Eze Village (Back to the past)

Unreal, is how I would describe this medieval village on the French Rivieria. It deserves some special attention. I had read up on Eze village while I was looking at the interesting places to visit around the area (though the very best thing to do may be just sitting on the beach in Nice), and I couldn't wait to visit the place. It came as a surprise that none of my friends were aware of this place. Eze village was an easy 30 minutes bus ride (bus 82) from the Vauban tram stop pinpointed as location 'A' below.

The area around Eze village was inhabited from early as 2000 BC (oh gosh!), and was a fortified stronghold in the 14th century. It is now made up of mostly shops and restaurants, with a couple of hotels (wished we had stayed there!). Two famous french perfumeries, Galimard and Fragonard, have shops there as well, which supposedly offers a relatively good price. While Eze village has become a tourist attraction with just a handful of local residents, it wasn't really that crowded and we had plenty of space to move around. I was totally immersed in the place and couldn't help imagine what it was like living in this pretty village. It was a complete turnaround from the glitz and glamour of the major cities on the french riviera. Situated on the top of a hill with a 12th century castle right in the middle of this stone village, it had a fantastic view of the mediterranean sea.

The village was small, but we took our time to slowly walk through the place as we really loved it. I think we spent at least 4 hours checking out the area. So we went to the bus stop where we alighted to catch the bus to Monaco. You could catch the same bus 82 back to Nice from a stop down the hill close to a bridge. Our next stop was Monaco, so we checked the timetables for the buses (number 100 or 112) and turned out that we had just missed the buses and the next ones were only coming in about an hour or so. While it meant that we had lesser time to spend in Monaco, we were also glad that we got to spend more time here, so we just sat on the perch near the entrance and enjoyed our remaining time there.

Fun fact: Did you know there used to be a property tax (window tax) based on the number of windows in a house that people had? So the people then covered up their windows and painted it over. Check out the photo below!

Interesting piece of history we overheard from a tour guide nearby!

I can never get enough of this place!

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The French Riviera: Nicely done

Don't miss out on a day trip to Monaco & Cannes if you're visiting Southern France! We went from Nice, to Eze, to Monaco, to Cannes all in a day. Beach lovers, the French Riviera is one place you don't wanna miss out on. Cinema de la plage at the annual Cannes Film Festival would have made our experience much more amazing if we'd had one more day. Pinky promised my heart we'll make the trip again.  Ahh, the possibilities.

Somehow, what really keeps us together so strong might just be the fact that we make up for each others' lack-of's.  While I procrastinate, he works on our travel itineraries & complete them on schedule.  While I enjoy the ambiguity ( though the very truth might be, insufficient research ), everything he words are crystal clear.  His inner strengths make up for my weaknesses I must admit, but lo & behold, I have mental assets and talents that compensate for his very subtle flaws.  I don't know if anyone can relate to us, I have a lot of patience to his sudden flare ups which can only be explained by the shift in the earth's plate or the eclipse of the moon.  He ends up realizing his craziness the next minute & becomes the best person you can ever be with.  Yes, I can pretty much handle that, or I would have to.  He's  Google maps, totally indispensable.

X

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Travel to Nice, Capital of the French Riviera

Thinking of a summer trip? Jump on the jet/train and travel to Nice! The trip from the Nice airport to the city was an easy and fuss-free one, with the bus number 23 taking just about 20 minutes to reach the city from the airport terminal. Great start!

I recall us being amazed as the bus cruised down Promenade des Anglais, with the blue azure waters of the Mediterranean sea on our right and the beautiful art deco french buildings on our left. The Promenade des Anglais is a long stretch of walkway which stretches from the airport to Old Nice, lined with cafes and bustling with the people. The views were fantastic.

Having arrived from Paris (we still love it!) after spending our first few days there walking around the city and checking out the usual Paris attractions, this mediterranean city had an entirely different feel to it, with the basking glow of the sun on the French Riviera, the sound of the waves from the sea and the cool air blowing gently on our faces (what's not to love?).

