A Mid-Winter Milieu

Hi Gang! Well we're nearly done with January, and so far (JINX) the snow has held off. True, there's been little to no snow in Luxembourg this season, but the rains continue unabated. So when a sunny patch broke out recently, I grabbed the boys and we headed back up north to ramble through the woods and farm fields in the rural communes of the Grand Duchy.

Ahhh…just look at that nearly cloudless sky!

Well, yes you've guessed it. - There's not been a whole lot going here either, but any excuse to upload photos of our lovely country is a good one! I also have a couple of new "Fun Facts" on Luxembourg. First, I recently learned that Luxembourg has no jury system in criminal trials partly because it became impossible to gather 14 people that were neither related nor involved in some way in said crime! Also, I discovered that there may not have even been a Luxembourg after World War I if it weren't for a quirky accident of diplomacy. After the US liberated the Grand Duchy in 1918, France and Belgium started to carve up the european map prior to the finalized Treaty of Versailles. Here in the Grand Duchy, the Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide abdicated the throne in favor of her sister, Charlotte. Thus raising the question of who actually was to rule over the Green Heart of Europe. Charlotte then wed in 1919, and, unbeknownst to the French and Belgians, the British sent envoys to the wedding thus (much to the chagrin of our neighbors) legitimizing Charlotte's claim to the Luxembourg throne. Believe it or not, if the English hadn't come along at the right moment the Grand Duchy may have vanished after only 70 years of official existence!

Oh, and don't worry. I haven't run afoul of the law. I have a friend engaged to a Luxembourgish lawyer ;)

ANY-WHO... 

Woohoo! We're Off!

I learned early on living here, that when the opportunity to enjoy a bit of sunshine presents itself. You take it! On this hike Toby, Jonas and I explored the Banglesbësch…which really looks a lot like other woodlands in the area. We did, however, come across some interesting finds.

Like this old road marker…apparently this used to be a road open to traffic.

These markers are all over the place. They're just usually along the shoulders of actual roads. 

This one even has a trail blaze on it!

Look what JoJo found!

Jonas discovered a hunter's stand right along our route. Apparently you can just construct a blind anywhere, but you seldom hear of people getting shot. 

Obviously it does precipitate quite a bit here, and therefore it can be muddy when we go out for a walk in the country side. For some reason, it rarely floods. Only in Luxembourg...it can rain for weeks straight yet the streams rarely leave their banks. I know the larger rivers have all been canalized with locks and overflow protection, but the little creeks throughout the forests never show signs of flooding. Mysterious.

Back home this small run would be a raging torrent after 10 days of steady rain.

Fear not…the clouds moved back in for the afternoon.

But the boys remained stoic...

…and here's the aftermath!

TTFN!

Nice pt. 2

We flew to Nice a couple of days ahead of Christmas, rented a fun little Fiat (you remember Vincenzo) and set out to explore the city and its environs. As with most places in Europe, Nice also has a little Christmas Market, and, in order to be different, the Niçoise put their own stamp on the occasion. Rather than trying too hard to emulate their German neighbors (Nice is nearly in Italy after-all), they really went all out with very cool light displays and even a ice-skating rink. The handful of chalets were full of the same crafts and carny-crap that one sees elsewhere, and there wasn't a whole lot of fair-food (unless you count oysters - which were served at a Champagne Bar that had no wine??), The swirling lights, however, were truly beautiful. Projected beams danced on all of the building facades surrounding the Place Massena while the big wheel illuminated  the brand new Promenade du Paillon.

The Promenade du Paillon was just re-opened in October of 2013. It is absolutely chock full of gardens, fountains and playgrounds.

As I mentioned before, the weather was often gray and somewhat stormy for our visit. We were, however, treated to a stunning sunset on Boxing Day. After our trip down to Antibes, we decided to hike up the Colline du Chateau, and we weren't disappointed with the views.

Yeah, that beach wasn't there two days earlier.

Atop Castle Hill are the ruins of an 11th century Cathedral which, as it turns out, was built on the ruins of the first Greek settlement in this part of the Côte d'Azur. There's even a man-made waterfall up there. Somehow back in 1855 the people of Nice figured out how to made water flow from the countryside, uphill and then out of this beautiful rock formation...all as part of a public works project to supply drinking water for the city! 

