This weekend Kylie, John, Judy and I took four days to explore Nice, Monaco, St. Raphael and St. Tropez. We left work a bit early on Friday afternoon, and a quick journey from Liverpool Street Station on the Stansted Express took us to our EasyJet flights and onto Nice. As we started to descend, we looked out the window and could see the early evening silhouettes of the buildings and streetlights along the Cote d'Azur.
Everything went smoothly, and the Nice airport was a pleasant surprise - clean, easy, efficient; we definitely aren't in the UK anymore. We hopped in our rental car, and navigated along the coast into Nice Vieux Ville (Old Town). By the time we were parked and ready to head out for a late night meal and snack, it was 11pm and most places appeared closed. We stumbled across a candlelit, chandelier-wielding trendy bar/restaurant. It was a perfect choice, and our broquettes d'agneau (skewers of lamb), house wine (Provence red) and salads were brilliant.
After a much-needed sleep-in, we were down to breakfast by the closing time of 10am. Breakfast at the hotel was the typical croissant, bread, jam, butter, coffee and juice. We ventured out to find the Musee Matisse, which was indeed an adventure. We waited for 30 minutes for a bus (including walking to the central bus station and back). We finally boarded a bus, and then missed our stop (which we only realised by asking another passenger). So we disembarked, tried to get on a bus going back the right direction, then tried to find a taxi, THEN tried to use Google maps on Judy's blackberry to direct us (which lead us in a 500m circle), and finally we walked back to the main train station to get a taxi from a proper taxi station.
We asked a cab driver to take us to Musee Matisse, only to find out that it's closed for construction (validated by the tourist office). Oh well! An hour wasted and we starting walking back to the water. Because we landed at night, I hadn't seen the water yet - just the coastline outlined by streetlamps. I was itching to see the pebble beach where I had spent a memorable weekend eight years ago.
We walked down the center promenade, and finally found the beaches. It was bright blue (azur!), sparkling, and the weather was warm enough for us to go down to the beach and soak it all in. Hungry, we ventured back into Vieux Nice, avoided the touristy main drag, and found a bistro restaurant down a side street, Bistrot d'Antoine. Our lunch was amazing - a light Pinot Noir, Magret de Canard (duck), and coffees.
After lunch, we walked around the cobblestone streets of Vieux Nice, walking up and up, finding ourselves overlooking the city from a cliff top view. On the other side was the small yacht harbour, and we spent awhile wistfully thinking about what WE would do with those boats. A snack of macaroons before dinner and a nap were the perfect ending to a day that had predicted rain.
Dinner reservations were made at Le Troubadour, a small restaurant in Eze. Let me preface this by saying that we had no idea what we were getting into. We took a taxi to Eze, and the entire drive of 5km was along the hilly Mediterranean coast. The small bays along the way were beautiful, and eventually we saw what looked like an ancient fortress on a seaside hill. Getting closer, we realised - this is where we are going for dinner!
It was incredible. The taxi took us to the entrance of the pedestrian-only village, and we walked along the old walkways, overlooking the water and cliffs. A sign indicated the restaurant, but we weren't in a hurry. This was pretty damn cool. We couldn't believe our luck! How are WE, HERE?!
Entering the restaurant was like entering someone's home...if they lived in a partitioned castle. But the rooms, they were so small, quaint, and family-like. We felt right at home amongst stone walls, Limoge china, vases on the walls balanced on stone outcroppings, tapestry decor, and other diners.
We each opted for the 35 Euro menu gourmand, with a Sancerre to go with the first course of scallops and a Volnay (Pinot Noir) for the lamb and salmon mains. The service was impeccable and the entire meal was incredible. We had called for a cab via the restaurant and when we got outside the village, there was a Mercedes S500L waiting for us. Again, we looked around...THIS is for US?! Uh, ok. We pile in and played with all the seat controls the entire way home, much to the (lack of) amusement of the driver, who was probably expecting some posh couple to stumble out of the restaurant and go back to their yacht in Monte Carlo.
On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Nice and drove along the Promenade Anglaise (essentially the beach boardwalk) on our way east to Monaco. The windy road to Monaco was incredibly picturesque, looking out at the Mediterranean from cliff tops and peering down on small villages and harbours as we leaned out the windows. When we got to Monaco, the real estate became noticeably more manicured and we were soon in the heart of Monte Carlo.
