Livin' La Vida Luxem: 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.