More Adventures with the Neighbours

Saturday June 20

This morning a swim in the Med was on Christy's check list and the sunshine beckoned bright and early.  While Caroline and Christy jogged off to a sandy swimming beach, Cheryl and I took a more leisurely approach with a stroll into the centre of Menton which was already alive with early morning hustle and bustle.  We didn't spot the girls who must have run much further than we expected, so returned to the hotel along the seafront - breakfast was occupying our thoughts!  We sat in the pretty courtyard enjoying the buffet, the girls returned - lovely swim apparently - and before long we were packed up and driving along the scenic coast road towards Italy. The traffic was light, the views stunning and the weather perfect.

Swimming beach - Menton

Crossing the border into Italy, we turned inland at the rather shabby little town of Ventimiglia and headed for the hills.  Following a stunning river valley and gradually climbing we returned to French soil and continued our winding way up past Briel-sur-Roya, eventually turning off at our stop off spot, the remote and stunning village of Saorge which clings to the steep terrain above the Roya River (this one definitely deserves its membership in the Plus Beaux Villages de France Association).  We were now in the extensive and stunning Mercantour National Park, a place of incredible biodiversity, crumbling old villages, ski fields, lakes and wonderful alpine trails for both walkers and cyclists.

Roya River

 By mistake we took the first turning off the main road and were rewarded with stupendous views loooking up to the entire village which clings precariously to the steep forested hillside.

Looking up to Saorge

  Access to  Saorge was a little further on so we retraced our route and took the little narrow road to the village parking lot.  A small Saturday market greeted us as we strolled into the centre of the town - my this place is old!  In fact parts of Saorge date back to the 9th Century, but most of the higgledy-piggledy houses are 15th Century.  We stumbled upon a kind of hole in the wall, glimpsed a stunning view and realised that it was the entrance to a charming restaurant - what better spot for lunch.

Restaurant view - up

and down!

  Bliss!  The view, the friendly couple who cooked and waited on us, the deliciously simple food - the stuff of dreams really.  We had Tourte Saorge,(tomato, onion, basil and cheese flan I guess - freshly baked by monsieur this morning) and goat's cheese salad (locally sourced of course).

Tourte Saorge

Fresh goat's cheese salad

Gosh it was difficult to tear ourselves away and continue our journey over the mountains and into Italy.  Actually we cheated a bit further up and took the Col de Tende tunnel through to Italy instead of the mountain pass (very slow and winding) in order to shorten the journey a little.
We followed the Roya River higher and higher and reached the final settlement in France, Tende, with the high peaks beyond still showing traces of snow.

Fontan on the Roya River

Mountains surrounding Tende

Dessert in sleepy Tende - everything closed on Saturday afternoon except a couple of well patronised bars and a very nice bakery - so eclairs and tarte citron for afters!

Tende

There was a queue for the one way tunnel - not a long wait - and then we were back in Italy descending through small ski villages towards Turin and the agricultural plains of the River Po.  Today in the distance the Alps were clearly visible with the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino in Italy) standing proudly above the other peaks.  Despite the proximity of such a large city the traffic on the autostrada that by-passes Turin was quite light and we made good progress to our turnoff to Lake Orta, the westernmost lake of the beautiful Italian lakes region, and one of the smallest. Soon the lake revealed itself, sparkling in the evening sunlight and we followed the shoreline for a while before taking the very appropriately named Via Panoramica which led to our town, Orta San Giulio, delightfully situated on a little peninsula away from the main roads.  What a place!  Hotel Bussola sits on a hill overlooking the lake, with the old town just below - a 10 minute walk (no cars allowed).

Orta San Giulio - the view to the village from our hotel  balcony

 Sitting in the middle of the lake is a miniature island dominated by a Benedictine monastery.
We were totally won over by the ambience, the views and most importantly the warm welcome we received from the owners, a Swiss/Italian family and Foxy their great mutt of a Dalmation - so gentle and laid back.

From the hotel - Orta San Giulio and the Island of San Giulio

After settling in we went down to the village for dinner - being Saturday night the place was buzzing and we were limited with choice of restaurant - a simple brasserie on the square proved perfectly adequate for a tasty meal and the gelato on the walk home finished us off nicely.  So glad we have three nights to chill out in this beautiful place, to soak up the atmosphere and to enjoy the wonderful food and wine. Orta San Giulio is an exquisite jewel of a little town that just glows in the last of the sunlight setting over the distant mountains.

Isola San Giulio - so pretty at night!