In all we spent five days in and around Nice, France. The coastline was magnificent in all types of weather, and the mountains framing the Côte d'Azur are simply majestic. Being so close to Italy, we were spoiled with an abundance of pasta, pizza and (new to me) Italian Hot Chocolate! Naturally, since we were on the Mediterranean, we searched out and found a wonderful Lebanese restaurant and feasted like Sultans. Beyrouth Nights is a quaint little bistro run by a mom and her two sons. The open kitchen looks out over a dining room that can't seat more than 30 people. The fact that it was absolutely packed, and they still managed to squeezed us in - that alone deserves a big shout-out. The delicious vegetarian Mezza was nothing short  of amazing...oh yeah, I should also mention the Lebanese Coffee which they served to us with a complimentary dessert. We are sooo lucky!!

Lebanese Coffee - 'nuff said

Phwew - Italian Hot Chocolate. Makes the Belgian stuff look like Yoo-hoo.

The only issue we had was locating a proper bar. I present to you a Cosmopolitan and a Dry Vodka Martini, Niçoise. This happened on more than one occasion :-0

Sunset over the Mediterranean.

You can just make out the outline of the village of Èze at the right edge of the ridge.

From our metropole hub we then ventured east toward Monaco and stopped off in yet another Medieval village named Èze. Èze is perched high atop a mountain about half way between Nice and the Principality of Monaco, thus making it a rather strategic site located between these two important harbors. Throughout its history it has been traded among the Greeks, Romans, Moors, French, Monégasques and Italians. It was home to an Order of White Pentinents who cared for plague victims in the 14th century, and they apparently were caring for lepers here as late as the 1950's! Nowadays Èze is a wonderful little tourist trap full of galleries, restaurants, boutique hotels and even an Exotic Garden at the very summit. If nothing else, this tiny village is stunningly beautiful with a commanding panorama of the Mediterranean.

The approach to Èze...

...the narrow streets that wind through town...

...decorated for the Holidays.

And, the gardens of the Chevre d'Oro - a 5 star hotel that may very well be on the short list for a long weekend in the future.

From our mountaintop vista we wound our way down the other side of the cliffs and into the coastal Principality of Monaco. Monaco is just what you would imagine...an ultra rich haven full of yachts and sky-rise condos that skirt the coast with the center of the community being the breathtaking harbor. For me the greatest surprise was wandering through the Vieille Ville, the Historic Quarter. I really had no idea that there was an ancient element to Monaco. I just assumed it was all paved over with gold ingots and diamonds. I can certainly see the appeal of Monaco as a warm retreat for the well heeled, but for me the chock-a-block concrete structures aren't all that attractive. I preferred the windy streets of the old town. 

Looking down onto the aqua-marine harbor of Monaco.

The heart of the Vieille Ville - The Prince's Palace. 

Where we came across this geezer that apparently lived 700 years!! Says there at the bottom he died in 1997 ;-/

Now, don't let those clear blue skies fool you. Yes it was warm, but this was after-all the Christmas season. Even tiny Monaco held a Christmas Market...a market that may have been designed by Hunter S. Thompson on one of his less than lucid days.

Oh my...don't eat the brown acid!

Perhaps not every commune should get on board with the Christmas Market. I think all the money in Monaco kinda confused the whole notion...

...but they did have these really cool Hamster balls filled with children!

Thanks…we had a Nice Christmas.

Firstly, Let us wish Happy New Year to everyone!!! Bidding you a very prosperous and fulfilling 2014!

Brian & Jeni

This was actually from the Luxembourg National Day celebrations…New Year's is strictly a DIY event here. Photo - www.joobili.com

…and now onto our latest caper - Nice, France.

This year Jeni and I decided we wanted to get away for the Christmas break. After last year's 'learning opportunity' regarding 220 voltage, we thought is best to get out of town and see some more of the world. We toyed with destinations such as Southeast Asia, North Africa or perhaps the Middle East, but in the end we opted for the romance, the relative warmth and the cerulean waters of the French Riviera…Nice to be exact. Here is where I must apologize to the good people of Southern France.

It appears we brought a little Luxembourg with us. 

