I think I'm in love...

I’ve just returned from the Cote d’Azur (the south of France) and it was lovely! I think I might need to live there. I mean, who wouldn’t love waking up to this every morning?

[That was my view each morning from the hotel room. Sigh...]

Two girlfriends from the office and I decided to fly to Nice and take a few days off from the London hustle-and-bustle! We left a lot of sad and jealous faces in the office late day on Wednesday. But a short EasyJet ride from London Gatwick and we were in the south of France and all was forgotten! We got in pretty late on Wednesday (lost an hour going), so we decided to just head to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep to prepare for the long weekend ahead. Naturally we grabbed a bottle of wine and sat on the balcony to ease into the lifestyle!

Thursday started off great with a wonderful breakfast on the balcony overlooking the Promenade des Anglais and the Nice harbour. Then we jumped in the car and headed to Italy. We’d heard the beaches there were sandy (most beaches along the coastline there are rocky...which needless to say makes laying out a little uncomfortable!). Not sandy beaches to be found, but we enjoyed ourselves just the same.

[A little Italian city just over the border of France.]

[The beautiful beaches...can you spot the Speedo?!]

Thursday night we headed to Old Nice (Vieux Ville) for dinner. Funny story about Thursday night... First, some background info: part of why I was so excited to go to the Cote d’Azur was to practice my French. Almost 6 years out of university (French was my major) and I’m reduced to miming my thoughts and piecing together some broken phrases. Aurelie (one of my travel compadres) is French, but she was determined to make me practice my French. So, Thursday night we set off in search of a restaurant serving a local favourite – mussels and French fries, or “moules et frites”. I stopped in to ask a barman where he recommended we go and confidently proclaimed we were looking for mussels and fries. Unfortunately for me, French is one of those languages where a slight inflection on one syllable changes the whole meaning of the word! So, with a big old smile on my face, I apparently asked for a restaurant serving “donkey" and fries!! Thankfully I didn’t realize my mistake until I retold the phrase to Aurelie – who proceeded to laugh the whole night at my expense! All in good fun, though...because we found the mussels and had a great meal!

[Amy Chason, Aurelie Pearson, and me in the Vieux Ville.]

Friday we were up and on the beach again! This time we decided to stay in Nice and enjoy the beaches right in front of our hotel. Pretty convenient, I would say!

[View from our hotel balcony along the Nice harbour.]

Friday night we headed back to Old Nice...it’s just too beautiful to pass up! An old friend had recommended a wine and cheese bar – so we thought we’d check that out. It was great! And they had a piano player, so the mood was perfect! After a few glasses of really good wine and taking in some great music, we headed to the plaza for dinner and some crepes! Soooooo good!

[Me, Aurelie, and Amy at Wine Notes, a great bar in the Old City with fab wine and cheese!]

[Amy and I enjoying our crepes...no, I didn’t eat 2, I was holding Aurelie’s!]

Saturday we decided to head out to Monaco. Just a short 30 minute drive from Nice, it’s the smallest but most expensive country I’ve ever been in! We’re talking Ferraris, Rolls Royce, and Bentleys everywhere you look. And don’t get me started on the yachts around the harbour! I will be on one of those yachts next time around...I’m sure of that! We made a complete day of the trip to Monaco and stayed to gamble at the casino that night. I lost money on the Blackjack tables, but I didn’t lose quite as much as the man next to me! Holy cow! It was quite the experience though!

[The Cathedral in Monaco...where Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III are buried.]

[The harbour at Monaco...so many glorious boats here!]

[All dressed up and ready to gamble!]

And Sunday we had to say goodbye to Nice and get back on a plane to London. Sad to say goodbye to the lovely Cote d’Azur, but I am quite sure I’ll be back. Can’t keep me away from this:

[Sunrise in Nice...we were up ridiculously early, but this made it worthwhile!]