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Published: February 24th 2010
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Photoshoot near the port
Attack of the killer wave Hannah came to visit me in Nice the same day that I got back from Ireland. Unfortunately, she missed her first train and ended up getting in later than anticipated, but, thanks to the kindness of a rather crazy woman at the bus stop, she made it safe and sound! We had a very relaxing wonderful time, and it was so great seeing her again and being able to catch up! Not only do Hannah and I share a love for taking tons and tons of photos (as clearly evidenced by the pictures added here and in Picasa--mostly taken and all edited by her--but we also share a deep appreciation for all things French which makes our visit all the more wonderful.
Day One: Nice
The first day after Hannah's arrival we slept in (I was pretty exhausted after London and Ireland) and took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. It was vacation, so why not take our time. Our first stop was the Musee Matisse. I have to admit, although the museum is located within my favorite park and not even a five minute walk from my apartment, I had not yet been. I had heard
Eze
Before we began our hour long hike up the steepest mountain ever. We clearly did not know what to expect. from others that the museum was greatly lacking and nothing of special interest, so, despite the fact that the museum is free, I hadn't yet visited. We spent a few minutes walking around the park and the Monastery garden before going in. The museum was actually much more interesting than I expected. Admittedly, Matisse's drawings and sketches leave something to be wanted for some people. I usually find myself on the side of that group, but I have to say that there is something beautifully simplistic in the way he sees things. He has a way of capturing the essence of things with a technique that still renders them believeable--not oversimplified or glorified in any way. Much of his work even seems to celebrate the flaws or the realities of an object or person--that which some would contend is the most beautiful. The museum was very small--mostly a collection of sketches with a few paintings and sculptures as well as a lot of the items that Matisse himself collected throughout life. It didn't take us much more than an hour to see the entire museum.
After leaving the museum, Hannah and I walked into town to grab a bite
Cimiez
A house near my apartment to eat. Of course I had to take her to my favorite place in town! So we headed to Vieux Nice for some crepes. We took a more circuituous path so that Hannah could see more of Vieux Nice, and we had to stop along the way so she could buy some cookies. She loved the crepes--of course! I tried something new as well--a Parisien (cream chive, mushrooms, cheese, and ham) and a Maya (bananas and honey) for dessert. They tasted wonderful, as per the usual! Once we finished lunch we wandered through more of Vieux Nice and ended up at the Marche des Fleurs. It was Monday, so the antique market was still going on. I absolutely love the antique market in Vieux Nice. Long rows of little stalls with people selling everything imaginable--jewelry, silver, paintings, china, clothes, bags, shoes, little knickknacks--literally anything and everything you could think to sell. It's wonderful wandering through the rows of stalls and seeing all of the things people are selling. Finally, we turned out of Vieux Nice and headed towards the beach. It was slightly overcast so the beach wasn't nearly as gorgeous as it usually is--not to say that it wasn't
gorgeous though! We spent a long time walking on the beach (taking tons of pictures of course), and then headed up to the Parc de l'Ancien Chateau across the street. After hiking up all of the stairs, and there are quite a lot, we finally made it to the top. She saw the amazing view of the port and we wandered through the park and up to the waterfall. Afterwards, we headed down towards the port. Unfortunately, it started raining, and we had just about decided to head home when Hannah wanted to stop and take some photos down on some rocks by the port near where the lighthouse juts out. Of course, it turned into a photoshoot, and once the rain stopped we actually got a ton of great shots. Photoshoots with Hannah are always the most fun, and she takes such beautiful pictures! After our photoshoot we finally headed home and hit the grocery store--I had zero food after two weeks of vacation and we needed to make dinner. Once we made it home Hannah taught me how to bake her amazing 3 cheese quiche--parmesan, emmental and feta with mushrooms, tomatoes, and 4 eggs. So good! We listened
Beaulieu
Quick stop on the way home from Eze to Carla Bruni and drank wine while we chopped and mixed, so I couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening! We finished off our wonderful dinner with mango sorbet and pineapple. Hands down one of the best meals I have helped prepare since I have been here!
Day Two: Eze
On day two of Hannah's visit, we decided to go to Eze--a village about 13 minutes away from Nice via train (after Ville-Franche and Beaulieu). I had never been before, but I had been dying to go, so it was great doing something new and sharing it with Hannah! The train ride (it seriously cost 1,20 euro--probably one of the best deals ever) was gorgeous as usual. We got off at Eze-sur-Mer, but we wanted to hike up to the medieval village. So, we set off on what I had read was a rather steep trail. Of course, my knowledge was based entirely on the hikes I had done in Nice previously. That knowledge was seriously lacking. Within five minutes my quads were burning so badly I thought my legs would fall off. Within 30 minutes Hannah and I were sweating like crazy--at
Beaulieu
Hannah had to put her feet in... one point we had to stop so Hannah could air out her shirt. But we pressed on--I kept trying to envision how great my legs and butt would look if I kept going (girls you get it). Just the views even made the hike worth it. It's really impossible to capture with a camera how amazing the view on this hike was. You are surrounded on one side by giant cliffs and mountains and on the other by the sea. The paths were very rocky and there were a lot of steps built into the rock. The path was well enough kept to be walkable, but slightly overgrown at the same time so there were bushes and shrubs and flowers reaching over and sometimes brushing your legs. It took us about an hour to hike up to Eze, but we finally made it (after stopping to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had packed). The village was absolutely adorable--a little like Vence. We spent a couple of hours wandering the tiny streets, seeing the church and just exploring. Before we left we stopped at a little Salon de The and got a snack. Then, we hopped on a
bus and stopped in Beaulieu for a minute before heading home.
That night we cooked up some Bruschetta and a Chicken Masala--I'm telling you I will be the best cook when I get home!
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