Firstly, Let us wish Happy New Year to everyone!!! Bidding you a very prosperous and fulfilling 2014!
Brian & Jeni
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| This was actually from the Luxembourg National Day celebrations…New Year's is strictly a DIY event here. Photo - www.joobili.com |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| Arches supporting arches…the town was literally built vertically within the ancient city walls. |
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| 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?
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| Jinkies..guys. Should we really go down there? |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| errr... |
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| 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! ♫♫♫
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| 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!!!
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