Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco

I have decided to include the emails we sent while on our trip, with their dates, and to attach some pictures.
So, you have probably read these.  But, in case you haven't, you've got a second chance!  Oh lucky you . . .

Bonjour!   (Hello from France) June 12, 2011

Or; Hi y'all!  Please excuse the following narrative--I began it last night following our return to our lovely little hotel in Arles, after a dinner which involved wonderful cuisine and a litre of Rhone wine:  So, obviously I was entirely full of myself.

I'm using our hotel's computer and must share time spent.  Our hotel host was eager to shut down the system last night, so I jotted down my thoughts while up in our room.   Also, I have not created my blog as I had planned and I assure you that I don't expect a response, except to know that you are well.  As I told you in our first email (which I discovered after returning home that no one received!), the keyboard here is very different from what we use, so forgive mistakes and wait for more complete details later.  Here goes . . .

The Cote d'Azur
Nice's French Riviera

Traveling, especially into "foreign" lands, takes me out of myself.  I feel like an observer, staring back from that long forward point of vision of experiences and adventures as an American.  Here we are in Provence, redolent with the sweet perfume of lavender and of the traditional cuisine featuring garlic -- and lots of it!  Oh, sweet life!

But, before I get into a description of Provence, permit to tell you how much Greg and I enjoyed our time diving into the frenzy of Nice (and then Provencial) drivers.  The irony is that their otherwise slow pace, such as during lengthy mealtimes, filled with conversation and languid in the luxury of taste ...  how totally unlike the French attitude when they sit behind the wheel!  Greg says especially the two-wheel!  How they screech and fly!  You have to be quick on your feet to avoid collision walking the narrow roads -- barely big enough for the mini cars they drive here within the walls of their ancient towns.

The port  at night

Our first stop was Nice, on the Riviera.  Perhaps showing our 60+ years of age, (how troubling an admission), we took almost 2 days to recover

Monster yacht in Port of Nice

from our transatlantic flight from DC's Dulles, through Frankfurt, and finally into Nice.






 

Our first afternoon required a 30-minute nap and then a 12-hour overnight sleep.  The next day, we explored the city, walked the byways of the port and dropped our jaws at the obscene size and luxury of  the private boats there.

Another monster

"Old  Nice"

By our second day, we felt more human and more familiar with the layout of the town, and explored the narrow streets of "Old Nice," meandering through shops and discovering the squares encircled by ancient churches, fountains, and cafes.

Fountain on a square

On a day-trip, we boarded a local bus for a 15-minute ride to Villefranche-Sur-Mer, an ancient coastal town with a stone hilltop fortress called The Citadel.

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Part of the ancient fortress, The Citadel

While we were waiting at the bus stop for the next leg of our journey, Monaco, 2 attractive brunettes from Santa Rosa, California, swooped up to us and asked breathlessly if we spoke English and if this was the right place to catch the bus for Monaco.  During our ride together, we discovered that we all loved the same restaurant in Sebastopol, in norhern California (where Greg's son, Kevin, once lived).

Jody from Santa Rosa

While in Monte Carlo, Greg and I were content to meander the Casino lobby and surrounding gardens.  The brunettes, sisters Jennifer and Jody, however, had a handful of coins and were ready to give them away.  The sky was brilliant blue, the temperature in the 70s and we were happy to be alive.

The Casino of Monte Carlo, Monaco