Nice Nice

Okay, so the title to this blog has probably been done before. But you're probably not reading this for the titles...at least I hope not.

As you probably have surmised, we did drive to Nice yesterday. Allen, Marilyn, & I drove to Nice which is not far from Monaco and the Italian border. While driving there,we crossed a river called la Brague. I exclaimed that we drove over my roots! I don't know where my name originated but it's becoming clearer that it is a French name.

Nice is a decent sized town (about 350,000) right on the Mediterranean. We arrived there about 11 a.m. and had quite a time finding parking. But eventually we found a garage and did a little exploring by foot.

We found some seats just above the beach facing the sea. It was very relaxing to just sit and watch the waves. There were a few braves souls on the beach though it was overcast and a little breezy. None of the nude or topless sunbathing going on which the French Rivière is famous for. We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant where I had some of the best calamari I've ever eaten!

We then set off for the Matisse museum. Matisse was from Nice and they had a very good collection or his work. After the museum, we set off for a town named Vence, northwest of Nice. In Vence, Matisse designed a chapel for the Dominican nuns. Unfortunately, the chapel was closed so we couldn't visit it but we did see it from afar. We also wandered around the town a bit, stopping for a snack and then discovered the old town where we strolled the narrow streets.

Today (Saturday), Allen & I drove north a little bit. We were aiming to just wander around the Luberon, the hills to the north of us. Instead, as we drove, we found a winery that has an outdoor art exhibit. At Domaine La Coste, they have invested in major works of art and architecture by well-known and well-respected artists and architects. To view the art, one has to walk a path around and above the vineyards. The walk is well worth it though.

We drove a little further north for a late lunch and then decided to call it a day and drove home for naps, something we're very good at. That was after stopping for eclairs as a snack. (How can you come to France and not have an eclair?) Adieu.

Photos below:
--The flower market in Aix
--Along the Mediterranean in Nice
--The beach in Nice
--In the narrow streets of Vence