Èze Village, France

Actual date of this event: 5 May

We woke up on May 5, our last full day in Nice, with a decision to make: Do we take a short bus/train ride to get a day at the beach in Villefranche-sur-Mer? Do we hop on the train to check out what's supposed to be a beautiful inland artsy town in St Paul de Vence? Do we take the hour long bus ride to what is supposed to be a must visit although less visited, Eze Village? After seeing the weather for the day, we decided against the beach due to a cloudy forecast. So then it was between Eze Village and St Paul de Vence. Given we are not artsy folks, and we were about to head inland for a few days, we decided to stay along the coast and go to Eze Village. I'm pretty sure that May 5, 2015 was the closest I have ever been to heaven. 

The important details: In Nice, we took the tram to the Vauban bus stop, where we then took Bus #82, but #112 is also possible. Do NOT take Bus #100, which goes to Eze-sur-Mer (at the bottom of the mountain), not Eze Village (at the top of the mountain), unless of course you want to hike up a mountain (also, do NOT take the train for the same reason). Very few people were on the bus with us, and it was pretty obvious once we got there that it was time for us to get off (the bus continued on afterward). Before getting off the bus, we passed a long and tall road bridge over a valley with a nice view out to the sea. We had no idea at this point what was to come.

Still being clueless, we followed signs up into the village. Located on top of what seemed to be a big rock on top of a mountain high above the sea, Eze Village is a .... an indescribable place. Really, I don't know how to explain it. We walked and wandered and were both silent because we were taking it all in. First taste of heaven. 

We came upon a blocked off area to a garden. It was €6 to go in, and we debated what to do. Would it be worth it? We took the risk, and YES it was worth it! The garden was neat with different plants from all over the world. But the best part of it was the view. WOW! Second taste of heaven.

While in the garden, we saw a spot with a terrace and some tables, so then we were on a mission to find this place. Chateau Eza is a hotel with a restaurant that overlook the sea. We stopped for an expensive drink, but unfortunately placed in a spot where we didn't have a wonderful view. It was relaxing anyway, so we were happy to be there. Third taste of heaven. Then, we walked around a little bit, passing the same few "streets", and just enjoyed the uniqueness of the village. We looped back around to a snack bar hidden under some trees and stopped there for another drink which turned into a 0.5L of wine and several beers. Fourth taste of heaven.

Rather than figuring out the bus back to Nice, we decided to do the hike down to Eze-sur-Mer where the train station is. We stopped into a grocery store to get some water and an obligatory baguette before beginning our hike.

Luke and I were totally wearing the correct footwear for this hike. Not! The pathway down consisted of several uneven stairs and a rocky and gravel path. Oops! It all ended up fine, but we somehow always manage to not have appropriate shoes while hiking (see Cinque Terre). It was a long walk down, about 45min, with beautiful views along the way. Oddly, we saw several people hiking UP the mountain. And not hikers. These were normal people, some of them alone, wearing normal clothes, like jeans, jackets and ballet flats, as if they were going to work... or da club. Yikes! 

We eventually reached the bottom where the Eze-sur-Mer train station is located. It was so strange to look up at the mountain and not see the village we just walked from! Sadly, our time in heaven was over as we hopped on the train back to Nice. To this day, after all of our travels, Luke and I still talk about escaping back to Eze Village - in our top five destinations, for sure! What an amazing experience we had! If you are headed to Eze anytime soon, can you please take me with you? Thanks :-)

More from the South of France: Intro, Nice, Antibes, Monaco, Eze Village, Avignon, Pope's Palace & Pont d'Avignon, Pont du Gard, Buisson, St. Remy, Les Baux, Arles, Nîmes

RANDOM FACT:
Eze Village is located 427 meters (1,401 feet) above sea level.

Monaco

Actual date of this event: 4 May

After visiting Antibes for the day, we decided our next day trip from Nice would be to Monaco. I didn't really know much about Monaco before visiting other than it 1.) is where the rich and famous go, 2.) has a few casinos, 3.) is a super tiny country (the second smallest in the world after Vatican City), 4.) hosts the Monaco Grand Prix each year, 5.) is full of yachts and extremely expensive luxury cars. All things true, but what I didn't know is 1.) it has a castle, 2.) is NOT a place you want stay in due to how expensive hotels are, 3.) that the casinos have a strict dress code and an entrance fee, 4.) is VERY confusing to walk around in because, 5.) the country is located on a steep cliff of a mountain and all of the roads wind up and down and around but thankfully, 6.) there are elevators that take pedestrians up and down rather than walking steps and hills (in many places, but not all), and 7.) 80 year old ladies will pass up young 30 year old men (Luke) while walking up a hill.

 {Above & Below: You can see the different levels in the streets making it difficult to know where to go - we learned quickly not to follow signs because they were directing cars not pedestrians.}

{Above: One of the elevators - The problem with them is that when you leave the elevator, you have no clue, again, where you are located. Constantly lost!}

After taking the 11:30 train, arriving around noon, we decided to start with Le Rocher (the rock) Castle first. It took us a long long time to figure out how to get down the mountain. Luke is a very good navigator but this one puzzled him. I don't even remember what we did and how we got there, but after walking along a few busy streets, down stairs, down an elevator or two, through a shopping street, and up other stairs, we arrived to the castle area. The views were beautiful!

{Above: Monte Carlo Casino}

Then we needed a drink, so after getting lost again going down the hill, we stopped at Stars'n'Bars, an American bar, for a drink to rest since we had probably already walked five miles at this point. As we sat, we watched some men work on the Monaco Grand Prix course, setting up fencing and what not. And nearby was the starting line for the Monaco Grand Prix. Since the actual race was taking place just two weeks later, we decided we needed to walk some of the course. And so we, along with several other people, walked along the lower part of the course by the port with "some" of the yachts.

Unfortunately, we were now downhill and needed to go back up hill to go see the famous Monte Carlo Casino. This is where the funny happened: Luke got left in the dust as this little old lady sped passed him on the hill. I was walking behind him, and when she passed me, I was shocked at how fast she was going and just knew Luke was going to be even more in shock. So I watched, and his face as she passed him was hilarious! Anyway, we eventually reached the casino. The square was very busy with cars continuously coming and going. You've probably already guessed that Luke and I did not go into the casino, but we did walk around the back side of it where a quiet terrace gave us a great view of the country and sea. 

We stopped for a drink at a nearby pizzeria where we watched expensive car after expensive car after smart car after expensive car drive by which happened to be part of the Grand Prix course so fencing was being put up. It's interesting to see in person just how narrow the course is. 

It was then time for us to figure out a way to get back up the mountain to the train station. We did well this time, didn't get lost even though we had a drink or three in our system! Perhaps that is key?? We enjoyed our time in Monaco, but I wouldn't say it was my favorite of our trip. Ritz and glamour isn't my thing though, so it makes sense. It is definitely a nice places with wonderful views, so I'm glad we went. Plus, a person can't be THAT close to Monaco and NOT go to Monaco, right?

Coming up next: one of our top favorite places we have ever visited that has spoiled us for life, Eze Village!

More from the South of France: Intro, Nice, Antibes, Monaco, Eze Village, Avignon, Pope's Palace & Pont d'Avignon, Pont du Gard, Buisson, St. Remy, Les Baux, Arles, Nîmes

RANDOM FACT:
The residents of Monaco do not pay taxes, and they are are not allowed to gamble or even enter the casinos.