Nice, Villefranche-sur-mer, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat and Eze.

Today was a sunny, beautiful and exhausting day! We said goodbye to Jeannot and Eve, packed up a bag, and drove towards the coast to Nice. It wasn’t far at all, about 25km (15 miles) and we arrived, parked the car and went down to the beach. Nice’s beaches are not sandy, they are all smooth grey pebbles (galets) and stones- so I kept my flip flops on as I went into the water.

We took a quick dip in the Mediterranean and dried off in the warm breeze collecting a few of the smaller stones we liked. We took some pictures and then rinsed off and changed into street clothes. We walked along the palm tree lined Promenade des Anglais (Walk of the English) with all of the in-line skaters for a bit.

Then we climbed the stairs up to Pare du Chateau for the amazing panoramic view of the city and sea. Not much is left of the castle, only a few sections of it remain, but at 92 meters high (300 feet!) it was worth it for the view. We saw the old Jewish cemetery and then headed into Vieux Nice, or Old Nice.


We wandered around it’s narrow streets and arcades, saw the Place du Palais-de-Justice and caught the very end of the Cours Saleya Flower Market as well as the fish market at Place Saint-Francois. Then we went back to the car and drove up the Alpes Maritimes mountains to Villefranche-sur-mer and its gorgeous views of the sea. Built on the terraced hills overlooking the Mediterranean, its Promenade des Marinieres stretches along the deep-water harbor that is used by cruise ships and sometimes the US Navy.

We drove through the Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat peninsula, a favorite holiday destination amongst European aristocracy and international millionaires. We gawked at the enormous homes and villas as we continued to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a seaside palazzo constructed between 1905 and 1912 by Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild. We took the tour of the mansion and learned that although she only stayed here a week or two per year, Béatrice built this rose-colored villa with seven themed gardens, and filled the home with incredible antique furniture, paintings, tapestries, sculptures and an extensive collection of rare porcelain. She was an eccentric lady who loved art, entertaining and gambling. A lady who loved poker and even had a monkey room- David was happy!




Then we hit the road again, and after a slight detour in Eze-sur-met, we arrived in the little village of Eze. Perched atop a very imposing cliff, the village was the vacation spot of Friedrich Nietzsche and Walt Disney. On the top of the hill are the ruins of a small castle from the 12th century, and the town is crammed with lots of shops, galleries, restaurants and boutiques. It also has stunning views and an ‘exotic hilltop cactus garden’ we were too cheap to pay to see. The sun was beginning to set, so we didn’t make it to Monaco which was only about 5 miles away and we began the twisting and hilly drive back to Tourette.

We got back to the B&B, washed up and walked to town for a hearty dinner at Les Grand-mere (Grandma’s Place). After a warm and filling dinner (and the greatest soup spoon ever) at this charming but slow-paced restaurant, we walked home, met some of the Aussie guests who had arrived this evening and went to bed.