And, even more gorgeous, St Paul de Vence

Leaving Gourdon yesterday, we drove north, continuing around the Col de Vence where much of the countryside was wilderness and either forested or barren.

One village we spotted but didn't explore, and probably should have, is Coursegoules, which according to its website, has changed little since the 13th century - oh well, next time.

We continued on, at one point stopping to get a closer look at the rocks.  The terrain appears to be a combination of long extinct volcanoes and the kind of layered rock (sandstone or limestone) that usually signifies some kind of prehistoric ocean, assuming I remember my Grade 8 geography correctly. Sure enough, when Karol picked up a couple of rocks, we could see fossils in them!  We drove south through Vence and headed slightly west to St. Paul de Vence which I'd been told was fabulous. I was totally unprepared, however, for what a stunningly beautiful village this is, one of the prettiest French villages I've ever seen and easily rivalling the charming ones in Alsace. We had a delicious lunch just outside the ramparts then set out to explore the streets and shops which, interestingly, had the best selection and prices we've seen anywhere.  We had planned to visit the Maeght Gallery but ran out of time so will return to do that Sunday. We needed a lot more time here!  Definitely, it is on my list of places to return to. It became crowded as the afternoon wore on and I can't imagine what it would be like in the high season!

Gorgeous Gorges

Since we left the Mediterranean coast, we've spent a couple of days exploring the inland region of the Alpes-Maritimes department.  Le Bar sur Loup is one of many medieval villages perched on the mountains here. A couple of days ago, we drove from here through Tourrette sur Loup to Vence. The river Loup has cut a very deep and scenic gorge into the terrain and the roads all around here are winding and dramatic, not to mention a bit challenging to drive!  You daren't take your eyes off the road for a minute.  No matter where you look across this countryside, it is a major dose of "eye candy".  We enjoyed our stop in Vence - having a fabulous lunch at Le Pigeonier, wandering the medieval streets, seeing a Chagall exhibit and visiting La Chapelle Rosaire designed by Henri Matisse.

Yesterday, we drove around the Col de Vence, a mountain popular with cyclists for training. We drove north from Le Bar to Gourdon which was our first stop.  This village is officially designated one of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France", with good reason. The medieval streets are charming, filled with little boutiques and restaurants; in addition, the more than 180' views of the Mediterranean from Monaco to Cannes are spectacular. The village is dramatically perched on a rocky spur that juts directly over the river Loup providing views of the gorge. Note the road in the third picture. That's the one which takes you to the village.  More on the rest of yesterday's adventure in the next blog.

From one perfect place to another!

There was two cruise ships in la rade de Villefranche, this our last morning here.  So, as the sun rose and even though my hair was still wet from my shower, I got Karol to take a pic of me on our terrace. This has been a great spot in spite of some traffic noise and a few logistic issues. I really hope I get back here before too long. There is still much to explore.

Then, after our taxi to Nice airport to pick up our rental car, we drove to Le Bar sur Loup. As we steadily climbed from the sea, the scenery changed drastically. We are now amongst "villages perches" and olive groves. In spite of some complicated roads, we reached our new apartment without a hiccup. We are now in the upper floor apartment at La Bastide Saint Christophe in Le Bar sur Loup, about 35 km or so north of Nice. We still have an amazing vista from our living room and got to spend a couple of hours by the pool after a very delicious lunch at a restaurant near the village. So, we've traded on sort of blissful place for another. This is like having our own Provençal home. It is huge with a wonderful country kitchen. Tomorrow we plan to start exploring villages around here such as Gourdon and Vence.

Can't wait to start exploring this area tomorrow.

Des etoiles sur la Côte d'Azur

Having spent the last week here, I don't feel we have even begun to explore this amazing area of France. I think, however, we've made a pretty good start. For the last three days, we've gone to a different town each day. We skipped because we will have a day there in a week, not enough time, I know, but it will have to do.

So, on Saturday, we took the train to Antibes, only a 40 minute ride from here. The town was very busy but we gradually made our way to La Vieille Ville (we always do that) and then to Le Port. While I've tried to visit Antibes many times over the years, parking has always been an issue so this was my first visit. Many people have raved about it to me. Maybe I missed something but I didn't think it was anything special. Of course, it is okay - it IS the French Riviera after all but, for me, it didn't have the ambience of other places. We did have lunch on a cute little creperie and then walked to the Musee Picasso. That was a bit of a disappointment as we never did actually SEE a painting of his. We think we somehow missed a section of the building!  The views from the terrace were stunning and the statues "interesting".  I am still not convinced I saw the best Antibes has to offer so will reserve judgement until I see it again. It just lacked the magic of otherlaces for me.