Adventures with the Neighbours! (Part 1)

Friday 19 June

Up and away early this morning to meet our Fyfe's Road neighbours, Cheryl and Christie, at Nice Airport - they flew in from Amsterdam to join us on a bit of an adventure in Italy.  I must say that this is a tiny part of Cheryl and Christie's European adventure which includes a daughter's wedding in France, a visit to their ancestral home in SW England, a train journey touching on Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Holland, not to mention a hiking sojourn in the Cinque Terre!
This morning the traffic was manageable and the flight was on time so a happy reunion. Because of their early arrival, today is about packing in as much of the French Riviera as possible without driving too far.  It is only 30 km from the airport to our overnight stop in Menton but there are endless possiblities for sightseeing along the way.  What to choose?

Caroline had spotted the hilltop town of St Paul de Vence on our drive downhill from Vence and thought it looked worthy of investigation so we made that our first stop.  This is the area so loved of artists both today and in times gone by - something about the quality of the light and of course the scenery.

St Paul de Vence

 The old town is a maze of pedestrian streets and art galleries - all genres represented!  It is also very pretty, flowery and quite crowded with day trippers.  Nevertheless it is easy to see why Matisse, Chagall, Miro etc lived and worked in this lovely ancient town (one of oldest on the French Riviera).

Christie - St Paul de Vence

 We spent an hour or more wandering the streets, window shopping (mostly - did make some olive oil/chocolate purchases in one lovely specialty store).

Olive oil shopping - Caroline and Cheryl

  We are so fortunate with the weather - gloriously sunny and warm.  Being early summer the vegetagion is lush and green and the flowers are in full bloom.  The scent of jasmine fills the air.  I do love a Mediterranean climate!

The quintessential French window - St Paul deVence

I'd like a mail box like this!

Flowers, art galleries and lots of steps - Caroline and Christie, St Paul de Vence

St Paul is not only home to many galleries but also some quirky art and sculpture in the public areas - a town that certainly lives up to its reputation - touristy but not tacky.  It is a place that art lovers could no doubt spend many happy hours.

Scultpture - St Paul de Vence

  Feeling like a group tour guide, I hurried the girls along, having promised Cheryl a visit to the Fragonard perfume factory in Eze, a stunning village high above the sea behind Nice.
We drove through the centre of Nice - a bit slow going but allowed for a gimpse of this large city and then headed for the heights of Eze - plenty of photo opportunities as we drove.

View to St Jean-Cap=Ferrat from the Corniche Moyen 

Enjoying the view en route to Eze

Eze is a medieval village perched on a craggy hilltop with a sheer drop to the sea below.  It is a stone village of winding lanes and stairs and home to a couple of stunning ( and expensive) hotels.  Today it was not overrun with visitors and we loved ambling about, wondering what would be around the next corner.
Oh yes - first stop Fragonard - a bright yellow modern complex at the foot of the hill. Inside, what a delight to the senses - fragrant and visually appealing.  Like kids in a candy shop we eagerly browsed the aisles of luscious perfumes, soaps and candles, sampling everything and trying to decide which to choose.  Can I take them all?

A little corner of Fragonard

  Selecting perfume is somewhat time-consuming but we finally made our purchases and as the day was getting on decided to forgo the factory tour (next time) and find a spot for lunch.  The car park offered us a shady resting place for the Peugeot and we decided to eat at a pleasant terrace restaurant at the entrance to the village - good choice - tasty pizza, a nice glass of wine and a great view to the hills above Eze.
We all loved Eze - the charming little twisty streets, the glimpses of the sea between the little stone houses, the intensely coloured flowers (especially the hydrangeas and oleanders) and without any motorised traffic, the feeling that time has stood still for centuries.  Of course it hasn't - the plethora of galleries and little shops almost hiding behind tiny doors and solid stone facades bring one firmly into the 21st century.

Streetscape - Eze

  We tried sneaking into the courtyard of the Chateau d'Eze hotel for a minute to photograph the stupendous view - firmly but politely told that it was reserved for guests - fair enough.
Later we climbed up past the old cemetery and looked way down to Eze-sur-Mer and across to the hotel which is perched on the cliff side.

Chateau d'Eze Hotel clings to the cliffs of Eze

Rounding a corner of one of the little streets I was mesmerised by a painting hanging outside one of the galleries.  It really tugged at my heart strings - well long story to short, that very painting will be on its way to Fyfe's Road in mid July.  Something to remind me of France everyday!

