Day 1
On Thursday, April 4th, my Mom and I headed off to the French Riviera!
For this trip, we were going with a group of travellers on a planned excursion with an organisation called Treyn, who focuses on train and rail journeys throughout the UK and Europe. We thought this would be a great way to explore France and the French Riviera. When it comes to planning trips, I just like to go with the flow, and while my Mom is great at planning trips in the USA because of all the experience we have with that country, neither of us is too confident or familiar when it comes to experiencing Europe. So, we figured a planned, yet flexible, itinerary to a destination of interest was a great way to go!
We set of from London St. Pancras International station bright and early that morning, with our first train ride to Paris. When we got to St. Pancras, we checked in with our group and met our Tour Manager Gregory, then we boarded the Eurostar! This was a familiar route to me, as I had just been on the Eurostar but it was my Mom's first time crossing the Channel to France!
We arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord station, but our next train from Paris to Nice was leaving from Gare Lyon station across the city. So, as a group (there was 38 pairs of travellers, and 1 single man), we boarded a coach bus to travel across the city for our next train.
After fighting Paris traffic, we made it to the station. Here's where the fun began!
Our train was scheduled to leave Paris at 12:49 pm. The time came, and went. There were different French announcements, and all either my Mom and I could translate was "Thank you for your patience and attention". After about 20 minutes or so, Gregory came to our carriage and let us know that we all had to get our bags and that we were changing trains! Apparently, there was electrical problems on the train we were on. (Now, why that wasn't discovered BEFORE everyone started to board the train is beyond me). So, here we are, a group of 40, getting off the train, travelling to another platform, and loading our carriage once again. Thank goodness for the gentleman who volunteered as porters to help organise and manage the storage of all of our luggage in the areas provided!
So, finally at 1:50 pm, an hour later, we departed Paris for Nice!
The train ride was somewhat scenic, but the weather was rainy and grey, so it wasn't very nice to look out the window anyways!
After 5 hours of listening to my iPod (which I actually love, I literally can just sit there and listen to music and not get bored! I did the same thing on the train ride home at the end of the trip!). My mom was a bit more ansy, but she had her puzzle book and I did let her talk with me by keeping only one earbud of my headphones in for most of the journey. (Those of you who know me well know how much I value my quiet time, especially when travelling!).
We arrived in Nice around 7:30 pm that evening, where we boarded a coach bus to take us to our hotel in Nice. It was a Mercedes-Benz coach bus I must add! I took a picture of the seat as proof! Haha
Our hotel for the next 6 nights was the Hotel Boreal, just off of Jean Medicin boulevard in Nice. It was a great location, with just a short walk to the coast and steps away from prime shopping destinations!
As part of the holiday, some group dinners were included. So, on the first night after everyone had 20 minutes or so to check into their rooms and freshen up, we headed to a restaurant right close by on the same street for our meal. This was really the first chance to start to interact with other groups, as most couples and pairings kept to themselves on the train rides to Nice.
Here's where I will introduce all of the people in the group. Over the week, Mom and I came up with nicknames based on the pairings. We did get real names of a few people, but not everyone introduced themselves. Now, just a forewarning. Some of these nicknames are just made based on quick judgements of people, not something that I know you should do all the time, so I do apologise to anyone who maybe takes offense to this.
The Twins - a married couple, both in Education, who looked very similar for a man and a woman!
The Old Ones - the oldest married couple on the holiday
Jane & Martyn - a very nice couple that we sat with the first night at dinner and got to know a bit over the trip.
Grandma & Quiet One - a grandmother with a grand-daughter about my age or so
Flossie & Lawrence - a talkative dutch nurse and her husband the Headteacher
The Snappy Dressers
The Not So Beautiful Ones
Sister In Burlington & Husband
Baggageman aka Chris & Sue - also a nice couple that we sat with at dinner the first night as well.
The Sisters
The Limpers
Brother In Saskatchewan & Wife
Not So Bright Ones
Chatty Cathy & Boyfriend - at least I assume boyfriend because as I was eavesdropping on a bus ride, they just didn't seem to know a lot about each other.
The Scots
Colin - the single man
Gramma - a lady who reminded me of my Gramma, who is married to a black man, which is apparently part of where I may get my attraction to men of tanned or darker skin from haha
The Sweater Lady & Husband
Roy's Double & Wife - a man who reminded my Mom of someone she knows
Quite the mix of people!