I was more impressed by Monte Carlo than I had planned for. It's definitely the ultimate luxury spot. Combine Rodeo Drive, the arts of Laguna Beach/La Jolla, the yachts of the Cayman Islands, and an attention to detail in the buildings, roads and shops that is distinctively 'South of France' and you get Monte Carlo. The buildings (hotels, apartment blocks and the like) are terraced on the hillsides about to tumble into the harbour where the multi-million £ yachts wait for their owners to step on board and entertain a la lifestyles of the rich and famous.
We parked in an underground lot just next to the cruise ship dock in the harbour. When we came out of the parking lot, we were hit with the view of the towering Princess Cruise Lines ship pulled into port and the yachts parked side to side as if they were the corollas of the neighbourhood ('This is my COMMUTER boat' you can imagine someone in loafers and a linen suit saying about their 100 foot yacht). We faced the town, with the Grand Prix bleachers in full view along the harbour.
Wandering along the Grand Prix course, we looked around for the tunnel (the Monte Carlo Grand Prix video games always have tunnels). Instead, we recognized some turns along the waterfront. Not being an actual Grand Prix fan, I am actually tempted to watch it this year, just to say, hey - I was THERE just a few weeks ago!
We had a simple lunch in an outdoor cafe facing a square where a local market was packing up for the day. Then we ogled the yachts and the cars (Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Porsches) parked in front of the yachts before getting back in our own set of wheels (a Ford C-Max--the Ford Focus if it tried to take a few steroids). We cruised right in front of the Monte Carlo Casino, tempted to take a few spins around the roundabout as if we were celebrities waiting for the red carpet to roll out. As we left Monaco, we soaked up the scenery of the coastline drive, headed back through Nice, and then took coastal roads down past Cannes (where we stopped for a photo on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival set up and a quick coffee) and into St. Raphael.
St. Raphael is about halfway between Cannes and St. Tropez, and we stayed there because of the cheaper accommodation options. We only spent one dinner there, and the rest of the time we kept going back to St. Tropez - three times in two days! The first St. Tropez outing was to check it out. Judy stayed in town for shopping, and Kylie/John/I headed to the beaches for some sun. We found a great little beach with a bar/cafe on the sand and a view of the yachts in the bay. After an afternoon here, we drove back to St. Raphael (about 45 minutes on the coastal roads) to get ready for dinner, and then, yep - back to St. Tropez! We spent our last day on the beaches of St. Tropez again, celebrating our successful trip with drinks of choice: champagne, malibu rum/pineapple juice, beer and a pina colada (you'd never guess who drank which).
In the end, the usual trip calamities were avoided: our flights were on time, we didn't crash the rental car, and no one got sick or lost their wallet. As we kept saying on the trip, a la Borat, 'Great success!' We are all back at work today only in body, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip. And now, just a few days until the weekend again!
We asked a cab driver to take us to Musee Matisse, only to find out that it's closed for construction (validated by the tourist office). Oh well! An hour wasted and we starting walking back to the water. Because we landed at night, I hadn't seen the water yet - just the coastline outlined by streetlamps. I was itching to see the pebble beach where I had spent a memorable weekend eight years ago.
We walked down the center promenade, and finally found the beaches. It was bright blue (azur!), sparkling, and the weather was warm enough for us to go down to the beach and soak it all in. Hungry, we ventured back into Vieux Nice, avoided the touristy main drag, and found a bistro restaurant down a side street, Bistrot d'Antoine. Our lunch was amazing - a light Pinot Noir, Magret de Canard (duck), and coffees.
After lunch, we walked around the cobblestone streets of Vieux Nice, walking up and up, finding ourselves overlooking the city from a cliff top view. On the other side was the small yacht harbour, and we spent awhile wistfully thinking about what WE would do with those boats. A snack of macaroons before dinner and a nap were the perfect ending to a day that had predicted rain.
Dinner reservations were made at Le Troubadour, a small restaurant in Eze. Let me preface this by saying that we had no idea what we were getting into. We took a taxi to Eze, and the entire drive of 5km was along the hilly Mediterranean coast. The small bays along the way were beautiful, and eventually we saw what looked like an ancient fortress on a seaside hill. Getting closer, we realised - this is where we are going for dinner!
