St Tropez

Well, we could not come to the Mediterranean and not view some of its coastline by boat. So, we took a 5 hour round trip boat ride from Nice to St Tropez, stopping in the harbor of Cannes for passanger pick up (that did afford us a look at the great number of amazing Tall Ships moored in Cannes). We were pretty amazed really at just how built up it is along this stretch of coastline. I remember Antibes as a small village with a good campsite, back when I was 17, now it's million dollar homes for mile after mile. As always, it's nice to get out on the water, and enjoy the many kinds of watercraft sailing by. I would have liked an hour or so in Cannes, but that was not part of the package.... so it was on to St Tropez.

It was a Saturday, so a big market was going on, worth browsing, and Ron has become a very patient man, happy to just watch the world go by, while I root for bargains, of which there are not many to be found. Anyway, it was by far the biggest market we have come across, so it kept me occupied for a good part of the 5 hours we had to spend there. Later we strolled through the small side streets, always interesting to see the fresh meats, cheeses, olives and oils spilling out of the shop doorways. Of course there are always the standard tourist trappings bidding one in. We are frugal with our spending, and mainly just 'window shop'.

Our one weekness however is the icecream .... back in the States it doesn't even tempt me.... here however, the same cannot be said.

I expected to find a beach there for us to spend some time on, but we did not, maybe one needed a car to venture further than our legs were prepared to take us, so we just took our time around the harbor area before heading back to our boat. Lots of large racing sailboats coming and going as there was a race in progress.

We did walk the two and a bit miles back from Nice Port to our apt, making for a rather long 12 hour day. But, we did have homemade stew and a bottle of red wine waiting for us to enjoy from our balcony overlooking the lights of the city.

We really do feel very blessed to have such a good life.

St Paul de Vence

It is said that St Paul de Vence is the most visited village in France, and that this town was the center of Impressionism at the beginning of the 20th century. Like Eze this too is a walled village, only larger, and is nestled in the hills above Nice. The many small cobbled streets were crammed with little shops, cafes and restaurants, and the views overloking the countryside and blue Med made a nice spot for a picnic.

It was well worth a visit, but in our humble opinion, did not have the quaintness and gentle charm of Eze.

Day Trip To Eze

Without a doubt, our favorite days outting thus far, was spent in the beautiful Medieval stone village of Eze. This perfect little walled town, sits on top of a 1,200 foot coastal hill with spectacular views of the Cote d'Azur. The shops and artwork are so tastefully tucked away in all kinds of nooks and crannies.
It was just a delight to turn corners and find the prolific bouganvillia draped over the old roofs and walls which have stood for centuries, plus the many olive trees, spilling their abundant fruit over pathways.

Such a unique and beautiful place comes at a price, there are two exqiuisite hotels here, and Ron and I have promised ourselves, that should we ever win the lotto, we will definately return here and stay in one of these luxury accommodations.

Day Trip to Monoco

For just €1 you can take the bus for up to an hour and a half (as long as you are going in one direction). So, with this in mind we had a day out to Monaco, which happens to be the smallest country in the world, with an area of less than 2 sq kilometres and sits nestled between France and Italy. It is famous for the world renouned Monte Carlo Casino (which we decided to skip), the Grand Prix, yachts and a modest castle which was home to Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier while I was growing up.

The daily tradition of the changing of the guard, continues to takes place at 11:55 am precisely, and is a great attraction for the hoards of tourists who now arrive via cruise ships!

We enjoyed our picnic lunch in a nice garden overlooking the exquisite panorama of hills and Mediterranean coast. I found it hard to believe that 47 years had passed since I was last here with my parents. .... time truly marches on, so I say, "go and do what you want to do, while you can."

"Time Out" on the Cote d'Azur

After a very hectic but fun month in Italy, we decended on Nice, weary and ready for a rest. And that's exactly what we have been doing for the past 2 weeks ... 'chillin out' in our dear friends' apt until the end of this month.

It was a long 10 hour train journey from Siena to Nice, so to be greeted by Graham's smiling face was a welcome sight. Both Graham and Margaret were kind enough to entertain us for a couple of days, getting us oriented to the neighborhood before leaving us to fend for ourselves. Our apt is just far enough away from the regular tourist spots and we have settled in nicely ... enjoying cocktails and home cooked meals on the balcony in the evenings.

We never seem to tire of the wonderful 5 mile promenade, it's a great place to just sit and 'people watch' (multiple seating areas provided, plus cycle/ roller blading section). The water is very clear, clean and a comfortable temp for swimming. The pebbles are, however, challenging when one is used to a sandy beach. The trick is to wear the popular plastic beach shoes, that way one can maintain a semblance of elegancy while getting in and out of the water, otherwise, it's arms flailing and hobbling like a carthorse needing to shod! The sunbathing ladies here, it seems, prefer to be topless (haven't quite plucked up the courage to do it myself yet)

We now saunter through what are becoming familiar streets, feeling as though we live here permanently. We enjoy the daily baguettes, warm and crusty, plus trips to The Old Town Market, with the freshest of produce and flowers. We are enjoying browsing many of the free museums, and nipping on and off buses like locals ...... for only €1 we find ourselves in places like Eze or Monte Carlo .... there are so many places convenient for taking day trips.

Oh yes ...... we are enjoying Nice.

Location:Nice

There is something about Siena

We took our first taxi ride from the rail station to our B & B in the old walled town of Siena. That should have been our first indication of who truly "ownes" the road when it comes to pedesterians or drivers, as we clutched the edge of our seats. Not a sidewalk one, not a blade of grass (not much fun being a dog in this town) however there is a charm that is deserving of all the accolaides written, when it comes to Siena.

Perched on a hilltop, overlooking the wild Tuscany countryside (it must look SO very beautiful when all those sun flowers are in full bloom. .... what we saw, were giant heads drooping under the weight of their seeds for next years flowers).

The old town itself, is very walkable, and just crammed full of side streets with bright, cheerful shops spilling out onto the walkway - some as tiny as a closet - cafes/restaurants, laundry hanging from high balconies and geraniums surviving in meager spots of soil.

More often than not, the restaurants seemed to have outside seating sufficient only for a half dozen folk....with tables and chairs designed so as not to slip down the really steep inclines (think little Lombard Street in San Francisco, only really old and rustic). Everywhere, people are drinking coffee, or beer, eating pizza or the famous gellatos (best ice cream ever!) the place is just a hubub of activity.

But then we had our quiet peaceful 17th century B & B to retreat to ...... probably the most charming of all our accomodations, it was an old converted villa with lace curtins, marble floors and elaborately decorated ceilings. Our bedrom windows overlooked the courtyard, with it's many birds constantly singing, and beyond that, farms and countryside off in the distance ...it was a little oasis, a far cry from the metros we had become acustomed to.

Oh yes we will definitely be returning to Tuscany.

Location:Tuscany