Little lane in Eze

Of course all this sightseeing always takes longer than one might think so it was getting on in the day when we left Eze and drove down the Corniche Moyen to the heart of Monaco - just to say we had been there!

The small nation of Monaco

  Monaco has a spectacular setting between mountains and sea but for the city of Monte Carlo itself there is little to be recommended - unless you like hi-rise apartments, super yachts and designer stores.  We found a park for the car - surprise, surprise and strolled along the waterfront - peaking into the super yachts - such an ostentatious display of wealth! Most of them appear to be charter vessels, complete with uniformed crew.  The occupants certainly do not seem to mind living life in full view of the passing parade of sight-seeing tourists - not my cup of tea!

Monte Carlo

Our final destination for the day was Menton, a short drive along the coast towards Italy.  Another lucky break with parking right beside the charming Hotel de Londres - one street back from the sea. We cleaned up a bit and took ourselves to the seafront promenade to check out the restaurants most of which were doing a roaring trade.

Seafront promenade, Menton

  Looking back towards the hills, the town of Menton appears as a charming, unfussy town with a more laid back ambience than the busier areas of the Cote d'Azur, and the colours in the evening light - superb!  Very Italian influenced architecture and all awash with oranges and lemons and ochres (Menton is famous for citrus fruit and the town buildings seem to reflect this).

Menton

Along the way we stopped to chat with a couple of cute white fluffy dogs whose owners turned out to be English part-time residents of Menton.  After exchanging dog stories we accepted their recommendation for dinner and made for the El Dente - situated upstairs overlooking a pretty garden and the sea.  The owner was Sicilian, his wife French and at the mention of our English friends we were seated at a front row table with a lovely vista.  The food was Italian and yummy, mine host serenaded us and we had a thoroughly delightful evening.

El Dente restaurant

 Strolling back to the hotel we were amazed to see the number of busy restaurants on little squares all along the main street.  Such a great vibe to this place.

Colours of Menton

  We were well satisfied with our choices this evening - the location, the hotel, the dinner - wish we were staying longer!  A really big day out - especially for some of us who rose at 4 am to fly here today.

Menton - a Franco/Italian gem!

Back to France

Tuesday 16 June

After a week in Bad Salzhausen  it feels wonderful to be back on French soil.  We drove for 6 hours today, circling around the industrial Rhone conurbations of Frankfurt and Mainz, negotitating endless roadwaorks on German autobahns and crossing throught the border hills and into the north-east of France near Metz.  Immediately the roads and roadside facilities improved (thanks to the peage system no doubt) and we enjoyed zooming south-west through the French countryside,  The fields, and forests have the fresh green hues of early summer and plentiful rainfall, with young  crops shooting up out of the fertile soils of the Lorraine region.  The weather today was slightly overcast but fine and warm.  We stopped only for service centre coffee (surprisingly good) and a sandwich, eager to reach our destination, the Cote d'Or wine village of Pommard, just south of Beaune. As we turned up the lane leading into Pommard, Caroline was overcome with the onslaught of charm and beauty - the sudden rise to the hills of the Cote d'Or reveals neat hectares of vines, kilometres of high pale stone walls and little villages dominated by tall church spires, nestled into hollows in the landscape.

Cote d'Or, Burgundy

Down the lane into Pommard

The narrow wall-enclosed lane into Pommard opens up suddenly to reveal the beautiful Chateau de Pommard wine domaine and then our little hotel, Hotel du Pont, on the corner of the main thoroughfare.  The whole village is a mix of pretty terrace houses and grand maisons half hidden behind lovely old metal gates.

Chateau de Pommard

   A few locals were enjoying an apero on the terrace of Hotel du Pont as we checked in - up a narrow stone staircase to a quaint, ancient but beautifully renovated little suite with windows overlooking the busy intersection.  Although bustling at this hour we felt that being a working agricultural town, early to bed would be the go - sure enough it was - with early to rise thrown in for good measure.
No restaurant open in the village so we made the short journey into the centre of Beaune in search of dinner. Beaune was lively but not overcrowded and we made our way through the pedestrianised centre to a cosy brassierie, Le Carnot, where the wait staff were super friendly, the ambience was wonderful and the food simple but very, very tasty.  I had a delicious bowl of onion soup and Caroline chose escargot along with an interesting goats cheese and red fruit salad  - all washed down with a glass of Saint-Veran white ( a local wine).  To follow we shared a decadent tarte tatin  (I love apple desserts in France) - served with lashings of creme chantilly and vanilla ice cream.
Tired after our long journey, we didn't linger in Beaune but headed back to Pommard and our super comfy beds.