It was incredible. The taxi took us to the entrance of the pedestrian-only village, and we walked along the old walkways, overlooking the water and cliffs. A sign indicated the restaurant, but we weren't in a hurry. This was pretty damn cool. We couldn't believe our luck! How are WE, HERE?!
Entering the restaurant was like entering someone's home...if they lived in a partitioned castle. But the rooms, they were so small, quaint, and family-like. We felt right at home amongst stone walls, Limoge china, vases on the walls balanced on stone outcroppings, tapestry decor, and other diners.
We each opted for the 35 Euro menu gourmand, with a Sancerre to go with the first course of scallops and a Volnay (Pinot Noir) for the lamb and salmon mains. The service was impeccable and the entire meal was incredible. We had called for a cab via the restaurant and when we got outside the village, there was a Mercedes S500L waiting for us. Again, we looked around...THIS is for US?! Uh, ok. We pile in and played with all the seat controls the entire way home, much to the (lack of) amusement of the driver, who was probably expecting some posh couple to stumble out of the restaurant and go back to their yacht in Monte Carlo.
On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Nice and drove along the Promenade Anglaise (essentially the beach boardwalk) on our way east to Monaco. The windy road to Monaco was incredibly picturesque, looking out at the Mediterranean from cliff tops and peering down on small villages and harbours as we leaned out the windows. When we got to Monaco, the real estate became noticeably more manicured and we were soon in the heart of Monte Carlo.
I was more impressed by Monte Carlo than I had planned for. It's definitely the ultimate luxury spot. Combine Rodeo Drive, the arts of Laguna Beach/La Jolla, the yachts of the Cayman Islands, and an attention to detail in the buildings, roads and shops that is distinctively 'South of France' and you get Monte Carlo. The buildings (hotels, apartment blocks and the like) are terraced on the hillsides about to tumble into the harbour where the multi-million £ yachts wait for their owners to step on board and entertain a la lifestyles of the rich and famous.
We parked in an underground lot just next to the cruise ship dock in the harbour. When we came out of the parking lot, we were hit with the view of the towering Princess Cruise Lines ship pulled into port and the yachts parked side to side as if they were the corollas of the neighbourhood ('This is my COMMUTER boat' you can imagine someone in loafers and a linen suit saying about their 100 foot yacht). We faced the town, with the Grand Prix bleachers in full view along the harbour.
Wandering along the Grand Prix course, we looked around for the tunnel (the Monte Carlo Grand Prix video games always have tunnels). Instead, we recognized some turns along the waterfront. Not being an actual Grand Prix fan, I am actually tempted to watch it this year, just to say, hey - I was THERE just a few weeks ago!
We had a simple lunch in an outdoor cafe facing a square where a local market was packing up for the day. Then we ogled the yachts and the cars (Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Porsches) parked in front of the yachts before getting back in our own set of wheels (a Ford C-Max--the Ford Focus if it tried to take a few steroids). We cruised right in front of the Monte Carlo Casino, tempted to take a few spins around the roundabout as if we were celebrities waiting for the red carpet to roll out. As we left Monaco, we soaked up the scenery of the coastline drive, headed back through Nice, and then took coastal roads down past Cannes (where we stopped for a photo on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival set up and a quick coffee) and into St. Raphael.
St. Raphael is about halfway between Cannes and St. Tropez, and we stayed there because of the cheaper accommodation options. We only spent one dinner there, and the rest of the time we kept going back to St. Tropez - three times in two days! The first St. Tropez outing was to check it out. Judy stayed in town for shopping, and Kylie/John/I headed to the beaches for some sun. We found a great little beach with a bar/cafe on the sand and a view of the yachts in the bay. After an afternoon here, we drove back to St. Raphael (about 45 minutes on the coastal roads) to get ready for dinner, and then, yep - back to St. Tropez! We spent our last day on the beaches of St. Tropez again, celebrating our successful trip with drinks of choice: champagne, malibu rum/pineapple juice, beer and a pina colada (you'd never guess who drank which).
In the end, the usual trip calamities were avoided: our flights were on time, we didn't crash the rental car, and no one got sick or lost their wallet. As we kept saying on the trip, a la Borat, 'Great success!' We are all back at work today only in body, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip. And now, just a few days until the weekend again!
1 comment:
Monaco GP is 27 May.
http://www.formula1.com/race/circuitmap/774.html
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