MONACO
Stay
Radisson Blu, close to the train station, easy access to everything else! A very funky hotel, with fabulous sculptures and neat furniture. The rooms are quite spacious (especially for Europe). A comprehensive spread is presented for breakfast – fruit, baguettes, cheese, cold meats and hot selections.
Eat & Drink
Le Marathon, where else? A local pizzeria, with some epic marathon memorabilia, as the owner has run 10 marathons (at the time of our visit).
La Dolce Vita, located on the harbour.
L’Escale, Italian.
See & Do
A short walk from the hotel to the Casino and there is always a lot of people around. The casino and neighbouring Hotel du Paris are impressive. Outside the hotel is a car lover’s paradise with car after expensive European car in the parking lot. .
An interesting article in the newspaper during our stay. “World’s most costly car pileup?” .... a woman driving a €285,000 Bentley Azure ploughed into a few other cars in the Casino Square.... most notably a Merc, a Ferrari, and Aston Martin and a Porsche where she managed to do €125,000 worth of damage. “Hundreds of tourists captured the moment on film, before the driver and her two passengers were rescued by a police officer.” Never a dull moment in Monaco!
Monaco Ville where the Monaco Palace is located. The church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are buried is also located in this area. It’s a swanky part of town with views to die for.
NICE
Stay
Villa Killauea, in the hills behind Nice, is the perfect location. It is gorgeous, with views down the valley. The Rose Room, is spacious and the bathroom even more so. There is a pool room where we take breakfast excellent facilities - a computer, books, tea and coffee, etc. All the comforts of home. The owners are more than helpful and have lots of hints about what to do in the area.
Eat & Drink
Le Magnan, a trendy place in a local Nice neighbourhood. We order a salad and it is divine..... witlof, lettuce, fennel, pine nuts, goat’s cheese and a great honey mustard dressing. Followed by pizza.
Auberge du Redier, about 10 minutes down the road, within a hotel. Ravioli with cepes (mushroom) is unbelievably good and like nothing we’ve ever had before. The duck and kidneys are both highly recommended.
La Voglia, an Italian restaurant in the Old Town. Grilled seafood – calamari, gamberi (prawn), salmon, snapper and sardine, served with salad..... the specialty of the day and just €12. Exceptional meal and value.
La Regence, a local restaurant in La Turbie. The Chevre (goat’s cheese) salad and pizza. Fabuleux!
See & Do
Asprement, a quiet town and incredibly beautiful, with views down towards the river raging below.
Vence, which has a wonderful ‘old town’ of meandering streets.
St Paul.... what a find. A beautiful, walled village, with amazing art galleries and shops. The are simply beautiful..... solid stone walls, wooden doors, small windows, bright flowers.
Pont du Loup, a picturesque spot where the river flows violently through the middle of town. Florian, the local lolly shop specialises in making goods (mostly lollies) using fruit and flower flavourings. Boiled lollies (so good), chocolate covered orange peel, crystallised petals (lavender, verbena and rose, wonderful for dropping in champagne), jellies (of the lolly variety) and jams.
Gourdon, a village perched precariously on top of the ridge. The sunset view is magic. The most stunning village with views from Nice, in the east, to Cannes and beyond in the west. Probably 500m in altitude and the beauty of the place is overwhelming....... absolutely breathtaking.
Drive the Corniches, all three of them! Corniche Inferieure, which basically runs along the coast; the Moyenne Corniche which is the middle coastal road and the Grand Corniche, which skims along the top of the mountains behind the coast.
Eze is a beautiful town with the medieval village perched above. There is only one gated entry to the village with an upward climb. What a view! The coast stretches out to the east and west and the villages below seem like dots in the distance. At the top of the old town is the succulent garden, the Jardin Eze. It costs €5 to enter and is worth every penny. It is a magical place.
The drive along the Corniche is stunning and the trip to Menton doesn’t take long. A pretty spot. A little further east and, lo and behold, we’re in Ventimiglia.... Italy.
Pont du Loup, a picturesque spot where the river flows violently through the middle of town. Florian, the local lolly shop specialises in making goods (mostly lollies) using fruit and flower flavourings. Boiled lollies (so good), chocolate covered orange peel, crystallised petals (lavender, verbena and rose, wonderful for dropping in champagne), jellies (of the lolly variety) and jams.
Eat & Drink
AOC, a fabulous French bistro style restaurant, with the kitchen in the dining room, to one side. The menu is comprehensive but beyond our understanding of French – the waiter quickly remedies this and translates. I order pork belly, Dave the beef and our waiter recommends a “full bodied” red. Great choice. They have an extensive wine cellar and all the wines are available by the glass. My pork is possibly the best I’ve ever had.
Basta Cosi. The charcuterie (smoked meat) platter and mozzarella platter (three types of mozzarella) are great. Black penne pasta with mushrooms is excellent, as are the pizzas. Sister restaurant of AOC.
