The train ride there alone was beautiful, going through the hills of Provence. Red tile roofed houses are built into the face of the rock alongside the ocean, which then descends down to the Mediterranean. The vividness of the blue water is so striking, and the sunshine bathes all the buildings in a lovely light. No wonder it has been favored by so many painters over the years.
I even passed by Le Pont d’Avignon (from the famous song) but was disappointed to find out that it wasn’t in fact the original.
One of my favorite memories: eating dessert before eating supper, something I’ve always been tempted to do. We were roaming around the streets looking for a good restaurant when we came across the most impressive gelato stand. Being on vacation, we thought why not mix things up and reverse the normal eating order? They had some of the craziest flavors I have ever seen: rosemary, tomato basic, black olive, or vanilla/pepper/rose (see below):
I was a little less adventurous and tried a scoop of “gianduja,” which is a delicious blend of hazelnut and chocolate.
The famous flower market of Nice
Looking out on Nice's rooftops
Yes we Cannes!
Cannes is a great place for one of my favorite activities of all time: people watching. There was a film festival going on while I was there, but not the big one that is renowned throughout the world (it actually took place a couple of weeks after the days I was visiting). So I didn’t spot any celebrities, just saw a lot of important-looking people who work behind-the-scenes jabbering away on their cell phones. I caught peculiar snippets of conversation, in French and English, and tried to guess at the context they were coming from.
Oh by the way, know that stereotype that the French are always on strike? Well, it’s true. Every day on the radio I hear of how one industry or another “font la grève.”
On one hand I sympathize with the workers, but on the other, I wish they would take into consideration the extraordinary inconvenience they put onto the rest of the population: air traffic controllers are super important. Most recently, workers for France’s high speed train, le TGV, went on strike. The result? My trip was extended an extra day. Not the end of the world, as I got an extra day of sun and beach, but not so great that I had to pay another day at the hotel.
Cannes is a great place for one of my favorite activities of all time: people watching. There was a film festival going on while I was there, but not the big one that is renowned throughout the world (it actually took place a couple of weeks after the days I was visiting). So I didn’t spot any celebrities, just saw a lot of important-looking people who work behind-the-scenes jabbering away on their cell phones. I caught peculiar snippets of conversation, in French and English, and tried to guess at the context they were coming from.
Oh by the way, know that stereotype that the French are always on strike? Well, it’s true. Every day on the radio I hear of how one industry or another “font la grève.”
On one hand I sympathize with the workers, but on the other, I wish they would take into consideration the extraordinary inconvenience they put onto the rest of the population: air traffic controllers are super important. Most recently, workers for France’s high speed train, le TGV, went on strike. The result? My trip was extended an extra day. Not the end of the world, as I got an extra day of sun and beach, but not so great that I had to pay another day at the hotel.
Me & George
My yacht
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