Aix en Provence/Monaco/Nice

We left St. Felix and drove along the southern coast of France to Aix en Provence. We only stayed in Aix for 24 hours, but we loved the old town flower and food market, the sophisticated French feel of the locals and the vibrant energy of the younger generation. We walked all over the city, had some good meals, bought some French pottery and headed for our next destination, Monaco.

We were invited to stay in our friend, Gerard Fosalli’s, hotel, the Vista Palace in Monaco. The Vista is one of those landmark hotels in Monaco that sits way up high on a hill and has forever ocean views and gorgeous panoramic views of Monaco. We had not seen Gerard since he left LA five years ago, so we were really happy to get the chance to spend some time with him. He took very good care of us and we had an incredible suite with views, views and more views! We ventured down to the Casino and harbor area one night and WOW – what a scene! The value of the expensive cars parked outside the casino could end world hunger. The money that passes through Monaco, from all over the world, is astronomical. Historically, the country itself is a bit of a phenomenon, but there’s no denying the absolute beauty of the environment. After completely pampering ourselves for three days, we headed to Nice to do some errands!

Nice was another 24-hour quickie just to drop off our rental car, mail some boxes and catch the train to Cinque Terre. We did have the afternoon to walk along the beach and have a really great meal (our best pizza yet), and just mosey around town. The color of the ocean in Nice rivals the waters off the coast of the Yucatan. The ocean is light green, almost white, when it hits the beach, then darkens to a turquoise green that is unreal. The beaches are rocky and it was really windy, but the skies were blue and the sun was bright and we realized that our souls were at peace and it felt like home being close to the ocean again.

We’re really excited about Cinque Terre. We’re staying for four days in Monterosso al Mare and plan to hike the trails and see all five cities of this beautiful region!