tales of our gap year.

07/05/12 – 12/05/12 

Nice, France
+ Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche sur mer, Monte Carlo & Eze.

‘Nice la Belle’ 

Our last destination in France was 4 days in Nice of the stunning Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. While we were planning the trip I knew we would be in Nice during May so wasn’t expecting beach weather as such, however when we arrived it was really hot and the forecast for the week was going to be in the 20’s and sunny! Yay!! I hadn’t been to the beach since August 2011 (who’s counting?) so there was a much needed dose of Vitamin D on its way :)

On day one we decided to get formalities out of the way and spend it sightseeing. We wandered through the main city, along the promenade des Anglais, through the traditional Cours Saleya and finally up what seemed like a never ending staircase of Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) for sweeping views over Nice.

On days two and four we just veged out on the beach of pebbles, no messy sand business here! The water was freezing yet refreshing, aqua blue and clear! I enjoy lazy days like these… we had no agenda whatsoever and a simple walk across the road into the food markets of Cours Saleya for lunch (or gelato) to take back and eat on the beach was perfect!

 The highlight of this leg of the trip was hiring a tiny Smart car on day three and driving along the coast at our own pace. We started at 8am and didn’t get back until 10:30pm so it was a massive and tiring day. Starting from Nice to Cannes, then Antibes, Villefranche sur mer, Monte Carlo, Eze and back to Nice. The scenic route of the Moyenne Cornish (on our way back from Monte Carlo) is a winding road tacked on the side of the cliffs providing beautiful views of the coast and Mediterranean countryside…nothing short of exceptional.