Blogs from Villefranche-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe

Heräsin klo 8.30. Hain Lidlistä vähän ruokaa. Aamupala parvekkeella. Kiertelin aamupäivällä kaupunkia busseilla. Nähtiin Pirkon kanssa rannalla ja käytiin syömässä kiinalaisessa ravintolassa. Klo 15 lähdin bussilla tapaamaan ranskalaista nettituttua, joka oli majoittunut hotelliin Villefrance-sur-Meriin. Bussimatka kesti sinne tunnin. Kävin heti uima-altaassa. Paluumatkan ajoin asunnolle kokonaan busseilla, ja jotkin bussit matelivat ruuhkassa. Illan kiertelin vanhaakaupunkia ja poikkesin katsomassa Pirkkoa musiikkibaarissa.... read more

We've been here for a few weeks now and have settled nicely into our little house in the hills. There is so much to see and do here. Some days we decide to venture out by car and some days we just want to go down to the village and walk around. Sound relaxing? Not always. The French (or whomever built these roads) must have measured the narrowest vehicle (or chariot drawn by one horse) at the time they built them and created the incredibly narrow width of all roads here accordingly. In order to expedite the drive up the hills (or corniches as they are referred to here) there are many back to back hairpins turns that are at steep inclines. The roads are so narrow that the novice driver will need to come to ... read more

A real drawcard on the french riviera... We planned out a walk to Villefranche from Nice....one we had done many times. I opted for the bus to the top so I would only have to walk down.... We trammed to Place Garibaldi and walked to Port Lympia where there were plenty of buses heading in Menton direction. 5 mins up the hill we disembarked to walk the footpath that ran along the top of the cliffs. Cloudy day so it was just the right temperature for easy walking. Around the corner past the 'Batterie'. Quite a cliff side to make this road out of. As we started to descend we came across the 'Princess Grace' memorial of 1982-1983. A lovely view from here into the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer. A cruise ship anchored, typical for this time ... read more

The Voyager was scheduled to dock in Monte Carlo but due to the Grand Prix race the port was full. So instead we anchored off Villefranche-sur-Mer. This was a stroke of luck for us. While we really enjoy Monaco, Villefranche is a very special place on the French Riviera. My sister Judy’s favorite movie was filmed here. "An Affair to Remember" is a beautiful romance story and continues to lure fans to this lovely town. A prominent citadel covers one side of town and an ancient Cathedral towers over the rest of the village. Villefranche was home port for the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet for years after the end of WWII. Navy ships still call here as the bay has the deepest natural harbor in the Mediterranean. We came here in 2008 with our retired commander ... read more

When we hopped onto the train we realized that we didn't have seats, and it was a good 4 hour journey. So, we sat next to one another hoping no one would claim the seat. As expected, first a gentleman and then a woman passenger came to claim their seats. Both of them who first spoke in French and then switched to English when they realized we were not natives, were nice enough to take other open seats but we knew if other passengers came to claim those seats, we would have to move. So, for the first 30 minutes it was an uneasy journey as we had to be ready to move at any second. Fortunately, everything worked out those both of them had to move at least twice and didnt even ask us for ... read more