I was excited that our included meals were 3 courses as well! So, we got salad, an entree and a dessert each time we had these dinners. Yum!
After dinner, we went back to our room, unpacked, and called it an early night!
Day 2 - Friday, April 5th
Nice is "Nice"!
This day was dedicated to exploring the city of Nice. Although, by French standards Nice is only a town, as it has less than 500,000 people in it's limits. However, in Canada, a city is defined as having over 20,000 or 30,000 people or so. If we had French standards, we would have very few cities in our country!
We started the morning off with a guided tour of Nice. It was really our first glance of the town in daylight so I was excited! I loved the town right away. It's clean, bright, colourful, with palm trees and greenery. The tour guide was knowledgable, but she tended to talk for a long periods of time whenever we stopped (longer than my attention span and ability to stand still would allow) so I used these oppotunities to venture and take pictures!)
The big Gallerie Lafayette shop on Jean Medicin in Nice.
A statue of Apollo in Massena Square (7 feet tall! and well, I'm not afraid to admit where my eyes are always drawn to on these type of statues...)
My first seaside glimpse of the Mediterranean!
Beautiful view from Castel Hill of Nice
The Port of Nice
After our guided tour, we headed to the Monoprix grocery store nearby our hotel to pick up some croissants and fruit for a small lunch, and had a little rest back at the hotel. Then we set off for a walk along the Promenade des Anglais.
Along this avenue by the seashore are ritzy hotels and 2 casinos! I can imagine it would be a very popular place in the warmth of the summer!
The famous Hotel Negresco
For dinner that evening, we went to a restaurant called Barracuda that was recommended to me by my friend Christine who visited Nice in 2011. I tried the pizza and it was fabulous! My Mom had lasagna, that was also tasty. But, the most entertaining part of the evening was the company we had at the restaurant.
When we arrived, the restaurant wasn't too busy yet. It was just after 7:30 pm, which is just the start of a normal dinner time in France. There was one lady sitting at a table, near the one we were seated at, that appeared to be waiting for someone.
Well, the person she was waiting for, was a young 20 something, with a very loud voice, a North American voice at that! Now, this girl, was coming across as a child expert. From what we gathered, she was an au pair to the woman's children. She just knew everything! She was telling the woman all about her children, what she recommends for the mother, how the older child, a 3 year old girl, needs more individual attention because she is jealous of the younger brother, a toddler. The au pair recommended sports or team building, so that the sister learns to share and has an outlet and a place to make friends. Oh, and this au pair was also an expert in schools! As she felt that what a child learns at home about sharing and interacting is just what she will repeat towards other children at school. Oh, and did I mention that books are in a library to be read? Yes, that's what she said to the mother. Now, during the dinner the mother was brought to tears because she clearly feels guilty about not being a stay at home Mom. Rather, she's a working Mom who perhaps also does some travelling so the au pair is at home with the father only (careful of those husband-stealing nanny horror stories!). Anyways, I felt rather sympathetic to the mother, as she clearly is struggling with raising her children. However, this young au pair used such a condescending tone of voice when discussing matters to the mother. I just hope she gets things sorted so that the children benefit from the influence of a working mother on their perceptions of a woman's role, and that the au pair eases up a bit on the woman!
This au pair will forever be nicknamed the Barracuda! And if ever I wonder about how to deal with a child, I may just think to myself, Now what would the Barracuda say or do?"
Day 2 - Saturday, April 6th,
Antibes & Cannes
This morning, after breakfast (which was always included at the hotel, with an array of fruit, yogurt, croissants, eggs, cheese, and other breads/pastries) we walked to the train station to head to the nearby village of Antibes. This is a popular port village for yachts and other boat owners. It's more historical, with an old section. It's the home to the Picasso museum as well. We didn't go in the museum but we saw it's location!
Right next to the museum was an old church, that we went in. At one point on the holiday I said to Mom that I think I've been in more churches in Europe and the UK than I have in Canada!
We headed towards the port to see the boats and yachts that were docked there. As you can tell, it was a cloudier day and very windy so the weather made Antibes not as enjoyable as it could have been! It was a nice village, but not one that I wanted to spend a ton of time in.
