Saturday, July 31, 2010

June 6 - South of France: French Riviera











French Riviera

How to cram the amazing-ness of the French Riviera into a Sunday afternoon drive? You savour every second and pinky-promise yourself that you will be back, one day real soon. Marseille to Nice is just over 200km along a winding coastal road, complete with crazy French drivers passing you in Sunday traffic on a double-solid. Marseille, Toulon, Frejus, Saint-Raphael, Cannes, Antibes, Nice. There is a reason they call it the playground of the rich and famous. Fabulous beaches, massive yachts, hot cars, expensive shopping, beachfront hotels with private beach clubs. I cannot do it justice with words or photos... you just have to visit for yourself!

Friday, July 23, 2010

June 5 - South of France: Avignon










Avignon

I must confess to knowing nothing of Avignon prior to walking through the ancient walled city itself. Avignon is home to Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) which was the seat of the Papacy instead of Rome for 70 years in the 1300s. Avignon is also home to Pont d’Avignon... a bridge that used to cross over the Rhône River. Only four arches remain of the original 22 arches; most of the bridge was taken out in a flood in the 1600s. Perhaps the reason the bridge is so famous is because of the legend behind it’s construction; a shepherd boy was visited by angels who commanded him to build the bridge.

The day we visited, it must have been 40C. The town itself was vacant of people, everyone hiding out from the heat. We had ice cream in a shaded park at the top of the village prior to visiting Palais des Papes. In the courtyard of the Palace, there were several little cafes... that would be the place to sit and drink a cold drink under the tress while admiring the beautiful architecture of the old papacy.

Monday, July 19, 2010

June 4 - South of France: Mairie de St Jeannet




Mairie de St Jeannet

Monaco by day, French countryside by night… a girl could really get used to this! Half an hour drive north of Nice, you are in another time. We visited a couple of ancient villages set high on the hillside, Mairie de St Jeannet being the first. Walking through town, we felt very conspicuous as tourists. It was a Friday night and all the locals had gathered at the only bar in town, spilling onto the outdoor patio as it was too tiny for all of them. As we walked by, we felt all eyes on us. Fortunately, it wasn’t the wild west, so no one got in our face and drew a pistol! We wandered around the village, poking around in corners and peering over fences. We discovered a small raised pool, tucked into a slight cave, where the villagers would have gathered to do their washing in ancient times. We saw roses tumbling down over stone fences. We then drove on to Vence for dinner; grilled fish, head intact, at an outdoor café. Loving the French experience!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

June 4 - Monaco




Musée Océanographique de Monaco


Swimming pool at Hercule Harbour


Monaco


I’ve had a fascination with Monaco since I was a little girl, pouring over Majesty magazines. I learned all about Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, and their brother Prince Albert. I don’t think there was a more beautiful woman than their mother, Princess Grace. Princess Grace lived every girl’s fairytale, falling in love, marrying a prince and moving to a castle in a gorgeous, foreign country. Monaco seemed like a fairytale itself, a tiny principality, less than two square kilometres in size, ruled by a prince, who’s family had been ruling the country since 1297.

I was excited for the opportunity to visit Monaco. It’s close to Nice, a twenty minute train ride. Popping out of the train station, you swiftly realize Monaco is ‘tidy town’. A welcome change from the urine soaked, dog poo caked sidewalks of France. For once, you didn’t have to watch where you walked. Instead you could look up and marvel how they packed so many buildings into cliffside of the two square kilometres of the second smallest country in the world!

The palace is set on top of the hill, Monaco-Ville, overlooking the principality, as is the Musée Océanographique de Monaco. The Musée is located out on a point, overlooking the Mediterranean, and was once under the direction of Jacques Cousteau. Built in 1910, it’s an impressive piece of architecture that is home to various collections of marine species, as well as an aquarium on the lower two floors. Between the museum and the palace is the beautiful cliffside gardens and pathway, Jardins Saint-Martin.

We spent a perfect sunny day exploring Monaco. We stood outside the palace, imagining Princess Grace living inside the very walls. We admired the expensive cars out the front of the Monte Carlo casino – oh yawn, another Rolls Royce? Finally, we picked out our fantasy yacht amongst the myriad gigantic boats in the harbor. Loving every minute of it, we decided a day wasn’t enough, so we would come back again the following week...

Thursday, July 01, 2010

June 2 – South of France: Eze






Eze

May 31, we took the TGV train from Paris to Nice. Relaxing train travel is the way to go; ‘read’ a French cooking mag for a while. Mindlessly gaze out at the French countryside for another while, rolling green hills with ancient villages tucked into the side of them. About four hours into the trip, the train reaches the sea and continues along the coastline. Instantly the landscape is distinctly Mediterranean, palm trees and pastel buildings. The train arrives in Nice about 5 hours after leaving Paris.

Nice is on the south eastern coast of France on the French Riviera. It’s close to Cannes, Provence, Monaco and the Italian border. We were fortunate enough to call Nice ‘home’ for ten days! We made our base there and travelled around to different places.

Eze Village is about a twenty minute hot bus ride from Nice. A medieval town, it’s built high on top of a cliff. It’s a steep walk up through the village to the top, but you hardly notice the climb, as the setting and view is so spectacular! That and you’re stopping every five minutes to take a photo... well that was my excuse... I really was stopping to catch my breath on the steep walk to the top.

There’s a fee to get into the garden at the top of Eze Village, but well worth the price. A large cactus garden caps the top of the hill and up there, you feel like you’re on top of the world. There are amazing varieties of cacti to admire... black succulents even! But it’s the view that is unreal. Down below is a view of St Jean Cap Ferrat, and beyond, you are looking out over the stunning Mediterranean sea.

We thouroughly enjoyed every minute in Eze, and decided that next time we came back, we’d stay in the luxury hotel. It’s built into the side of the cliff, with the restaurant patio perched precariously on the edge of Eze!