Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Medieval Village of EZE along the Côte d'Azur

It's a bright sunny September morning when we decide to drive the few Kilometres to the Medieval Village of Eze. Situated between Nice and Monaco it offers the visitor splendid panoramic views of the Mediterranean along with many shops and restaurants.
Arriving in the village we park our car and lingered a while basking in the already warm sunshine and taking pictures of the Mediterranean below which are dotted with its many Yachts, then we proceeded to walk up the familiar cobbled stone streets to see the many shops displaying their wares of soaps, spices, linens, jewellery, metal crafts, and fine art.
One such shop selling leather hand bags beckons to me to come in and I couldn't resist so in I walked and a few minutes later with my purchase in hand I happily continued to spend the rest of the morning shopping and wondering around up and down the many narrow streets exploring what the next corner had to offer. At noon we decided not to drive back down to Menton for lunch but instead to have it here on the terrace at the village Cafe.
Once again we spent a delightful time in one of our many favourite places in this region, a little 'touristy' yes but Eze is not to be missed when in the South of France.

Monday, November 8, 2010

October Cruise Venice to Greek Isles

Fun time on ship MSC Musica October 2010

After dinner and dancing hilarity ensues after 11pm in the Il Tucano lounge, here's a video I uploaded to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7s5th25zJE

Here's a shot I caught on camera.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Menton France Cote d' Azure








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cote Sud
15 Quai Bonaparte 06500 Menton

Dinner at the "Cote Sud" restaurant in Menton France was a delightful experience. The prices are reasonable and the food GREAT! Fantastic atmosphere, walls of honey coloured stone, wooden stairs, cosy with a view of the Cote d' Azure. It can't get better than this.




The staff speaks English and are very friendly. When in Menton France you must go to eat at Cote Sud restaurant!


Tritone Hotel Venice - Mestre Viale Stazione 16, 30171 Venice - Mestre


Although Tritone Hotel Venice Mestre is 9 km from Venice city center it is a great location because the city bus stops in front of the hotel and it is a short ride to and from Venice.

We dropped off our rental car in Venice and found it very convenient to purchase a 72-hour transportation ticket for a water bus, and regular bus service which were all pretty frequent and takes you just about anywhere you want to go.
In the afternoon we just took the bus to our hotel where we found cakes, coffee, sparkling water etc. waiting in the lobby for us to enjoy there or take to our room. While sipping my coffee I would catch up on my emails, change my shoes and then just hop back on the bus to Venice for dinner in St. Marks Square. Rooms are clean, staff very friendly, good assortment of goodies for breakfast and free Internet is always a plus.

Hotel Hermitage. Via Ginepraia

We stayed at the Hotel Hermitage. Via Ginepraia, 112. 59016 Poggio a Caiano. telefono +39 055 877040 fax +39 055 8797057. Outside of Florence centre. Good rates, clean and we found the staff to be helpful and friendly. Although it was recently renovated it has the look of the 60's. Not close to Florence (centre), we had a car so it was a breeze to drive to and from the Hotel to many parts of Italy.

One day we decided to drive to Cortona then to Siena and back to Florence in the evening for dinner, after which it took 15 - 20 minutes driving through village’s to return to the hotel from Ponte Vecchio.
Cortona

Hotel Napoleon

September 2010, Hotel Napoleon located on the Cote d'Azur, close to Monaco and Cannes on the west side and close to Ventimiglia Italian border on the East. Good food, friendly service and clean very nice rooms. When in this area again I would definitely stay at Hotel Napoleon in Menton France.







Ventimiglia to the east of Menton.
Monaco to the west of Menton

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Villa Le Port d'Attache Vallauris - Golfe-Juan ~ in the South of France

Beautiful Villa Le Port d'Attache.
Check out their web site http://www.portdattache.com/






“Le port d’attache” is a charming provençal house perched above Vallauris overlooking the bay of Nice (Baie des anges) and the snow topped mountains nearby. Ideally situated in the heart of the Cote d’azur between Cannes (12 minutes away) and Antibes, you will be warmly welcomed amidst grape vines, fruit and olive trees. The calm and relaxing atmosphere of the house and gardens offers a welcome retreat from an otherwise busy day of sightseeing or meetings. And there is a pool to cool off. We have four comfortable and individually decorated rooms each with its own bathroom en-suite. All rooms are air conditioned and well appointed with flat screen TV, bar fridge, and wifi internet access.

Husband and wife team, Gillian and Daniel Lecadre, who have been cruising the Mediterranean receiving guests on their luxurious yacht for the last 18 years have great pleasure in inviting you to set anchor at their new bed and breakfast, “Le Port d’Attache”. They speak English and French.

Gillian Lecadre
1909 Voie Julia
Quartier de Riquebonne
06220 Vallauris - Golfe-Juan
Phone : +33 (0)4 93 64 90 64 - +33 (0)6 77 08 87 75

Monday, October 18, 2010

Monaco, Cannes France

September 27, 2010
Above, Palace view from McDonalds
Driving around Monaco, Menton, Nice & Cannes France