footing’. We drove for ages to get to a park. Not like at home where I just step out of the front door. And when we got there, it was already hot and packed full with joggers. It is really quite funny if you look at it from a distance. I wore my cool running gear - black tracksuit and string vest. Wow man! But 2 1/2 laps (big uns) were enough for me. I was quite surprised that the girls had had the idea. Moi, I had brought my gear especially. Back for breakfast followed shortly by lunch and at 2.00 we drove to Italy in the hot sun. So we just crossed the border and spent ages looking for a cheap campsite, ending up at Ventimiglia. Italy is nice. Palm trees, sea, mountains, clean houses. We put our two tents up and then went into town and sat up until late drinking coffee.

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Thursday 23 August
236-130 Week 34

I got up in the morning and went and fetched some petit pains for breakfast. Afterwards we drove into Ventimiglia just to walk around a bit and eat a pizza - but the wrong type. Returned to the tent and lunched and then went down to the beach. Although it was cloudy, it was still hot and the sea was lovely, with big breakers. Later we came back to the beach and sat in a bar about 15m from the sea. And we sat there by the open windows, drinking coffee, writing postcards. The barman spoke several languages, and I spoke to him in ‘European’. Played cards. Back to tent. Back to bar for a real pizza. Delicious. Spoke to some crazy Italian kids. Back to campsite. Played cards.

In the night there was a massive storm.

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Friday 24 August
237-129 Week 34

Walked miles to get breakfast. Weather still cloudy. This is the Mediterranean, man. After breakfast we went to San Remo, where the girls bought a few cheap pullovers. I have no money. Walked about generally. A really beautiful town, very rich, magnificent gardens and houses. Coffee etc. but I have had enough of that, so I had tea. We returned to the beach. And it got sunny at about 6:00. Later we went back to that bar and had a pizza each and spent all our money. We played cards until 11.00 and then I was going to go for a swim but it was a bit frightening in the dark with massive breakers. After knee-level, I came out again.

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Saturday 25 August
238-128 Week 34

Drove back to Marseille along the coast. What wonderful, wonderful countryside! The blue sea, the blue sky, the mountains. Monaco, oh so rich, clean, pretty. Drove through Nice along the Promenade des Anglais. Hotels and more hotels. Stopped at Cannes for a swim. Disgusting water full of rubbish. Stopped at Grasse to see a perfume factory. At Marseille we went to Charlie's mother and ate and drank and played cards – Mephisto. The game drove me mad. It is frustrating.

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Sunday 26 August
239-127 Week 34

Got up late-ish. The morning is always wasted. Went to Charlie's mum. For a Senegalesian lunch. OK. Drove there fast on the back of Charlie's motorbike. And – played cards. At 4:00 we went to a beach but we had missed the best sun. I am not browning. Beach absolutely shit, grot. Had to wade through plastic bags. I did not like it. Watched a really good film – it worked. And returned to the flat by Marseille by night.

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Monday 27 August
240-126 Week 35 Late Summer Holiday

Drove to Toulon in the afternoon through the countryside of “Le Chateau de Ma Mere”. Toulon is nice. Went to Virginie, a friend of Karin’s, and to her godparent. Went to campsite by a beach. This time we were four people in one tent, and it was rather crowded. In the evening we frequented the cafes of the port of Toulon. Beauty, carefreeness. The calm water with reflections of lights and mirroring the boats, and the waterfront lined with bars and cafes. I bought everyone a crêpe with chocolate and we sat in a bar. The girls talked. I listened. A good place for Romance. I hardly slept a wink.

Le Chateau de Ma Mere The film is 1990, so I’m referring to the book, obviously.

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Tuesday 28 August
241-125 Week 35

Sylvie, Sandra and I were left to ourselves. Sandra is so sweet, but unapproachable. Stormy, bad weather. So I went for a run, but short, because the thunder all around gave me the creeps. Afterwards, we went to the beach, sat in a cafe, ran a bit and did silly things. Karin and Anne-Marie arrived. In the afternoon we went to Toulon to a massive villa. Had dinner in a restaurant with godparents (couscous) and then us seven youngsters went into a pub for an amazing evening. There was a pianist, nutty, with an electric piano. He played all the old songs - good music, moving. He sang and he asked us to do something. I was forced to play the piano – my composition - and then, oh no, I had to sing ‘Yesterday’. It wasn't that bad. After that, I just sat back and listened. We stayed there until 1:30 and I slept really well.

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Wednesday 29 August
242-124 Week 35

Us three again, and it is still cloudy and I left my trunks in the car, and so while the two girls went down to the beach, I went for a long run, which was really satisfying. Then I sunbathed and got brown at last, almost. Corrin turned up and we got ready to go, but I just wanted to stay on the beach in the sun. Had lunch in a restaurant on the sands and then returned in to Toulon to the villa, where we had a quick dip in the little pool. Afterwards, we zoomed back to Marseille. I got ready. Put on my jeans, jacket, beret, kneckerchief (red) and at 11.00 I took the train with Sandra to Strasbourg. Final kisses etc. The train was crowded. I had wanted to talk to Sandra about things, I don't know what, but couldn't. So many people. We had reservations but I hardly slept. I just sat opposite Sandra looking at her sleep because she is pretty and has a beautiful figure. But I really couldn't make her out at all or get across to her.

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