During the last part of our trip, Aaron and I spent 4 full days in the
Cote d'Azur, exploring different sea-side towns, visiting
an array of museums and historical sites, trying the local
food and drink (yes, that included absinthe), and spending time
admiring the natural beauty and pristine architecture around us.
During those 4 days, we visited a total of 7 towns, and even though
that may seem a bit much or fast-paced, it frankly wasn't as we took
our time in each place so that we were truly able to
grasp and understand its essence and history.
Similar to Provence in being a hyped and iconic part of France, the
Cote d'Azur too lived up to its reputation as beautiful and
breath-taking, but what made this trip so memorable and so great was the conversations
and experiences I had with my travel companion.
Unlike our other trips where we would be in crowded youth hostels
or part of a free-walking tour, Aaron and I were on our own and alone. Thus, we
evidently spent a lot of time together, and I feel that I learned more about him during
those six days than I had in three years at Pomona. For those of you who don't know
him, he is truly amazing individual, and while there is still much
more to learn about this crazy and complicated individual, this trip made me fully realize
how grateful I am to have him as a friend.
MONDAY, MAY 25TH
A FULL DAY IN NICE, OUR BASE
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| Exploring Nice's old town |
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| We found Nice to be brighter and more colorful than Arles in Provence |
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| Nice and the English Promenade from atop of Mont Baron Park |
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| Port Lympia |
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| Descending back into the old city |
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| Spices and aromas from the region |
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| Cours Saleya Antique Market |
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| Place Masséna |
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| Another angle of the Place |
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| La Promenade du Paillon |
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| Aaron's Footloose-inspired pose in the Prince Albert I Park |
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| A carousel in the garden |
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| Walking along the famed English promenade |
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| So much for wanting a small, light lunch ;) |
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| Musée Masséna, home to Nice's history museum |
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| Trinkets from its 19th century heyday |
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| Visiting the Marc Chagall Museum (Note that that is a tapestry replication of one of his paintings, not a painting on a canvas or tapestry) |
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| From far away, it looks like a painting, doesn't it? |
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| A close-up of one of the tapestries |
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| One of his paintings |
TUESDAY, MAY 26TH
MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON: ANTIBES
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| Antibes' harbor |
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| One of its many quaint squares |
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| Smelling, eyeing, and sampling many treats and delicacies at Antibes' famous provençal market |
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| A traditional niçoise snack: Socca, a doughy pancake filled with chickpeas |
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| The market |
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| Our lunch from the market: Fresh sausage, cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, and herb spiced olives |
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| One of Antibes' many charming streets in its old city |
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| Besides its market, Antibes is also well-known for housing a small, but nonetheless respected Picasso Museum (pictured left) |
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| One of his statues in the courtyard of his museum |
LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN CANNES
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| The Palais des Congres where the Cannes Film Festival is held. Unfortunately, the Festival ended just a few days before our arrival, but we were able to see some of the set-up for the event. |
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| Pretending to be the movie stars themselves along Cannes' board walk |
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| Dedicated to PPWS |
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| Cartier's display |
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| One of the chichi hotels along the boardwalk |
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| When in Nice, strut and be somebody |
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| The grand entrance |
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| Definitely ready for our close-up and red carpet arrival |
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| The view of Cannes for its fort |
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| Channeling my inner movie star Not bad, right? |
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27TH
MORNING IN EZE VILLAGE
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| Eze was a small medieval town on top of a hill that is famous for its charm, beauty, and view of the Mediterranean |
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| A view of the Jardin Exotique, Eze's highest viewing point from below |
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| Le Jardin Exotique: A succulent and statue garden that was designed amongst Eze's fort ruins |
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| It was so incredibly beautiful |
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| The trail that connects Eze Village to Eze sur Mer is known as Nietzsche's path as it was along this path that the German philosopher was inspired to write one of his major works |
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| Eze sur Mer |
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| Eze Village up above |
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| Pasta lunch at a restaurant right along the sea |
MONACO IN THE AFTERNOON
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| Monte Carlo Casino |
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| The Grand Prix trophies (The event took place just a few days before our arrival) |
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| The Royal Palace |
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| The harbor |
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| Finding my inner Grace Kelly |
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| Prince Albert II and Princess Charlotte |
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| Visiting Monaco's renowned Oceanic Institute |
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| The Institute from afar |
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| Monaco's other harbor |
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| Monaco's Cathedral |
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| Exploring Monaco's old town and courtyards |
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| The palace from afar |
MENTON FOR DINNER
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| Walking along the board walk |
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| Fine dining once again along the sea |
MORNING IN NICE
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| Spending a leisurely morning at the Musée Matisse, located in the Hill of Museums in the Cimitiez neighborhood |
AFTERNOON IN GRASSE
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| Grasse is a small hill-top town a half hour from Cannes and is considered to be the world capital of perfume as many factories and flower fields and orchards are found here |
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| Taking part in all the smell sampling stations during our tour of the History of Perfume Museum |
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| The 19th century cologne that my father still has and uses back in CA |
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| Exploring Grasse's narrow streets |
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