This is looking towards the Old Town of Antibes.
By the water, was a platform with this sculpture. We could see it from a far and I was curious so we ventured closer to have a better look. It is formed of letters and it's a man kneeling.
Now, a notable memory of Antibes will be what I'm going to call the Toilet Experience. Now, finding a toilet in any European or UK location can be challenging. They just don't have them as readily accessible as they do in North America! So, as we were walking along the Port of Antibes we noticed signs for 'Les Toillettes.' Mom ventured in, and from across the way where I was waiting I could see that she was just stopped inside, hanging onto the door handle with a puzzled look on her face. She waves me over, and I understood her confusion...
This was the toilet. Now, later at a discussion about toilets at one of the group dinners we discovered that this type of toilet is commonly known as a "Squatter". No seat, but handle bars to hold on to as you form a squat position above the hole. Well, I decided I definitely did not need to use the bathroom as much as I had thought! No way was I squatting at a hole. I won't even pee in the woods when I'm camping (on the rare times that that has even happened!). But my Mom, she's a brave woman!
That afternoon, we met the group at the train station and we headed off to Cannes, a location that I was definitely looking forward too! Movie stars! Glamour! The life of the rich and famous!
We had done a bit of research before coming to Cannes about the town, as Gregory had given us a map brochure to study. We decided that we would ride this tourist train to get a tour of the town, which was a great idea because it was too cold and windy to enjoy a walk along the water for very long!
The train took as across both sides of towns, with a ride down La Croissette in Cannes, which is the main avenue that features the famous cinema for the Cannes Film Festival, as well as high end shops and ritzy hotels that the stars stay in!
The famous Carlton hotel
A view of Cannes from a top a hill at one side of the town
Another church/museum that our train took us to a top the hill
A view of the port in Cannes, where you can also see the Casino and the cinema.
Having fun along the Croissette - Mom and I as Captain Jack Sparrow
The Cinema, part of the outside was blocked off but this is where the red carpet is laid for the stars during the Cannes Film Festival in May!
The handprints of Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
Unfortunately, a lot of the other celebrity handprints were in a blocked off area outside of the Cinema for an event that was happening that time. This was a little disappointing as I was really excited for this part of the holiday!
To fight the cold, but be somewhere enjoyable, my Mom and I decided to head to the Casino!
This is where I learned how to play Jacks or Better on the poker machines. What a fun game! My Mom would say that she has now created a monster! Some slot machines are boring and confusing, you just don't know what's happening or how they determine what a win is. But at least Jacks or Better is a card game, you know if you are winning or losing and you can understand why. This would not be the last of my Jacks or Better playing on this holiday!
This evening was another group dinner, which was nice. We got to hear about some of the other adventures that were had that day. Most of the pairings didn't enjoy Cannes as much as Antibes. I think it's because they are old...haha.
Our meal this evening - salad and onion bread, gnocchi with beef, and tarte de pomme!
Martyn took this photo of my Mom and I at dinner. He enjoyed commenting on the fact that I was taking pictures of everything I ate!
Day 4 - Sunday, April 7th
This was our free day to explore Nice and the surrounding area as we wished!
Our tour guide on Friday had mentioned Fragonard perfumery and the factories in the area. This was something that I decided I would like to see and visit! So, Gregory helped us research how to travel to a factory and shop in the nearby village of Eze.
It was just an easy bus ride away, so we headed off in the sunshine on sunday morning to our destination!
It only cost each us 2 Euros each way to get to the nearby village. 1 Euro for the tram to the bus station on the other side of Nice and 1 Euro on the bus from Nice to Eze. Actually, you can go anywhere on any bus for just 1 Euro each way! It's surprisingly inexpensive!
The bus ride was beautiful too, as we climbed up the mountains along the coast to get to Eze.
When we arrived in Eze, it was very easy to find that Fragonard perfumery.
We ended up taking a tour of the factory to find out how their perfume is made. I enjoyed this quite a lot. I like learning about things are made, as I find this information practical and informative. If given a choice between a museum and a factory, I'd definitely choose a factory! We also got to play a game during the tour to match scents to their items. This reminded me of a task that a team might have to perform on the Amazing Race! We managed fairly well, the ones that were tricky were the citrus ones and the fruity ones. I think it was the Canadian nature in us that allowed us to recognize the coffee scent straight away!