The next day, Sunday, we took the train to Cagnes sur Mer. I had read on a website that October 6th was its Foire d'Automne so thought it would be something interesting to see. Now, I'm used to the foires and fetes in Alsace at this time of the year which have food and wine to sample, different exhibits, and local products so I was not expecting the largest market I've ever seen mainly consisting  of clothing, shoes, scarves and jewellery. So, what did we do?  We shopped!  It was interesting as there were few tourists around, primarily locals with their families. Later, we walked down to the sea front for lunch. Again, there were few tourists although, admittedly, it is the end of the season. We were the only non-locals in the restaurant where we ate. One of the main reasons for visiting Cagnes sur Mer, however, is the Musee Renoir which is located in the house where he lived. We took a taxi there and the setting is beautiful. The other bonus is that the museum is free and you can wander around the house and grounds. In the distance, from it, you can see Haut Cagnes, a village perche, which looks lovely.

Finally today, our last day on the coast, we took the train to Menton which is close to the
Italian border.  This became an enclave for the British upper classes in the mid to late 1800s when the climate, one of the best on the Riviera, was thought to be curative. So, many large hotels and villas to spend time here. The town is smaller than Antibes and much prettier, I think. There is a charming old
town and lovely beaches.  There is also a Jean Cocteau museum which, unfortunately, today was closed.  Still, we were glad we visited here. I could see coming back here to spend more time. It was our favourite of the three places we visited over the last few days.

The star, however, in my book is still Villefranche!   It is going to be very difficult to leave here in the morning!!!

The Canucks lost? So what!

One of the things so great about travelling is that it gives you the opportunity to put things in perspective. Things that seem overwhelming, terribly important or insurmountable at home turn out to matter not so much in another environment. So, this morning when I was listening to the play by play of the end of the Canuck game (around 6 a.m. local time) I thought to myself (had to as neither Karol nor Gail were up nor do they care about hockey), great; here we go again!  Another season of excuses and frustration!  Then I looked out my balcony doors across the bay at the sunrise and somehow, in the midst of all this beauty, hockey just didn't seem to matter!  Now, ask me again in November and I might have a different perspective!

Just a few hours later, we were visiting Villa Kerylos, another of the famous houses in the area.  It is modelled in the Greek style, both in terms of architecture and furnishings.  Both Karol and Gail liked it a lot more than Villa Rothschild but I still prefer that latter. Kerylos means "kingfisher" in Greek and the bird is considered a good omen in Greek mythology. The villa was built by Theodore Reinach and his wife who was a member of the Ephrussi family. The family continued to live in the villa until 1967 when it was subsequently classified as a "Monument Historique" and made accessible to the public.

 We then walked to Beaulieu sur Mer (not far) where we had lunch at Le Port looking in awe at the abundance of luxury yachts. Although the weather was a bit cooler and cloudy, it was still a perfect day!

A Day in the Life . . .

Okay, what did we get up to yesterday?  After we went to the open market to buy roast chicken, potatoes, vegetables and fruit for our dinner, we wandered down to the quay for a late breakfast. There wasn't a cruise ship in so the streets were pretty quiet, unlike the previous day. We sat in the sunshine at the edge of the water having our Cafe Americanos or orange juice and our croissants or pains au chocolat.

After our "petit dejeuner" , we walked along the Promenade des Marinieres around the bay to Cap Ferrat.  By this time it was 11:30 and there were lots people on the beach and in the sea.

 We walked over the hill and down to the port of St. Jean for lunch at the Bar du Port. Not recommended - either the village or the restaurant; long story!  The villas we managed to get glimpses of behind their intimidating gates along the way there were amazing!  So much money it is almost obscene - but maybe I'm just envious!  From St. Jean, we took the bus the short way up the hill to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. I had been there two years ago and loved it so I was delighted when Karol and Gail expressed an interest in going.  The interiors are amazing and the gardens stunning. It is a true gem - and, thankfully, upon her death, Beatrice de Rothschild bequeathed the villa to the Academie des Beaux Arts so it will forever be publicly accessible.

From there, we headed back to our apartment where the only thing similar to the villa are the stunning views!  We had a light dinner sitting on the terrace. Such is life on the Côte d'Azur!

Better than advertised!

This morning I checked out of my hotel and headed down to the Cosmos Bar in La Vieille Ville  to pick up the keys to our apartment. Then I hiked back up the hill (there are lots of steep hills here!), got my bag from the hotel and then hiked further up the hill to find the apartment. It (finding the building, not the walk up in the heat) was easy. When I opened the door to this 4th floor flat, I was stunned!  I expected it to be lovely but it is even more lovely than it looked on the website. There is a large terrace off the sitting room and master bedroom facing the sea with breathtaking views. Both the other two bedrooms have smaller balconies overlooking gardens at the back. The building is almost directly across from the Hotel Versailles where I stayed two years ago but the views are slightly better as we are that much higher up. I'm already trying to hatch a plan on how to come back here before too long. Karol and Gail arrive this evening and, after a sortie to the local epicerie, the kitchen is now stocked with cheeses, several Provence wines and baguettes for us.

Let the party begin!