Yep, most days that roiling mess of mud and foam behind Jeni is actually the tranquil cobalt blue water of the Mediterranean Sea. This picture was taken Christmas Eve on the Promenade des Anglais which usually forms a silvery string of beaches along this portion of the Côte d'Azur. Overall the weather was pleasantly warm (to our newly acquired northern sensibilities), and the sun did pop out a few times…which made for some spectacular photos. That said, I shall break this post into two sections so as not to inundate you. Jeni and I tend to pack a lot into our little jaunts, so please bear with us.

Ahh…Nice.  Now this is how it's supposed to look.

Nestled between the French Alps and the warm Mediterranean, Nice is a medium sized city that skirts the northern-most coast of the French Riviera. The rustic red tiled roofs and stunning hillside vistas may hide just a twinge of the gritty industrial nature of this teeming seaside town. One afternoon, for instance, it took us over 40 minutes to drive across town dodging double parked trucks, busses blocking intersections and all sorts of urban impediments…on a bicycle that would have been a simple 10 minute ride along the coast. To put that into perspective, we spent our first day-trip in Antibes just about 20 km to the south of town, and the ride there took only 15 minutes. 

The ancient seaside walls of Antibes

Antibes is now a modern day port for the yachts of the insanely rich, but why attracted us is her opulent history dating back to the Greek Phoenicians (5th century BC). On a spit of land jutting into the sea, first Greeks then Romans then various local Lords and finally the French Kings (yes - you guessed it Louis XIV and his buddy Vauban) fortified and inhabited these lands, and their influences can be seen everywhere. Walking the labyrinth of streets that comprised the medieval village we were treated to a myriad of architecture styles and charming antiquity.

The stones used in these buildings must have been repurposed for generations…notice the Roman brick framing the door at the lower right side and the limestone coins to the left of the blue velots.

Arches supporting arches…the town was literally built vertically within the ancient city walls. 

High above the harbor, Fort Carré was built in the 1550's by Henry II of France

Oh yes, the harbor. The harbor that has been the center of commerce in Antibes for over 2,500 years now provides mooring for countless super yachts. I mean seriously, some of these are MEGA yachts. Really nothing can be said about this…

…or these…

…ahem. Shocker, non?

Check out the Port o' Call…and this just was one of many boats from the Grand Duchy.

After rubbing virtual elbows with the fabulously rich and (perhaps) famous, our 'Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes' carried us back up the coast to our digs in the city of Nice. Well, actually our little amico Italiano, Vincenzo, did the work.

Meet Vincenzo. Our super cute Fiat 500 rental car…hope Vicki doesn't catch wind of this.

This, now, is the part of our tale that turns a bit dark. Just a bit. One of the driving factors that led us to holiday on the French Riviera was our desire to try and vacay like the locals. Often our compatriots regale us with tales of the properties they've rented in fabulous locations…at a fraction of the price of a ____ star hotel. This sounded great to us. We're not unfamiliar with the concept of vacation rentals, and having a full kitchen would be a huge bonus when trying to dine (vegetarian) during a major religious festival. After much a good amount research, we found a cute little apartment in the center of town on a reputable website that had rave reviews from loads of guests from all over the world. It seemed a perfect fit! 

Jinkies..guys. Should we really go down there?

Relax…you, Scooby and Thelma go check out the room, and Daphne and I will check out the bar around the corner. GULP.

So, the room wasn't all it was purported to be. There was no deception, but I would say things were a bit misleading. To be fair when we wrote the landlord to inquire about the lack of hot water, he instructed us how to get it operating, and within 36 hours there was, indeed, hot water. Needless to say we immediately booked a room at the Holiday Inn around the corner. At that point all we wanted we wanted simple and consistent. 

Just like the online photos. The rental had a 'full kitchen'…only there was no oven, a micro-dorm sized fridge and the stove top was really a jumped up hot-plate.

errr...

Can't you just smell that moldy dust?? A splash of paint and some 'lick-n-stick' tiles do not a fabulous retreat make. Note the bizarre pole.

Thank Goodness Chez Holiday Inn had some vacancy on Christmas Eve…cue the music.

♫♫♫ Mooovin' on Up! ♫♫♫

The view from our new hotel room.

Fear not intrepid reader for we have oodles of beautiful photos from lovely Nice. In addition we will show you the majestic mountain-top village of Eze and, of course, our excursion to Monaco. Stay tuned!!!

The Nomad of Antibes - Sculpture by Juame Plensa