On this tour I finally also learned the difference between perfume and l'eau de toilette! Perfume is stronger, at 25% aromic sent and the scent lasts longer. As well, it can be stored longer in an aluminum container and last up to 6 years. Eau de toilette has about a 10% aromic scent and only lasts 2-3 hours once worn. It can just last up to 2 years in a glass bottle.
Mom and I visited the shop after the tour, where I purchased 30 mL of a perfume called juste un baser with the ingrediants being mandarine, pear, violet, blackberry, wild strawberry, vanilla, amber, and musk. Mom purchased a body lotion. I forget the scent though!
After our visit at Fragonard, we had a quick lunch and then explored the medieval village of Eze.
The village houses a few hotels and day spas, as well as small restaurants and boutiques. It was neat to see a medieval village that was not completed deserted, or set up just as a historical site. This one was still completely in use! It was fun to explore the different pathways, as we made our way to the main church in the centre of the village.
Mom in Eze Village
We found the church! Didn't go in this one though!
Our first double selfie!
This is of a swimming pool I spotted from a top in Eze Village..I like the ceramic tile design with the whale on the OUTSIDE of the pool, for everyone to see!
We left Eze around 3:30 pm and ventured back to Nice. I wanted to go to an ice cream shop that our tour guide had mentioned. There were so many flavours to choose from! It took me a long while to decide.
On the left - My Cone - Violet & Bounty (like the chocolate bar)
On the right - Mom's cone - Bounty & Raspberry w/ Vanilla
Yum! Yum!
In the evening, we enjoyed a quiet night in the hotel. I taught Mom how to play the card game Golf. Now, Matt, Kelly, Marzena, and Mark, you will appreciate why I had to take a photo of this. Notice my hand in the top right corner...
Amazing! We kept playing though, as I didn't want the game to be over!
Day 5 - Monday, April 8th
Villefranche sur Mer & some more of Nice!
Today we headed to the nearby village of Villefranche sur Mer, which is another popular port for yachts, as well as cruise ships along the Mediterranean.
Along the coast in Villefranche
Different boats anchored in the Port
We explored this village a bit, with the main focus of the village being the Citadel.
Inside the citadel were different museums. Mom and I decided to go in the Volti museam, as we thought it might have the most interesting sculptures. I think we made the right choice!
All I can say is tiny waists, and then ba-boom! haha
Mom by the wall inside the Citadel.
I really can't say too much about this place. It was cool to say, but there wasn't enough to do there to stay more than a couple of hours. Perhaps if it was really sunny and warm, you could lounge by the water or enjoy a nice meal, but basically we came, we saw, we explored, and then we went.
We took a bus back to Nice on our own and had a lunch with assorted items from the Monoprix in the hotel.
Then, we began our afternoon plan although the weather turned a bit nasty on our walk to Florian, a confiserie where they make on site candied fruit, chocolates, jams, and other candies. We got another little factory tour to see how the different items were made. It was interesting to see, as everything they make is from local fruits or flowers! They even do candied clementines! I've never been one for candied fruit, but I do like chocolate. So, of course I didn't leave the shop empty handed!
I also made my Mom purchase some chocolate covered olives for my Dad! I thought they were too strange to pass up! My mom bought herself a can of Mandarine jam to enjoy with her crumpets and Welsh cakes that she brought home from London!
Now, who would like to guess where Mom and I headed to next? The weather was still clouded over, we'd been walking and outside all day...any guesses?
The CASINO!
Nice has 2 different casinos along the Promenade de Anglais. We went to the further one first, and we found our poker machines! However, the minimum bet was .50 Euro so my 5.00 Euros was lost rather quickly.
We ventured to the other casino, but they didn't really have many good machines either. No .20 Euro bets like the Casino in Cannes had for Jacks or Better! However, we found a good slot machine (one where you could win free games, and you could somewhat tell how it determined a win!) and Mom turned her 10.00 Euros into 23.00! Dinner was on her that night! ;)
We enjoyed another quiet evening in the hotel, as we watched some game shows in French like Don't Forget the Lyrics, and a bit of Dr. Quinn Medicine Women in French. Also, as Margaret Thatcher passed away that day, we watched some of the BBC World News Coverage (when we wanted a break from le francaise!) as this was the only English channel on the television!
