France

Airbus quickly gained height. Pushkin and Onegin were heading to the capital of France on the St. Petersburg-Paris flight. After американских american adventures

Eugene insisted that they need to go to the Mediterranean coast, relax, eat delicious food and have a good time. Alexander Sergeevich did not mind, especially since in his life there had not been holiday romances for a long time.

But to visit France and not visit Paris seemed somewhat indecent to friends. They decided to wander around Montmartre, take a look at the city from the Eiffel Tower, look into the Louvre and spend the evening at the Moulin Rouge, and then go to the coast. Of the many resort places, Onegin chose Antibes - a city with history, not as pretentious as Nice or Cannes, and not as small as Agay. There are many marinas in Antibes - here you can always rent a yacht for boat trips, and sandy beaches alternating with rocky shores are great for swimming. The city has enough hotels, attractions and all kinds of restaurants and entertainment venues - there is something to see and where to relax.

Taking the initiative, Onegin booked a place in the MSV Sunrise botel, a yacht hotel on the water, located at the pier in the Antibes Marina, where the friends went, taking a taxi at the Nice airport. Eugene knew a lot about travel and recreation. In addition to soft pitching and internal comfort, the botel was distinguished by its convenient location - next to the Picasso Museum, Port and Gravette beaches, as well as the famous Fort Carré, replete with various offers of water activities.

Without delay, the friends went to the sandy Gravette to fully experience the Mediterranean sun and the warm sea wave. Alexander Sergeevich, who left a top hat with a cane in the room, dressed in shorts and beach slippers, became like a local womanizer. The only thing that distinguished him from the motley crowd was the lack of a tan. Black curls clearly contrasted with white shoulders, betraying a man who came from the north.

After swimming, the friends settled down right on the sand, exposing their pale bodies to the sun. A week has passed. Pushkin and Onegin sunbathed, visited local sights and settled down, walking along the streets of the old city and tasting local cuisine in small restaurants.

On one of the next sunny days, an intelligent man in pince-nez approached them on the beach and introduced himself:

- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

- Alexander Sergeevich, - Pushkin answered, shaking hands with a new acquaintance.

Onegin dozed off under the sun and missed such a touching acquaintance of his compatriots.

- I did not dare to approach from the moment you first appeared on the beach, - said Chekhov. - I have been living here for more than a year, the climate is very suitable for me, I have met many Russians, but for a brilliant poet with his friend Onegin, this is the first such meeting. Celebrities all go to Cannes, Nice or Monaco to rest, but here the people are simpler, - with these words, Anton Pavlovich sat down in a deck chair, which he brought with him.

Awakened Onegin looked from under his palm at the scorching sun, then at Chekhov.

- Greetings, Anton Pavlovich! How is Lopakhin? Did you distribute all the land to summer residents? he asked, yawning. - Rare bastard, this Yermolai Alekseevich of yours, how did you come up with such a bastard, Anton Pavlovich? Onegin continued. - He called me, offered to become a shareholder. You see, his summer residents did not really take apart the plots, so he decided to build a residential complex and gathered those who wanted to invest in construction. But I’m not a sucker, to give money to some Lopakhin, especially knowing the story of how he got this plot from Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya.

“You are well informed, my dear,” Chekhov replied to Yevgeny's monologue.

- What's so special about it? I read ... - Onegin got up from the sand and went to swim in the sea.

Pushkin and Chekhov discussed local beauties and compared them with Russian resort places until the wet Onegin returned.

- I invite you tonight to one of the real local restaurants next to the Provencal market. There is just an amazing atmosphere - you will see and appreciate everything yourself.

At the appointed hour, Pushkin and Onegin, approaching the restaurant L'armoise, saw Chekhov getting out of a taxi with two very charming girls.

Before entering the restaurant, Anton Pavlovich introduced his companions:

- Meet Maria and Irina Prozorova.

- Eugene and my friend Alexander, - answered Onegin.

The young people smiled affably at each other, and letting the girls go ahead, the company entered the restaurant.

The dinner turned out to be excellent - a lively conversation with memories of life in Russia and comparison with local customs, Chekhov's stories about his ideas and Pushkin's poems grew into serene fun and the intention to go ashore to swim right now. Leaving the restaurant, Anton Pavlovich said goodbye and, having caught a taxi, went home, and his friends, in the company of charming companions, went to the beach, although it was getting close to midnight. The hot summer night left the young people no choice, and the couples lost each other.

The next day on the beach, Anton Pavlovich did not ask how his companions spent their time. Masha and Irina seemed to him the happiest in the world - this pleased Chekhov, because he specially took them away from the Russian wilderness immediately after the death of Tuzenbakh, Vershinin's departure and Masha's divorce from Kulygin. The sisters had nothing more to expect from fate, they needed cardinal changes in their lives, so Chekhov decided that he would leave and pick them up. Moreover, the older sister, Olga, received an invitation to Moscow for a responsible position in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Anton Pavlovich quietly hoped that his wards would somehow develop relations with Pushkin and Onegin, and even if they did not create a family, the connection with Russia through the Russian poet and his friend would remain for life.

And while Chekhov dreamed of well-being, the girls themselves caught every moment of happiness in the company of new acquaintances. Alexander Sergeevich bombarded Maria with poetic compliments, and Yevgeny entertained Ira with anecdotes and funny adventure stories from his travels. As a result, having kissed Chekhov, the girls announced that they were going on a sea voyage and promised to return.

Pushkin rented two yachts, on which the couples set off along the coast in different directions.

Chekhov saw off the young people. He was worried about Masha and Irina, because they were like his own daughters, but he understood how important this trip to Russia was for them, especially since he was confident in the decency of Pushkin and Onegin. Friends, although they were known as slobs, they had the honor and always acted according to their conscience. During the flight, the girls discussed where to go on their next trip.