We peeled ourselves away from the beach (can't get enough! we could sit there all day) and headed to explore Vieux Nice (Old Town Nice), eastern part of Nice just across the road (Quai des Etats-Unis) from the beach. A travel to Nice wouldn't be complete without visiting and walking around this beautiful part of the town. Bright yellow houses and cute narrow streets make up this beautiful town. Some of the streets were lined with cafes and shops, while others were peacefully quiet and we strolled randomly through the streets. A popular street being the Cours Selaya, where there are markets selling fresh flowers, arts and crafts, and fresh produce.

Having lived in a bustling urban city all-around filled with skyscrapers all my life so far, this trip to Europe has been amazing. Landscapes change dramatically as you travel from cities to cities, and every corner turned is just that amazing.

YJ

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Paris in a day

We had previously taken up beginner French classes during our school days and it came handy in greetings, asking for directions, ordering items off the cafe menu, etc. We were in fact quite excited at being able to converse in simple French, so we mustered up the courage whenever we could to polish up our French (we got a few amusing laughs, hopefully they appreciated our heartfelt efforts)!

We got to the Louvre, one of the world's largest and most visited museum. The museum is in fact also part of the historic Louvre Palace which was built way back in the 12th century. The Louvre is home to many artefacts and paintings, including the Mona Lisa. I'm pretty sure most of you (if not all) would have heard of the Louvre and would need no further introduction.

The audio guide was pretty interesting. It came in the form of a Nintendo 3DS which tracks your position and provides audio commentaries on the Louvre's various galleries and exhibits as you make your way around the huge museum.

Admission ticket: 10 euros

Audio guide (optional): 5 euros

The walk to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile tested our legs as it brought us through the Tuileres Garden (big open green fields and picnic areas) and Avenue des Champs Elysees (shopping district). Distracted by the numerous shops lined up along the Champs Elysees, we eventually arrived at the famous monument in the evening. The Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, which is a bigger arc than the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel located near the Louvre, is located at the Place Charles de Gualle at the west end of the Champs Elysees. It serves as a memorial for the soldiers who battled for France during the French Revolutionary Wars in the late 18th century and the Napolean Wars in the early 19th century.

Admission ticket: 8 euros

The view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile as the sun went down was fantastic, though it got a little chilly as the sky darkened.

While I guess Paris may have its detractors, this beautiful city (probably except the metro, but nevertheless the metro system was pretty extensive) had so far managed to capture us.

YJ

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You know what we did last summer

If my pictures could talk, you wouldn't have to read.  It was this month, last year, that we took a 3 week vacay to France & Italy. These photos were taken on the first day of our trip in Paris, France.  Having lived on the equator all my life, imagine my amazement at the time as we waited for sunsets. 9.00 o'clock in the evening, & the sun was just about to go. 

I hope the pictures breathed a little in your face.  All photos were taken by YJ & I as we en route to la Tour du Eiffel in Paris.  This French city is beyond your imagination ( if you've never been there ).  Beautiful is an absolute understatement. 

On a side note, could traveling alone could be just the most enlightening adventure of a lifetime ? I could never understand why.  Although, there are the the few things my heart & soul find the most enjoyment in without yearning the company of another entity: window-shopping, having meals al fresco, people-watching.  While sometimes I imagine myself to be tripping alone, cruising solo on a ship, ticket-for-one-please attraction visits, sitting by the side of a fountain sipping soda while map-reading ( oui, studying maps is the best way of familiarizing myself with surrounding areas ), the unceasing manifestations of wish-you-were-here moments are hard to ignore.  We go everywhere, together, every time. In moments where his emotions break down, gets the better of me, I just signal SOS, get the defibrillator, breathe into a paperbag, hyperventilate a bit & settle with a kiss.  According to scientific reasons, kisses are everything. 

By the way, this travelog could very well become one of the very few things that tug at my heartstrings.

X

P.S. Hit us up with questions in the comments section or via email thefancyvoyager@gmail.com if you're curious about that pizza in the photo or the languages we speak. xx

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