Day 6 - Tuesday, April 9th
Monaco!
Another day that I was really excited for! It was an early start, as we had to take a coach bus to Monaco instead of a train because of a random French train strike, so we left at 8:15 am from the hotel! We picked up our tour guide from her home in Villefranche Sur Mer as she was going to be able to tell us about Monaco on our bus trip, as well as walk us around Monaco when we arrived.
Our coach bus dropped us off right by where they would have the Pit during the Monaco Grand Prix. Now, I know very very little about Formula 1 racing. I didn't even know that Monaco was home to a race! But I appreciate that this is a very cool place to visit for those interested in racing. I may just have to watch a bit of this year's race just to see how Monaco was transformed for the race! You can see in the picture here that they are constructing the broadcaster's booths as well as bleacher seating right above the port for the yachts!
Heading up to The Prince's Palace in Monaco-ville, looking across to Monte Carlo!
Another double selfie! Quite a bright and sunny day!
We visited the Palace, although Mom and I decided not to pay the fee to go inside. However, we did get a chance to see the changing of the guard which was neat. I enjoyed it more than the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace just because I could actually see what was happening in this one! The guards inside change every 24 hours at 11:55 am, and the one or two guards outside the main entrances switch places every hour.
The one lonely guard outside.
The ceremony and changing of the inside guards at 11:55 am.
I was unaware that Grace Kelly, who I had heard of as a movie actress as well as from a song called Grace Kelly by Mika, actually became Princess Grace when she married Prince Rainer of Monaco. So, this day was an educational one for me as I learned about her tragic car accident and her influencial time as a Princess in the principality. We went inside St. Nicholas Cathedral where I saw the prince and princess' grave sites.
A photo of Princess Grace & Prince Rainier
Their grave sites inside St. Nicholas Cathedral.
The cathedral recently was given a beautiful brand new pipe organ. Lucky ducks!
After our guided tour ended, Mom and I had a quick sandwich lunch from a local vendor, and then decided to try the Monaco tourist train. Very similar to the one in Cannes, but not as enjoyable. However, it was a nice break from walking and it took us over to Monte Carlo for our first glimpse of that area of the principality.
After that tour, we walked along the port in Monaco back to Monte Carlo (the train brought us back to the Cathedral area after the tour). We walked a different way and came across this different statue, which I liked as a former violinist and music lover.
Another view of Monaco's port!
I also learned that Monaco is home to a the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament in April. Learning again!
Outside of the famous Monte Carlo Casino!
So of course, Mom and I visited the famous Monte Carlo casino! How could we not? We were all practiced and pleased to find that they had affordable slot and video poker machines inside such a posh and wealthy place! This time I came out on top, as I turned my 15.00 Euros into 17.20 Euros! I lost 5.00 Euros quickly playing Jacks or Better, although I blame the audience I had as some couples from the tour group noticed us playing and came over to watch! We then found a couple other good slot machines that gave us both lots of free games and excitement, which brought back some of my 15.00 Euros. Then, we gave Jacks or Better another try and I reached a Full House and made my profit! It was quite fun! I think we got some looks from other people in the group, as they didn't even give the slots a chance! Perhaps we are the crazy Canadian gamblers! haha
We left Monaco in the late afternoon, and got back to Nice in time for a rest and just a quick shopping browse before our final group meal!
Our last meal, the best part was the Creme Caramel dessert!
I definitely enjoyed the group meals, because of the different conversations that would occur depending on who you were sitting with. The Not So Beautifuls were actually really nice, retired teachers. The twins were quite funny, and the lively conversation that Flossie brought to the dinner table that last night about toilets had us all laughing! It could have been the alcohol we all had with dinner that made that so enjoyable though! haha
Day 7 - Wednesday, April 10th
Time to travel home!
But first, we took a walk to the Russian Cathedral in Nice that a lot of the couples and other people on the tour had said was worth a visit.
We didn't go inside, but it did look very nice against the bright blue sky of Nice!
The train trip home was very enjoyable, as it was sunny and the travel through France and different villages was much nicer because the sun was shining. I listened to my iPod the whole way, napped off and on, and just enjoyed the journey. :)
Au Revoir France! Thanks for the fun time and beautiful sites that I can share with my Mom forever and ever!
