France and Italy 2012

I just got back from just over 2 weeks based in Nice, France and I didn't want to come home!  Usually you're ready for the comforts of home, but I could picture myself coming back year after year.

Nice
People asked me when I got back what was my favorite location, and it was Nice itself.  There is a ton to do, the food is good but expensive, the people were very nice, and it was close to a lot.

Most things are closed on Sunday, but a lot of the museums are open.  So go then!  Or, to the beach.

Venture out of Old Nice and check out the other neighborhoods for different food that's usually a better value.  For something different, Nice has something that seemed like a Chinatown slightly southeast of the train station.

Favorite bits:

• Jardin Botanique
• Amorino Gelataria
• La Pizza restaurant
• Chagall Museum

Eze-le-village
Old hilltop town with narrow, winding streets.  Cute, but very tourist-trappy.  Most of the shops contained absolutely nothing I would ever consider buying, but it was worth the bus ride (although I'd say barely).  I happen to go on the day of the Monaco Grand Prix so I had a little bit of trouble getting a bus back to Nice.  They were "complet".

The restaurants don't open for dinner until at least 7 but the last bus to Nice is at 8.  :-/

Villefranche-sur-mer
Cute, small town that's close to Nice.  It's very close (I think it's about 20 minutes by bus and I think you could technically walk in a pinch) and worth a visit.

Calvi, Corsica
Gorgeous, probably my second favorite location on the trip.  The scene was breathtaking when I first arrived, especially at my hotel which was outside the downtown area and uphill.

On my second day I walked to Notre Dame de la Serra, stopping downtown to buy a hat (I had already gotten a little sunburned on the ferry ride over).  It was hot, I was wearing jeans, and I thought I was going to die getting there, but it had great views.


View Walk to notre dame de la serra in a larger map


St. Paul de Vence
Eze-like.  But in general, prettier, although it took longer to get to.  If choosing between the two, go to St. Paul de Vence.

Monaco
Monaco was all right but not what I expected.  I expected it to be more... shiny and expensive looking, I guess.  I went the day after the Grand Prix and the guardrails and fences were still up, which was a pain in the rump.  Even without them, though, the sidewalks were inconsistent (or absent) and it didn't strike me as a particularly pedestrian-friendly area compared to the other places I had visited.

San Remo, Italy
An hour and half (or so) train ride from Nice, it was nice to pop on over to Italy basically for lunch.  The town itself is small (with the standard old section, pedestrian only) with not a huge selection of things to see and do, so we only spent a few hours.  Lunch was great though.  Carbonara!

Advice

• At least in the spring when I went, bring an umbrella with you just in case, unless you don't mind getting caught in the rain.  The weather is a little unpredictable and kind of like Florida.  Sunny in the morning, but often cloudy and/or rainy in the afternoon, clearing up again in the evening.
• Say "Bonjour" to the shop keepers when you enter and "Au Revoir, merci." when you leave.  In talking with others, this might be where they went wrong.  From what I understand, it's considered rude if you don't do this.  They'll be rude back, apparently, although I don't think I encountered a single rude person in a shop.
• Don't wear jeans if you go to Notre Dame de la Serra.  hehehe.
• If you're in Nice, it's tempting to go to Fennochio with its 1000 flavors, but try Amorino on Rue Massena.  All natural, awesome texture.

In Gray Paris

We're in Paris!  It's kind of gray here... and cooler than Spain.  Last night I didn't get to the hotel until about 8:30 I think - there was a lot of traffic from the airport.  I arrived at the hotel at the same time as a few others from the opera.

The hotel is cool - contemporary with LED mood lighting, both in the rooms and hallways.  It's just a couple blocks from the Arc de Triomphe which is a very nice location except the metro line we're on is having troubles.