L’Estaminet, Gourdes. The chevre (goat’s cheese) salad is possibly the best we’ve had. The cheese is baked in filo with a round of bread in the middle, accompanied by salad. We both have salmon, which has been baked in a bag, along with carrots, zucchini and capsicum, with olive oil. It is sublime and probably the best meal we’ve had in France.
See & Do
Visit the Old Town. There’s plenty of free parking, just outside the town wall, which makes it easy. The old town is a delight.... beautiful architecture, outdoor cafes, lots of neat shops. The town is just gorgeous.
Les Halles, where there is a thriving market. We are mesmerised by the cheese shop. Unbelievable choice and it all looks so good. Next shop is a bar – the locals are standing about, vino in hand, loaves of bread, cheese and cold meats set up on the bar, having a grand old time. What a civilised way to do things! There are fabulous Bucheries (butchers), Boulangeries (bread shops), Patisseries (pastries to die for), fruit and veg, seafood.... all the produce you need. I’m really taken by the herb and spice store which seems to have a concoction to flavour or marinate every possibility.
Palais du Pape. The Palais has an audio tour. The heads of the Catholic church were in Avignon in the 14th century, when Italy was in turmoil and there was an anti Catholic movement which made it difficult to rule from Rome. The Popes seemed to have made a tidy sum by raising the taxes to fund the enormous Palais they built, followed by its many extensions. There is the most magnificent Cathedral du Notre Dame next door, with a beautiful gold statue of the Virgin Mary atop. The statue seems to glow, whichever angle you look at it from. Climb to the terraces of the Palais, where the beauty of Avignon stretches out before you.
Our ticket also gives us access to le Pont Saint-Benezet, which stretches over the Rhone.
Uzes is about 30mins drive from Avignon and is a beautiful medieval town with a bustling cafe and restaurant scene. There is a wonderful local market which is so worth a visit. There is a combination of what I’d call the “knock off” markets btu in Centre Ville the market stands take on a new life. Cheese, seafood, meat, more cheese, soap, flowers, cheese, salamis, pottery, olives, baskets. Tres bonne!
Pont du Gard, a three tiered Roman aqueduct that was built in 19BC to bring water from Uzes to Nimes. It was part of a 50km long system of water channels, designed to carry 20,000 cubic metres of water per day, and is World Heritage listed. It is a sight to behold.
Le Baux de Provence, population 380, which is perched high on a cliff in the heart of the Alpilles, 30km south of Avignon. The cliffs in the area seem to rise out of nowhere; stark and white. Le Baux sits atop the mountain.... a(nother) medieval village with dramatic scenery and wonderful architecture.
Drive to Mont Ventoux
Carpentras..... seems quite big and looks a bit ordinary on approach but the Centre Ville is delightful, as is the way with all French villages.
Le Barroux, where you can walk through the remains of the Chateau Barroux.
Malaucene is gorgeous..... and busy. There are people everywhere in the cafes and there’s evidence of lots of bike riding and motor bike riding going on.
The next town is Beaumont-du Ventoux, a pretty village but quiet. The average gradient up the mountain has been 5-7%. There’s lots of evidence of the painted words of support for the Tour cyclists along the road.
Mount Serein is a fabulous stop, about 7km from the peak. Lots of log cabins and the best camping ground at the end of the road..... location, location, location! The campers have magical view to the snow covered alps and down the valley.
Mont Ventoux has lots of tourists and heaps of motor bike riders. Masses of them, most of whom have exceptionally awesome bikes. It is only after driving up here that you can barely understand the amazing feat of the cyclists in Le Tour in conquering this giant of a mountain (1912m). I comment that if we don’t get to see or do anything else today it’s been a perfect day.... Mont Ventoux is amazing.
Down the other side and we call into the ‘moonscape’ just a few hundred metres off the peak. A flat area, covered in rock, very inhospitable really but a great view back to the Mont.
Le Chalet Reynard, on the descent, the most popular cafe we’ve seen in the whole of France. The tables are full and it’s like a motorbike exhibition in the car park. We stop .... you must stop..... driving past this place is not possible. Take a seat, grab red wine and enjoy the surroundings.
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue , picture perfect.
Fountaine-de-Vaucluse, a village that has an underground spring that feeds the river Sorgue, which rushes through the centre of town.
Gordes, perched on the top of a hill with million dollar views. Gordes is a beautiful village with stunning views across the valley below.
Roussillon, the ‘ochre’ town, with red cliffs that rise out of nowhere. And matching red dirt. The houses here aren’t the usual stone buildings but the same ochre colour as the cliffs/dirt.... as though they’ve been transported from Sedona (Arizona) rather than built here in Provence.
Avignon has been absolutely delightful and Francois and Paco the best hosts you could ask for. We loved being here and the house is so large and welcoming..... sitting in the lounge, as we’ve done most nights, has been an absolute delight..... big leather chairs, lovely lighting, huge room, no noise anywhere
