Entry #33 Nice is Nice

Before I tell you about our travels in France I want to share Zoe's reaction to the death of Micheal Jackson. On our trip to Jordan her donkey at Petra was named Micheal Jackson. She has fond memories of MJ and often talks about her time on that donkey. We were driving in the car when the radio DJ made the announcement that Micheal Jackson was dead. From the backseat Zoe was shocked,"My donkey is dead? What happened? Did he get hit by a car, did he fall off the mountain?" I had to explain that her donkey was actually named after a singer. She didn't seem convinced that this was the case and she continues to mourn the lose of MJ her donkey.

Now on to France! Nice, France was beautiful and the weather was incredible. It was awesome to see green trees and the distinct absence of garbage. We rented an apartment for our stay and I think that made a huge difference in our experience. Every morning we bought fresh bread (and chocolate croissants) for breakfast and then packed a lunch and headed out to explore Nice and the surrounding areas.

The front of the apartment overlooked a busy and loud street. Isaac and Zoe liked watching the cars and buses go by.

Our view from the kitchen window. All the apartments were very close together and we could hear people's conversation (among other things!) as if they were in our apartment.

Day 1: Saturday

We took a double decker bus around the city. It stopped at different places and we could get off and explore and then jump back on. It was a great way to see the city, but unfortunately Isaac got hit in the face by an overhanging tree branch and now he seems to have a tree phobia!

One of the stops on the tour was the Chagall Museum and we decided to go in for a visit. It wasn't a very successful experience. Long story short, we lasted 10 minutes (for 13 Euros) in the actual museum. Zoe was a maniac, trying to touch all the art and Isaac ran full speed into a full glass window. I turned around just in time to see him bounce off the window and hit the floor. He sustained a bloody nose and another bump on his head. As we left the women at the front desk asked "is that it?" Good times, good times!

Some work by Chagall.

The next few pictures are some pictures of Nice.

Isaac before the tree hit him!

Isaac after the tree hit him!

Day 2: Sunday

Took a mini-train around the city and the kids loved that. Then we took the bus (with the help of a very nice women) to Phoenix Park and had a picnic and played on a great playground. We ended up walking back (7 km) along the Promanade D'Anglais so the kids could nap in the stroller.

The Promanade D'Anglais is a long stretch of sidewalk that goes along the beach. People walk, jog, roller blade and bike. Zoe seemed surprised by the "boys running without their shirts on." However, she didn't seem to notice the girls on the beaches without their shirts on!

That night Zoe was excited to go out to dinner and she wanted to get "fancy". As you can see from the picture we were quite fancy!

Day 3: Monday

We decided a day tour was the easiest way to see the towns along the Riviera. We took a day tour that included the towns of Antibes, Cannes, Grasse, Gourdon, Tourretts Sur-Loup and Saint Paul de Vence. We had a lovely tour guide and shared the van with two lovely elderly women from the UK and two cranky Ukrainians. The towns were only 20 minutes apart so it worked out really well for the kids.

The perfume factory/museum in Grasse was very cool and we made it through the whole tour!!

Tourrettes Sur Loup was my favourite spot. It was a beautiful old French Village and had awesome violet ice cream.

Cannes was a disappointment. Most importantly, I did not see George Clooney! We literally only stayed there for about 15 minutes. As soon as the Film Festival ends all the stars clear out. The tour guide said the only thing to do in Cannes is to shop at very expensive stores! The kids did enjoy a merry-go-round.

Another let down was Saint Paul de Vence. It was wonderful little town where artists live and work so there were some beautiful stores. I saw a little statue that I thought would be nice to add to our collection. When I enquired about the price I am fairly sure she said 3000. I was very close to asking if that was dollars or euros. I decided to save my dignity and just leave since we couldn't afford 3000 dollars or euros. Needless to say we did not stop into any other stores. We did see where Chagall was buried.

Day 4: Tuesday

Today was the day we decided to rub elbows with the rich; we headed off to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Our apartment was just a few minutes walk to the train station and Monaco was a twenty minute train ride away.

The kids at the train station.

We decided to buy a new car while we were there!

We took a mini train ride around Monaco and into Monte Carlo. Jamie asked me if being seen on a mini train would hurt my chances with George Clooney. My response was that George would see beyond the mini train and it would be love at first sight. (Of course, it wouldn't hurt if I was 24 and a waitress!) Luckily for Jamie, GC was not in Monaco.

Family picture overlooking Monaco.

The famous casino in Monte Carlo!

The Royal Palace in Monaco.

A statue that I liked in a park near the palace.

Day 5: Wednesday

We took the city bus to the village of Eze. I think the highlight for the kids was the bus ride and the wooden toys we bought for them. However for Jamie and I, the old town of Eze was our favourite spot. It was quaint and picturesque. There were some great shops (that we could afford) and we bought a mask made out of the root of an olive tree for our collection. Unfortunately, the people who designed Eze did not think about accessibility for strollers. Jamie got quite a workout putting the stroller up and down and carrying it up many flights of stairs.

Day 6: Thursday (last day!)

We couldn't go to the South of France without going to a beach so on our last day in Nice we headed to the beach. We took a wrong train and ended up back in in Monaco but the problem was easily fixed and we arrived in Villefranche Sur Mer and the beach. The weather was great and the water was warm.

In the afternoon we visited the Russian Orthodox church. Apparently, many Russians fled to France during the Russian Revolution. The church looked huge from the outside but when we went in it was quite small. Once again it was a very quick visit; burning candles and children are not a good combination.

I took some random pictures of old doors that I thought were neat. Zoe saw that I was taking pictures of doors and decided to model for me and I have included a few of those shots as well.

After being in Kuwait for a year, where there are big cars and SUVs everywhere (including our own!), it was refreshing to see so many people on scooters and driving small cars. This little car was the smallest we saw. It was just a little bit longer than our stroller.

And that brings you up-to-date on our latest travels. I will try and be more timely on my next entry.