Sun and Fun on the Cote d'Azur and Provence

Once again we find ourselves starting to write the Nice part of this blog in a local Laundromat, the one good thing about having to wash clothes or take a long train ride is that it forces us to sit down and gives us the opportunity to write. The other half is being completed in our Riad in Marrakech, with all the activity and late hours in Barcelona it’s been hard to make time to write.

Ever wondered what a backpackers room looks like when all of their stuff has been washed? This is it.

Nice

After the disaster that was the train ride in (see previous post), we were thankful to arrive at our hotel at all. We stepped into our beautiful room and fought over who would have the first shower, after 9.5 hours sitting on grubby trains and station floors whilst lugging heavy packs around the feeling of hot running water could not come soon enough. 

We woke on our 5 year wedding anniversary to a beautiful morning sun shining and 15 degrees – a welcome change to the average of 6 degrees we have had for the past month. We had based ourselves in Nice for a few days so that we could see a bit more of the French Riviera or Cote D’Azur as the French call it. We decided to go to Monaco for the day which is just 25 minutes and a cheap train ticket away. On arrival the train station windows had sun beaming through them and a view that swept across the marina. We both remarked on the weather, and obviously we spoke too soon because within an hour of our arrival the clouds rolled in and the sun no longer lent its glorious warm rays. 

Monaco is home to the excess everything. From cars, jewellery, hotels, yachts, the lot. We spent the morning walking around the posh side of Monaco up to the Hotel de Paris and The Casino Monte Carlo. Looking at the cars its clear there is a lot of money floating around with Bentleys as common as Commodores. The casino was not open until 2pm so we walked bar to the marina via some window shopping in the luxury shops. 

We came across yet another Christmas market and had yet another glass of vin chaud (hot wine), we see it as our duty (a very pleasurable one at that) to compare the hot wines of each country. Somebody has to do it, right? It was well after lunch time so luckily there was still fresh Italian pizza being cooked in a wood fired oven at this Christmas market. Our margarita pizza came fresh from the oven and looked incredible with luscious basil leaves on top, but it tasted better than it looked the freshness of the dough and of the topping, the flavours burst in our mouths. It is unsurprising given that we are on the Mediterranean ocean. In fact we have been told that Mediterranean food dominates over French food in Nice, and if you want the best local cuisine you go to an Italian restaurant. 

Sitting atop the hill overlooking the marina and the city is the Prince of Monaco’s palace. We walked up the hill and had a look over the entirety of Monaco (all 4 square km of it!) Not a bad place to set yourself up as Prince. We can only imagine the energy that Monaco would have during the Formula 1. Spectacular views aside we didn’t go into the state apartments as we could not find the entrance! So wandering down the cute laneways we found ourselves at the Monaco cathedral where the Prince of Monaco gets married. Whilst sitting there a police cavalcade escorting a large black SUV came through and sure enough in the back seat was the Prince and Princess themselves. First royalty sighting this trip!

Descending the hill and taking in the Monacan vibe for the last time we boarded the train back to Nice. Arriving back to our room only to find a vase with a freshly cut rose and luxurious French chocolates from a local chocolatier along with a Happy Anniversary note from the hotel owner. We had pre-arranged for her to book a lovely restaurant for dinner, so after freshening up we made our way. A short walk away is the beautifully intimate Luc Salsedo restaurant where we received wonderful service with them being fully aware that it was our anniversary. With the budget thrown to the wind we ordered the 5 course degustation and a bottle of champagne. Over the next three hours we had some incredible food and delicious champagne from Champagne. 

The next day the sun was shining and it was gorgeous outdoors so we set out to have a cruisy day. Making out way down to the local markets we explored the produce and found Kaki Apples (or Pommes). Wondering what on earth they are we sampled one and decided we love them. Buying some bread and fruit we went to the beach and had a picnic, lay in the sun and just relaxed for ages. Glorious.

We spent the rest of our cruisy day exploring the old town of Nice and wandering the narrow streets, visiting little shops and popping in and out of places. We crossed the main street of Nice with its wide boulevard park and huge water fountain display before returning to our hotel for a kip before another great (but not so opulent) dinner at a local French bistro with divine food.

 On our 3^rd day Nice threw us another stunning day, with 18 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We set a goal to explore some more and use our legs so once again starting at the markets and delicious local food for a bite on the go. Ascending the nearby cliff (via stairs) to see the Nice beach in all its splendour stretching to the limits of vision and with views over the old town it was truly spectacular.

Descending the other side we entered Nice marina home to many (not as many as Monaco though) mega yachts but also plenty of small colourful local vessels bobbing on the crystal water. We walked right around to the ferry departure terminal which was completely empty where we sat in the sun and ate our lunch which we had carried from the markets that morning and soaked in some vitamin D. 

 Cruising back around following the coast road we stopped lots and just relaxed in the sun, enjoying the various viewpoints and observing everything going on around us. Eventually ending up back at the beach for another sit down and lie in the sun. After a final walk along the boulevard and visit to the boulangerie (to pick up pastries for dinner on the train of course) we returned to our hotel and said farewell to our host Marion who had made our stay an absolute delight. There is a reason her hotel is #2 on TripAdvisor. 

Something we found unique in Nice is information boards showing where all the essential services are located such as a train station, the police station and pharmacies however they also include the nearest bakeries. This has to be only in France. 

