"Almost" a Year in Provence: Riviera Rendezvous---Monaco, Eze, Villefranche and Nice

January 3, 2007
Today we set off on our last overnight adventure of Family Christmas Vacation 2006; the French Riviera! This wasn't really a "save the best for last" adventure, but Monaco and Monte Carlo were top on Lindsey's "must see" list and we were running out of days!

Our itinerary for today was to drive from Aix to Monaco/Monte Carlo on the Auto route(about a two hour trip) and work our way back along the coast, making some planned stops along the way until we got to Nice, where we would spend the night.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we got an unbelievably punctual, early start! By now, the five of us have gotten the drill....everyone has their 'place' in the car. Nick is the driver, I am the navigator, Nicholas and Sarah watch a movie on the portable DVD and Lindsey listens to her iPod and/or sleeps.

It was a mere two hour's drive when we accidentally drove past Monaco and ended up turning around at Menton, the last French town before you cross the Italian border. from the "Monaco sortie", it was a bit of a chore getting down to Monte Carlo where we stopped to walk around a bit at the Monte Carlo Casino.

There were lovely fountains and gardens in the park leading up to the Casino.

This one right in front of the casino really looked like an ice sculpture!

After a brief look-see, we got back in the car and drove down to the harbor. We couldn't get over all the boats crowded in together but also ALL the apartment buildings on the surrounding hillsides. This place, even in the dead of winter, was too crowded for us!

After driving through the Monte Carlo, we wound our way up a steep road to Monaco's old town on the rock(Rocher de Monaco), where the Palais du Prince, the Royal Family's Palace, is located. We easily found a parking space and then wandered through the narrow little streets.....

...which led us by tourist shops and small restaurants and eventually to the Place du Palais. This picturesque square is ornamented with a bunch of cannons, one of which was presented by Louis XIV. These "dinosaurs"along with one armed guard were protecting the Palace today.

We stopped and bought some drinks and sandwiches which we enjoyed on sitting a long bench--basking in the warm, January sunshine! From Monaco, we got on the coastal road, known as the Corniche Inferierure(means 'lower road'), a twisty, windy road that allows you to enjoy the water and the coastal communities along the way. Our next destination was the medieval, hillside village of Eze. One guide book describes it this way: "Of all the perched villages along the Riviera, Eze Village, a quaint medieval enclave with cobble stoned streets overlooking the sea, remains a favorite." How could we drive by this one?!? We parked the car below the village and walked up to explore it on foot. As you can see, we are now high above the sea, but with a wonderful view of it!

It was a constant uphill climb into the village, with the streets practically going right through restaurants....

As we walked under the low archways and saw all the tiny doors, it wasn't hard to imagine the height of those that lived here hundreds of years ago...

The town was still decorated for the holidays.

Sarah loves these little Provencale dresses...we see them all over the outdoor markets in France...this yellow one, in particular, looked very fetching in this window!

We also liked this yellow dress as well!

The next stop on our route was Villefranche, a little port town just east of Nice. This was to be an especially significant stop for me as my father was stationed here in the Navy, on the USS Salem, for two years in the early '50's. Even though we'd been in France for 4 months, this was my first time coming here, as we'd been saving this trip until Nicholas and Lindsey arrived. As we drove down the hill, I was filled with anticipation and got all teary eyed thinking not only of how happy Dad would be to know I was coming here, but how special it was that I was doing it with three of his grandchildren as well. Oh, dear, now I've just gotten teary-eyed again! On with the story....

When we first arrived in Villefranche, we ended up at a quaint little harbor full of mostly fishing, and a few sail boats.

We really enjoyed watching this old guy getting his boat ready. we couldn't decide if he was going out fishing or maybe just for an afternoon sail.

From here we drove up and over a big hill and found the main harbor and the 'centre ville'. Here, we had no trouble finding Dad(and Mom's) favorite restaurant, La Mere Germaine, as well as Hotel Welcome, the hotel where they stayed. Evidently, Dad knew Mere Germaine(the German mother) when he was stationed here. When he and Mom came back together years later, they found her daughter. We didn't eat at the restaurant as it was mid afternoon, but Nick and I plan to return here sometime soon. The menu looked wonderful!

From the harbor we walked up through the town toward and old fort.

I couldn't help but wonder if this old woman was La Mere! Isn't she adorable?

Nick and Lindsey approaching the fort with view of Villefranche harbor below...
Nicholas welcoming us to the fort...

We didn't do too much to learn about this place, but it was fascinating. there were many components to the interior and it was obviously being used for a myriad of activities from museum, to event venue, to police headquarters!
Here we are wandering through an area of lovely gardens...

Nick looking out a the little fishing harbor we'd visited earlier....

and here is a view of the larger harbor. Seeing the large buoy, we wondered if the USS Salem tied up right there?!? Talk about a water view!

The afternoon was waning and it was time to push on toward Nice. We arrived at Le Meridian just in time for Nick, Nicholas and Sarah to go for a swim in the rooftop pool just as the sun was setting over the Mediterranean.

After our exhausting day, we all took a rest before going out for the evening. Unbeknown to Nicholas, we would be celebrating his 21st birthday (which was on October 25th)at dinner.

We left the hotel and walked a little ways along the Promenade des Anglais. We entered La Vielle Ville and wandered through the Cours Saleyna. During the day there is a large flower and fish market. At night, there was still a liveliness about the place. There were lots people out going to the many bars and restaurants. All the aromas were fantastic! As we were a bit early for our reservation, we stopped at Caffe dell'Arte(6, cours Saleyna, 04 93 62 30 37) for an aperitif. This place was quite cosy and interesting as it was cafe, salon de the, bars a vins AND galerie d'art, sculpture et peintre! what a combo! Next stop was Le Safari(1 cours Saleya, 04-93-80-18-44 ) a restaurant recommended by our maitre d'hotel when we asked him for somewhere fun, within walking distance of the hotel and a with variety of local cuisine. This lively spot was perfect for us. We had a fun evening and delicious dinner-fried, ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms, fresh gnocci, fruits de mer on spaghetti and grilled salmon.

Nicholas was completely at a loss for words when the waiters who were singing Happy Birthday came to our table and placed the cake in front of him!!
We finally could really wish him a happy 21st!