Sunday Lunch overlooking the Avon Gorge

Sunday 26 February - It has been a mild winter and this weekend felt like spring had arrived. The sun was shining, crocuses and daffodils are blooming everywhere. We spent the morning puttering around the flat and then decided to treat ourselves by going to Lunch and at the Bridge Cafe, overlooking the Avon Gorge with an excellent view of the suspension bridge. We had a vary nice meal, and were even able to sit outside and soakup some sun. It started to turn cool and grey just as we were ready to leave so it was perfect timing.

Grand Gardens and Goodbye to Nice

From Roquebrune we decided to drop down to the coast and make our way back to Nice. We drove Cap Martin and stopped to look at the waves as they crashed against the rocks. Then made our way to cap Ferrat, just outside Nice. Our intention was to just drive around the peninsula to take in some nice views of the ocean but we came across the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and decided to stop and take a look. One of the best decisions we made on the trip we had a lovely time wandering through the fantastic gardens. Each garden was highly planned and decorated and represented a different country or region including Provence, Spain, Japan as well as a stone garden and an exotic garden. The largest of the gardens was the formal French garden where the many fountains were choreographed to accompany classical music. It was a fantastic setting and an amazing display. After visiting the gardens we toured the house. The audio guide was extremely thorough and interesting but unfortunately we had to rush through much of it as we were running short on time. We left just as the villa was closing and the sun setting and made our way back to Nice and managed to thread our way through the city with minimal fuss and make it to the airport in good time.

Relaxing in Roquebrune

Our trip to Roquebrune was exactly what I was hoping for in a trip to Nice. We arrived at the cheerful village, the car park strung with bright bunting. As we started exploring the town we came across a restaurant recommended by one of the guidebooks, Fraise et Chocolate. It was the perfect place to lunch, with a small simple menu of home made food and fresh juice. We sat out on a large terrace balcony overlooking the mountains and a tiny bit of the water. The sun was warm and we took our time eating lunch and then having coffee and cake. We then wandered around the village enjoying its winding streets and colourful houses and pleasant squares. We walked to the 1000 year old Olive tree and enjoying the views of the coast before hitting the road again.

Rambling and Ruins along the Grand Corniche

Monday 20 February - Our last day in Nice and we took our time getting up and checking out of the hotel. We bought some pastries and sat on the beach to eat our breakfast. We then drove over to the Cours Saleya to see the antiques market. We spent an age trying to find a parking space then finally gave up and parked in the garage just below the market itself. We wandered around for a bit and it rained for awhile and then we got back in the car and headed once again toward Monaco. This time we took the Grand Corniche to get some different views. We stopped in the town of La Turbie famous for its massive Roman Ruin the Trophy of the Alps. We wandered around the medieval village, visiting the church and cemetery which had a great view of Monaco. Then we went for a walk following a path that wound up a nearby mountain. Unfortunately the trail was not very clear and the views not very exciting so we turned back after about 45 minutes. Then it was back in the car and on the road toward Roquebrune Cap Martin.

Boder Crossing before Dining

Back in Menton we drove along the coast and crossed the border into Italy. We had every intention of having a nice dinner in Italy but when we stopped in one of the town, Ventamiglia, nothing seemed to be open. We drove back to Menton and wandered around by the port until we found a restaurant that struck our fancy.

St Agnes and more Stairs

Leaving Menton we drove up into the mountains and decided to follow signs for St. Agnes. When we arrived we discovered another quaint perched village. This one is supposedly the highest village in Europe (along the coast). It had lovely views of the surrounding mountains, topped with snow and draped in low lying cloud. We wandered around the village then climbed even higher following a footpath to castle ruins on the very peak of the mountain. The villagers have been making an effort to make the ruins safe and to rebuild parts of the castle. They have also created a lovely little medieval garden. We clambered around the ruins and the garden, getting great views of St. Agnes, the ocean and the mountains. Then as it was starting to get dark we made our way back to the car park and started the rather harrying drive back down the mountain.

A Celebration of Citrus in Menton

The main reason for visiting Menton was the Fete du Citron, another carnival in the region this one celebrates the citrus fruits with a parade of floats decorated with lemons and oranges. Again we arrived in good time to get a decent spot along the parade route and we gain tucked into a packed lunch of baguette and cheese while waiting for it all to kick off. Each float represented a different region in France or Italy. My favorites were the giant snail float and the one representing the Ile De Re area which had giant donkey in pj's (we saw the real thing when we visited a few years ago). There were also dancers, stilt walkers and bands as well as lots of confetti. Some how the parade always seemed to stop with the drummers right in front of where we were standing. Luckily in this parade they don't deconstruct the floats and chuck fruit at the spectators, at the end of the festival, in a few weeks time the fruit will be sold in a big market. We made our way back to the car and took and alternate route out of town to avoid the traffic.