Èze
A friend was visiting from out of town who shared my desire to explore more of the nearby charming towns of southern France. So we got on a bus (#82 to be exact) in Nice and headed east for twenty minutes (this part of France is lousy with adorable villages, so you don’t have to wander far afield to find one).
We hopped off at the Village of Èze – a small, walled, Medieval town perched atop a hill. It’s almost sickeningly perfect – every single detail was just so charming that we didn’t know where to look next.
Then we paid 4 Euro (this is the off season winter price – during peak summer season this’ll set you back 17 € ) to enter the Jardin botanique d’Èze. I’d say it was a fairly good investment since we were literally stunned into silence by the views.
Even though we’re both recovering Catholics, we took a chance and gave the church a gander for good measure.
Then we descended from this lofty ville down to the train station in Èze-sur-Mer via Nietzsche’s Path. I was worried our heads would get filled with depressing, existential thoughts, but the blue skies and incredible vistas pushed any potential philosophical notions away.
Monaco
From Èze-sur-Mer we hopped on the SCNF train for 2 stops to Monte Carlo where we were immediately greeted to this sight:
We walked down to the harbor where we re-grouped and re-fueled with some cappuccino and patisserie (because Europe). Then we hit the cobblestone streets again where I spied a castle on a hill to which I was drawn like a moth to a flame. Surely there’s been a vacancy since Princess Grace that they’re looking for another American to fill?
At the top of the hill we got a closer look at the Prince’s Palace and were also delighted to discover the narrow paths of Vieux Monaco- another European town which was almost too perfect to be real.
Although clouds had descended in the afternoon and threatened to put a a damper on our day, they wound up provided a stunning backdrop for the last of the sun’s glow. As the evening descended, the city became even more magical as it lit up. Alas, we had to reluctantly tear ourselves away from this charming playground of the rich to return to Nice (via the 100x bus) so my friend could head to the airport and leave all the picturesque prettiness of the Côte d’Azur behind.