The French Riviera - Ooh La La!

Aside from Italy, France was the one other country that I have waited so anxiously to visit! While Paris was first on my list to see, I didn’t ever think I was going to be able to see this part of the country on this trip or ever for that matter. The trip itinerary was Nice, Eze, Monaco, Antibes, and Cannes – how fancy!

I have to admit, the trip had a less than fancy start due in part to a rather severe bout of motion sickness. Our bus departed at 11 pm on Thursday and between my longing for sleep, S-curves in the rode, jostling of the bus, lack of air-conditioning, and just about any other variable which induces motion sickness, I did about all I could to keep from using the Bus’s broken excuse for a restroom. After spending the rest of the trip in the front seat with one of the guides, we finally arrived to Nice (at 5:00 am.) Yippee!

Our first stop the next morning was Eze, a small, medieval village about 20 minutes from where we were staying in Nice. It embodied every aspect of what you’d expect a quaint village in the French Riviera to possess: luxury, opulent views, and fine-shopping. We started the day with a walk up into the village’s exotic gardens which similar to Cinque Terre, overlook miles and miles of the blue coastline. The gardens were filled with cactus, Ivy, of course French Lavender. It was a cold and rainy day but even at the highest observation point we were able to get great pictures where the colors of all that we were seeing seemed brighter and even more vivid against the dull, heather backdrop of the sky. We were informed on the way up that Fragonard, a famous perfume shop, lay just below us. I bought a small set of all their best selling scents and must say that the freesia and rose eau d parfumes are my absolute favorites.

At this point, we had wandered and lingered a little longer than the rest of the group so by the time we arrived at the meeting place, we found that the bus which was to bring us to each site was not where to be found. Not good. So we did what anybody in our position would have done when stranded in a remote village in France- sat down for a baguette and a latte. Fortunately, the guide responsible for organizing our trip called one of our phones and informed us that they hadn’t left and that they were waiting for us to continue onto Monaco and Monte Carlo. What a huge relief.

It wasn’t long before we arrived in Monaco when I saw my first million dollar car! Mamma Mia! This Rolls-Royce was the most perfect shade of cream and detailed with gold down to the small, sculpted horns that projected from the bumper (I’m sure this horn even had a fancy sounding “beep” to it.) The rest of the principality boasted this same sort of opulence every where I looked. On this particular vacation, we rarely went 45 minutes without eating something. So, true to fashion, we sat down at chocolate shop that doubled as a tea room. Kim and I indulged ourselves with large hot chocolates under layers of whipped cream while Sara was good and enjoyed a tea instead. We decided to pool our funds and split a house, chocolate sampling (as you all can imagine, I was in absolute chocoholic heaven.) In hopes of walking off some of the damage I had done to my already exorbitant blood sugar level, Sara and I took a tour of the Royal Castle where Grace Kelly lived with the Prince of Monaco in the 70s. Her pictures were everywhere throughout the city and we learned through our tour of her marvelous abode that she was very much loved by the people of Monaco. Inside the palace, every inch of the space was touched by some element of beauty and craftsmanship. Many famous, French royalties once inhabited the same walls in which we were walking through. My studies in Interior Design began to kick in as I ardently observed the intricate patterns of the textiles, precious stone, and immaculate gilding work that blanketed the interior of this palace. How surreal.

That night, we ate at a chic restaurant which had an impressive Middle Eastern menu and indulged, yet again, in some Chardonnay just before we hit the vivacious night club district of the Olde Town. The pounding house music coaxed any thought of sleep out of our minds and we even heard some familiar tunes from the states. It seemed like every club we ended up in played a few from the Black Eyed Peas or Pitbul. The familiarity was welcoming to us at times when the locals treated us less than welcoming due to the fact that we were American.

The next day was Antibes and Cannes. In desperate need of caffeine and more sweets, we sat down in a quaint local café for cappuccino and crepes. This might be the only place in the world where it might be socially acceptable to stuff your face with chocolate and vanilla ice cream a top a sweet & delicate pastry before 11 in the morning. Bon appetite! My mother would have been appalled. Regardless of my larger than life appetite, we made up for it with all the walking we did up and down Cannes. Our bus dropped us off conveniently besides the building used to host the famous film festival. The sidewalks are lined with the same sort of star, hand-prints that you’d find in Hollywood but true to Riviera style, these hand prints were cast in terracotta and marble resin. I saw Julie Andrew’s star and took a picture for Mom! Cannes had notably beautiful flowers and plants (as you can see for most of my pictures.) At one point, Sara threatened to take my camera away if I took another picture of a plant. We spent this final afternoon in the French Riviera next to a bocce court where we snacked some more and people watched amid an antique marketplace. Hermes scarves, Chanel clutches, and diamond encrusted broaches lay spread over the many humble looking kiosks that lined the dirt square where hundreds of people perused by. What a perfect way to end such a fancy weekend.
Au revoir for now!