From France and Italy 2010

Last night we had to rush rush to meet Florencia for dinner because kitchens close around 10 pm here - as opposed to Spain when that's when a lot of people are just heading out for dinner!  Our train stopped halfway there (and dumped us right at Moulin Rouge) so we took a cab the rest of the way and made it just in time to have a simple but delicious roasted chicken dinner with these AWESOME round, flat french fry type things that had garlic on them, salad and we all got dessert.  I got a creme brulee, Florencia got a coconut cake and Jose got this thing I can't remember the name of - it's like meringue in a pool of creme and caramel.

We walked around for a little bit - Flo and I are going to hang out for some before the opera while Jose rehearses and then she'll go see it - I'll probably walk around somewhere or go to a museum that she suggested.

Next Up! Europe 2010

Flights are booked for Europe 2010.

On the itinerary: Madrid, Paris and Rome. Jose's performing in L'incoronazione di Poppea again and that'll take us from Madrid to Paris, and then we're stopping in Rome to visit our friend Patti who's from Brazil.

It'll be my first time in Spain and Italy!

One Night in Paris, sushi, a flood, snobs and a church that was hiding from us.

One Night in Paris

Jose and I got up early early to catch the first train to Paris so he could attend a rehearsal for Arpeggiata and I could visit with some Frenchie friends. Four and a half hours later we stepped off the TGV and checked into our hotel which was thankfully very close to the train station.

We had some time before Jose had to go to rehearsal (it got delayed a bit) so we had a good lunch at Marine - we had the best appetizer - tartare of shrimp and avocado. The two were chopped and formed into a patty and served with a salad. Yum. I ordered filet mignon but ended up with pork. The waitress WAS distracted when she took the order but she was sweet and the pork was good so I didn't mind. Jose had a piece of steak with bleu cheese sauce.

Our friend Philippe met us out after that - Jose had to head off so we had some coffee, chatted and walked around ending up at the museum des arts et metiers. He had to take off so I switched off to meet Florencia there.

Florencia and I walked all over the damned planet, mostly looking for La Madeleine. We started off to eat sushi at a place Florencia really wanted to go to, but it was closed. So then we went to see the Opera house, but we couldn't take a look inside because there was a concert coming up.

So then we start hunting for La Madeleine, had trouble finding it and Florencia was getting so hungry she was going to start gnawing on pigeons, so we found a sushi place that didn't look crappy or wasn't too hot (we almost ate at a traiteur chinese buffet thing but it was 100000 degrees inside and humid). The food wasn't bad but it started pouring outside and the roof and windows started leaking, so we had to move tables twice to avoid drowning or our fish coming back to life.

Once the rain let up, we resumed our search for the church and finally found it after asking directions a few times. We got one of those cheesy coins to remember the day and then set off to search for Laduree macarons. Florencia knew it was near the church, but not exactly where. She essentially pointed at it while explaining the lovely view as we were standing on the steps, but of course we went all the way around the church before finding it.

From Europe 2009

We purchased a box of 8 and decided to eat them at Notre Dame. We were on a bus that was going the wrong direction when that occurred so we got off the bus and took the metro to ND. We sat on the steps trying to act snobbish and took pictures of ourselves. We noticed afterward that in our photos, behind us as we were decadently eating luxury desserts, there was a quite possibly homeless guy sleeping in our photos. Florencia thought he was dying (not really) just like she thought all the snails were dying near us. You had to be there.

From Europe 2009

Jose finished with rehearsals and he, of course, wanted to eat at the very area that was started our world trip, so we met our friend Florian and went to a place called Ave Maria. Florencia and I didn't really like the food but Florian and Jose loved it. The atmosphere was cool, though. We heard/told some hilarious stories, Florencia burnt her finger on a candle and I wanted to kick the butt of a woman that bumped into me as she was leaving, but then decided to wait for something and stood right behind me so I could barely get out of my chair. I essentially just pushed her aside.

Alas, the day ended there with goodbyes at the metro.

What's Next?

Besides a long weekend in Charleston, my next big trip takes me back to Switzerland and London. I'm also planning on visiting Italy, Germany and France! So check back for updates...

I've already purchased by EuroRail Swiss Pass and my flights are booked!