Avignon - Provence

Avignon is one of the larger places to visit in the southern region of France known as Provence. This is your quintessential French countryside which grows crops, fruits and lavender and has some of the most picturesque villages you can see. The city itself is also home to two key attractions. The Popes Palace and the Pont d’Avignon (aka Pont Saint-Bénezet aka the Avignon Bridge).

Our first day in Avignon we hit up the spots in town that Avignon is known for. We went to the bridge and palace and took in some history. Despite it being a clear sunny day we were freezing with the temperature not going over 10 degrees. The Pont Saint-Bénezet once stretched for 16 arches (nearly a kilometre in length) over the river and was an incredible engineering achievement in the Middle Ages. However due to it being a massive money pit requiring constant maintenance and repair it was eventually abandoned in 1668 and slowly crumbled to the remaining few arches.

The Popes Palace was built when the Pope moved out of Rome to Avignon in 1364 and for nearly 100 years 7 Popes made Avignon and its Palace the centre of the Catholic Church. It was during this time Avignon underwent rapid transformation, walls were built for protection, and the bridge was improved along with the construction and ongoing remodelling of the palace. Eventually the Pope moved back to Rome and the palace went through many phases, mostly destructive until its current stage of historic landmark. It has some incredible halls and the acoustics (which we tested, thank you low season!) are fantastic.

After the Palace we walked up to the garden atop the highest point in Avignon and surveyed the countryside around us before returning to the hostel for happy hour drinks (1 Euro wine! Hello!) Before going out for a traditional Provencal dinner.

Our final day in France (aka Amy’s birthday) was pretty low key but it stretched out for quite a long day. The morning started with a half day tour of the surrounding region of Avignon on a tour. Starting with the Lavender museum we learnt all about the history of farming lavender in Provence, the equipment used and the difference between Fine Lavender (the good, legitimate, expensive stuff) and Lavandine (the clone, knockoff, cheaper stuff).

The next stop was the village of Rousillon which is famous for its red shaded homes and buildings. It is one of the rare areas in France that have strong iron deposits in the soil turning it red. The ochre is used by the locals to colour their building over a dozen shades of yellow to deep red making for a stunning visual effect.

Our final stop was at Gordes, one of the most beautiful villages we have ever seen and apparently one of the best in the world. Gordes is built atop a hill and purely of stone with views for dozens of kilometres over the valley. It reminded Simon of the city from the third Lord of the Rings movie that winds up and up the mountain.

Dropped back in Avignon we went and had lunch at a café inside an old converted chapel which was unique and quite cool. Afterwards we roamed the streets of Avignon getting a look at a bit of everything before getting the bus to the train station to get on the train to Marseilles to take the bus to Barcelona.

And here begins our tale of travel disaster take two…

Another bonus travel disaster story

We arrived at Marseille station and had just under 2 hours to kill before jumping on a 9 hour bus to Barcelona. If spending 2 hours in the train station where people go to die, and the homeless go to sleep wasn’t enough torture then it was compounded by nearly being denied a seat on the bus. Yep, we had our tickets printed, but what we didn’t print was the receipt that goes with the tickets and apparently in size 6 font there is the wording that you will be denied a seat on the bus if you don’t bring it. We froze and nearly threw up on the counter when the guy told us, it didn’t help that he said it so smugly, almost like the idea of making us miss our transport was going to be the highlight of his day. Simon nearly jumped over the counter but there was a plastic barrier, and Amy’s arm stopping him (not that either of these things could really stop him) and Amy swiftly begged him to reconsider as she forced tears to well in her eyes. Luckily we had an electronic copy, but this wasn’t enough for our new friend, no he grabbed the phone and zoomed in on the size 6 font to really let us know that we weren’t travelling tonight. I believe his words were “you will not travel tonight”. Steam was coming out of Simon’s ears, and Amy’s head was spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and so we begged and we apologised profusely, and finally through only the grace of God and all the prayer we know is going on back home he gave us our boarding pass. We ran onto the bus sat in our seats and literally prayed that he would not change his mind. Before we took off the bus driver started speaking Spanish and was looking for 2 people on the bus, a visible sheen broke over the top of our heads as we thought that our new friend had reneged on the deal. Luckily it wasn’t us and soon the wheels on the bus started spinning and we breathed a sigh of relief. Barcelona here we come!

Lessons Learnt

• Print every piece of paper no matter how seemingly unimportant – just print it all and don’t be stingy or try and help the environment.
• Bread with dinner is free
• Bread is not served with butter it is just good quality bread
• Menus are typically small, meaning really fresh and quality dishes over quantity of choice.
• Fromage (cheese) reigns supreme, everybody loves their cheese – except Amy.
• A decent yacht will set you back 40 million Euros
• Monaco can be done in a day trip – unless you are a millionaire and can afford to stay and play

Parting Thoughts

• We wish to retire to Nice or somewhere nearby, it is so perfect here. If you go to France be sure to visit Nice and its surroundings.
• You realise how truly insignificant any of your money is when you visit Monaco
• We will miss boulangeries (bakeries) in a very significant way – bread and pastry will never and we mean never be the same. Probably our waistlines will be thankful that we are out of France.
• For a place obsessed with great food and wine it’s bizarre that their coffee is so terrible. Really in our time there we did not have one good coffee.  

Au revoir France, it has been tasty, beautiful and there has been delightful weather on your coast, it has also been snooty, arrogant and at times just downright rude. 

Simon and Amy xoxo