The French Riviera: Meet Me in Monaco

Photo Journal: Monaco | July 2015

As a silver screen baby, we watched more black-and-white films at our house than ones in color. My mother always made sure we knew the stars of the old black-and-white films. And no one had more effortless class than the princess herself, Grace Kelly. Naturally I was thrilled to be able to visit the princess's domaine, also called known to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Monaco was our last destination in our little three day excursion to the French Riviera. But I have to tell you something...the whole thing was a bit, well, a bit strange. We arrived at the train station fit for a movie star with our bags after a heart-warming farewell to our more-than-generous hosts in Le Rouret. I was excited. But stepping outside, I was a bit bewildered. There didn't seem to be any clear direction pointing us to where we wanted to go. So we just picked a highway that seemed right by our map and set out, only to end up in a beautiful but reclusive residential area––not what we had in mind. We tried again, this time finding our way to the Exotic Gardens, which turned out to be no more "exotic" than a mini golf course and a playground. Stumped again, we sat and reevaluated our plan. We need to go down the mountain. Monaco has a number of free elevators to transport people from one street to another, as the country is basically built along a steep cliffside. We haphazardly discovered this system only after the hottest part of the day, but managed to reach the main historic center near the sea. After lunching on the second seafood pizza of the trip, we again climbed uphill to the castle. (Note to self: do not eat a whole seafood pizza in 100° heat before climbing up a massive hill). The royal castle wasn't open to visitors, but the cathedral containing the graves of many Monaco royals was, and we got to pass by Grace's grave. The rest of the historic part was a nest of twisting pastel streets, lovely but a bit charmless when bursting with tourists. We didn't stay long before heading back to Nice to catch our train home. In short, Monaco was a lovely place to see, but not a very interesting place to be. Still, it was a dazzling finish to our intoxicating journey through the French Riviera. And Grace, you are still as classic as ever.

The French Riviera: Antibes the Secret One

I didn't even know about Antibes when planning our travels to the south of France. But our marvelous host Sara suggested that it had a great historic district and restaurants, so we decided to go check it out for an evening. Oh how glad I am that we did, as Antibes ended up being my favorite city we visited in the French Riviera. We arrived in the afternoon, just in time to be saved by some gelato and air conditioned shopping the cutest store specializing in coffee and teas. Raymonde, the kind saleswoman, even fetched us some cold water from the back when we entered. We had a lovely conversation about the town, the store, and the region. I had lost my voice the day before, so she probably thought I had a severe smoking problem as I wheezed out French verb conjugations. We bought some gifts for our mom, the one to blame behind our caffeine addiction before moving on to the rest of the downtown. Sally found an adorable coffee shop with air conditioning and wifi to catch up with her hubs while I continued to explore and melt in the sweltering streets. But how glad I am I did! I always end up discovering the soul of a city when I least expect it. And as I stepped out of that cool cafe into the heat, something changed I can only describe as magical. The light was golden, no more than golden. Flowers leant their petals to my feet and sweet aromas to my nose. I found myself winding through quiet streets where the only sounds were of babes crying behind wooden slatted windows or pots clanging as the sweet smell of cooking meats wafted into the streets. The enormous plumes of vines and flowers that twisted along the walls beckoned me come in deeper, and at one moment I was utterly lost to world. Eventually I rejoined my sister and we took a turn on the other sie of town, ending on the restaurant street where we met Sara for a scrumptious dinner that was so delightful I forgot to note the name of the restaurant. The long cool drive home through the whispering calm of night that enveloped the French countryside was the perfect ending to our adventures in Cannes and Antibes. The only thing left to do was rummage up a tiara and go play the Princess of Monaco the next morning.

The French Riviera: The Starlet Called Cannes

Photo Journal: Cannes, France | July 2015

Cannes, the city of stars. We only had a half-day there, but everyone we talked to was right. That's really all you need. We had eaten a beautiful breakfast at the country home supplied by our hosts on their veranda overlooking the loping hills and gardens leading up the mountains that lay far beyond. It was just the sort of morning you know is going to lead to a good day. Arriving in Cannes just before noon, we immediately found the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, the main hub for the annual Cannes Film Festival in May, amongst other things. I made sure to get a picture there as my before shot. Ya know, before I become famous. Then we strolled the beaches, which were very nice and very nude. No one told us! We tried to have lunch at an adorable side road restaurant, only to find out that they were out of everything but omelets and salads. And by that I mean eggs and lettuce. It was my mistake for once again falling into that American habit of 24/7 service. We found a little buffet place with a menu to go instead, perfect as we could eat on the train to Antibes. Cannes thus was ironically much like the Hollywood starlets it hosts: beautiful, empty, and glittering for only a moment before being passed by for the next big thing. And the next big thing was Antibes.

Check out my other adventures in the French Riviera in Nice!