French Riviera and Provence

Arrival in Marseille went smoothly, we got our car and were on our way in record time (note: we did not have to show our passports to get out of Italy or into France). With our car we hit the open road with a few sights in mind we wanted to see before heading father east along the French Riviera. En route, Ben confirmed from his insurance agent that his car insurance only covered domestic, not international rentals, so we re-routed to another rental car stop to add insurance to the bill. Man was it pricey!

The drive from Marseilles to Cassis was very pretty, with mountain and sea views at different turns. We went to Cassis to hike to the calanques but once we got there the wind was pretty harsh and so we skipped the hike and enjoyed as much scenery as possible from near our car.

An hour to our hotel (Elegance in Le Cannet which is closer to Nice and some interesting hill towns) left us both starving and needing a bathroom. Well, we found a rest area to take care of one (driving the roads and highways in this part of France is the most I have felt like I'm in the US, multi-lane highways, truck stops and big box stores reminded me that Europe today is not all cobbled walkways and ringing church bells). Our hotel is great, nice big room, big balcony and a refrigerator so we can get some food. We quickly dropped our things and walked up the road for food and dinner, only to find that most things were closed. We found a small neighborhood grocer in the process of closing and rushed through the store to try to make smart & quick decisions. We made it out with breakfast food and two pre-made salads we enjoyed back at our hotel balcony. Probably not what most would consider a suitable French gourmet meal, but it tasted great to our empty bellies.

France day two included some spectacular coastal drives along the French Riviera and visits to Monaco, Eze Village and Nice. The first stretch of road was from Nice to Monaco, there are three roads to choose from: high, middle and low. We chose middle which promised (and totally delivered) on amazing views and an opportunity to visit Eze Village and a hike recommended by Ben's cousin Betsy. We stopped several times along the way to enjoy the views of the Mediterranean, sea side towns and rocky cliffs. We only did part of the hike due mostly to time, and it was beautiful. The beaches here are rock, which has some advantages and disadvantages compared to sand. The sound of the rocks rolling downward on the beach following a big wave was one of our favorites.

We arrived in Monaco and easily made our way to a central point in this small country (easy to get in, it was confusing has heck to get out). We didn't know it before we got there, but the Monte Carlo Grand Prix is next weekend and they are in full preparation mode. We were able to walk around the course, see the grand stands and even drive some of the course (it is city streets after all). It was pretty cool, although driving the course would have been slightly more fun if we hadn't been in a car called a Twingo, with enough power to do that name justice. The Lamborghinis and Ferraris around town were having some fun. The amount of insanely rich people, fancy cars and yachts in this tiny country is crazy. Also docked there was one of the largest yachts in the world (Lady Moura worth $200M according to Wikipedia). And in equally interesting news, we also encountered the largest grocery store we have seen in Europe.

Our day ended with a drive back to Nice along the lowest of the three roads available. We hit some terrible traffic in Nice but once parked we enjoyed a walk down the pedestrian boardwalk along the water called Promenade des Anglais and the dinner on a patio where we could people watch. People watching included a naked rugby player who had clearly lost a bet and had a paper mask to cover his junk along with the worst street performer ever. The street performer started out dressed as Michael Jackson and dancing to Jackson's songs and then changed into his dance troupe outfit before launching into some interpretive moves to classical tunes. He was completely serious about his art and I think if you spoke to him it would be like talking to one of the tone deaf people on American Idol who think they really can sing.

The next day we charted course to Provence, our first stop Aix-de-Provence. While I can see the appeal for many, this town was not one of our favorites. It is more commercial than others, although we did enjoy some street art and a local market that was closing when we found it that afternoon. Afterward, we visited a couple of the hill towns of the Luberon, which we liked much more. We enjoyed the town of Lourmarin, fought some traffic that was mostly worth it in Rousillon, and were very glad we stopped in the very real and laid back town of Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue.

Our final full day in France was spent driving the Cotes du Rhone. This area is beautiful and we stopped for a visit on the towns of Saguet and Vaison La Romaine. In Saguret we also visited the Domaine de Mourchon winery. While planning our time in the region some of the information about "serious" French winemakers, the low chance of English speaking and descriptions of less than warm welcomes, we were intimated but determined to have the experience. Our friend Rick Steve's pointed us the right way again as the winery we visited was in his book and they were welcoming, friendly and very informative. The experience could not have been better and we walked away with three bottles of wine (super smart decision making when ypu are traveling with a backpack) and some home grown hand cream.

Our last night was spent in Annecy with one more stop in the French Alps before heading into Switzerland. I will write about that last stop in a separate post. Tonight we are sleeping in Lausanne.

Bullets about France:

• France is most like the US of all countries visited
• French dominates both in spoke language and on signs everywhere. There is no sign of Spanish, Italian or English (which most countries seem to use as their dominate second language). The lack of alternatives makes it challenging to be a traveler here. I wonder if this is how people feel when they visit the US?
• French park anywhere, including sidewalks, medians, or half the lane of traffic
• French toll roads are expensive and the toll amount is not posted on signs before the toll booth. Fortunately, the far right lane takes paper money and all lanes give change.
• The pedestrian walk in Nice did not have vendors or street salesman peddling crap, it was a refreshing break from the abundance of this in Italy
• Parking garages post how many free spaces on public signs on the street which prevents unnecessary turns and let's you plan ahead as the signs may be in multiple places in the city
• As Ben puts it, Frenchies look like us but sound like aliens choking on vomit
• Harley Davidson is popular in the French Riviera, Kawasaki as well