Blogs from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 11

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

Villefranche-sur-Mer It is supposed to rain today but our first glimpse outside gives no hint of wetness to come. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. It is hot and humid here at the Cote d'Azur. The house we rented can stay cool if you close the heavy metal outside blinds to keep the heat out, but we are here and the Mediterranean is calling so we venture outside to drive around. First we decided to go to Beaulieu Sur Mer to see if we can get some court time at the tennis club. We have traveled the short distance from Villefranche to Beaulieu many times but between last year and this year someone apparently decided to make some of our familiar streets one way. We couldn't get down to the beach and port ... read more

We did some travelling by car towards a castle that is about 50 k.m away. It was build on top of a mountain and is called Chateau de Baix. A nice trip going through those small French villages that look so nice as you see on TV looking at the Tour de France. It has something friendly about them that gives that special feeling that only those places can give you. We arrived there fairly early but still to late for we could not find a parking place. It was all full and you had to go back down the mountain to find a place. We stopped so we could take some photos from what we could see was just a heap of rubble but that was from a distance. We knew there was ,more to ... read more

The Apartment Airbnb has been getting a lot of negative press lately about its shift to corporate listings and away from its owner-operated roots. Well, this apartment was probably the best place we have stayed in all our European trips. Roomy, well equipped, bright, quiet. Tastefully decorated and run by the nicest couple who met us on arrival and explained everything about the apartment and discussed opportunities in Arles. Made us feel like we should have stayed longer. There are many sites to visit in the area if you have a car (and time), The Pont du Gard and Avignon are two places within easy reach from Arles (we had been to both from Montpellier) but there are lots of smaller attractions we couldn’t get to because of not having time or a car. The closest ... read more

This was the last day with the car and we were headed for Grasse, 2 hours from Aix, above the French Riviera. I didn’t mention that our room was not actually in the hotel, it was down the street by the Church and Museum in a separate building, once a single-family residence, now about 6 apartment style rooms owned by the hotel. To get to breakfast we had to walk the grueling ½ a block to the main hotel. We sat at the only table for two to have our coffee, croissant and cheese. At the table next to us was a trio of retired women, discussing their children. One of them kept mention Prineville Oregon, so on our way, out I asked if she was from Oregon, she was in fact from Prineville, said I ... read more