Beaune

Wednesday 17 June

A gloriously sunny morning and after a light, delicious breakfast served with great charm by the lovely young man in the bar area of the hotel we set out to explore a few of the little villages of the Cote d'Or before driving south to Uzes.  The vineyards were busy places this morning with people everywhere spraying, pruning and otherwise tending to the vines - such a precious commodity in this part of the world.

Fantastic vine spraying machine 

  First stop was the garden of the Chateau de  Pommard - exquisite! The contrast betwwen the clipped box hedges and the flowers tumbling in a riot of colour over the edges of the beds is very satisfying.

Gardens of Chateau de Pommard

We drove high above pretty Volnay for a splendid view over the Saone Valley and then on to the very notable villages of Mersault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet - the wine from domaines in this part of the Cote d'Or is very good (and very expensive!).

A wonderful landscape more Cote d'Or vines and villages

  It was a shame to leave all this idyllic scenery but the tyranny of distance interrupted our wanderings and we took to the Autoroute du Soleil - hopefully we were heading for more sunshine.

Country roads, Burgundy

Negotiating Lyon was the usual slow and tedious part of the trip south but eventually we made it into the Gard and our overnight stop at Uzes.  It was a joy to see the early lavender in the Rhone Valley as we sped along the autoroute in the Drome department.

Lavender fields in the Drome

Despite the warmth and the sunshine the wind was really blowing  - the end of a Mistral we were told.  Unfortunately my throat virus was a lot worse this evening and Caroline took me to a local doctor who prescribed a basketful of medication to deal with what had become an infection.  We were both quite tired and opted to skip dinner and rest at our lovely hotel on the edge of town - a very kind and hospitable host was most helpful and concerned.  Uzes is not far from Avignon, in the middle of a rich agricultural area - peaches, melons, cherries, apricots, strawberries all being offered at roadside stands.

Thursday 18 June
Another warm and sunny day in the south with a little less wind today.  Uzes is a typical old southern town - narrow streets, shady tree lined squares, pavement cafes and this morning bustling with activity.  It is lovely to amble along taking in the sights, sounds and smells (coffee and croissants).

Main street - Uzes

 There is a grand old palace with views over the surrounding countryside and the jumble of rooftops of the old town.

The Window Tower of Uzes

  We decided to combine breakfast and lunch at charming boulangerie - coffee and quiche at a pavement table. We lingered watching the world and his dog go by - as you do!

Shady square, Uzes

 There was a consensus that we liked Uzes a lot but all too soon it was time to press on. After a rather cursory viewing of some of the historic buildings we were on our way again - towards Beaucaire, Arles and then the autoroute across Provence towards Nice.

Uzes - a lovely town for wandering

  We made a short stop in Beaucaire for a cold drink beside the canal which was full of moored river boats (it is near the delta of the Rhone River).

Beaucaire

Still driving south to connect with an autoroute, we skirted the flat lands of the Camargue and were delighted to catch a glimpse of some of the famous white horses grazing in a field.  By the time we were by-passing Aix-en-Provence the plains of the Camargue had given way to forested hills and valleys with the stark rocky peak of Mount Sainte-Victoire dominating the landscape (Cezanne's favourite haunt).

Mount Sainte-Victoire, near Aix-en-Provence

The rest of the journey to Vence went quickly and soon we were in the peak hour traffic and heading up into the heavily populated hills behind Cannes and Nice.

View from Hotel Diana, Vence

  Another one way road system almost stumped us but a couple of strategically placed signs directed us to Hotel Diana on the edge of the old town.  Our room was spacious and comfortable, the staff spoke only French and the view from the terrace was amazing.  Taking advantage of the balmy evening we strolled through the ancient quarter - narrow twisting lanes, very close-quarter living - all facing inwards away from the spectacular views.

A surprising little garden, Vence

  The mountains rise above Vence to the north and the Mediterranean sparkles below in the south.  Restaurants everywhere but we liked the look of a pretty and busy one on the town square - good choice - the meal was delicious and the live music very cool.

Wonderful dinner in Vence

Tried the local wine - yum - we haven't had a bad one yet.  Tonight we were once again in bed before dark.  An early start tomorrow to meet Cheryl and Christie at Nice Airport ( not far away).  Our journey from Bad Salzhausen to Vence has been mostly confined to autoroutes but we have thoroughly enjoyed our little stopovers  and we have been blessed with magnificent sunny weather all the way.  So glad we decided to take the route through France!

Vence from the hotel roof terrace