The rest of the French Riviera...or all the other thiings

As the second annual visit to this region comes to an end.....a theme is beginning to evolve.  People, our people, really love the French Riviera!  The top ten list provides a snapshot of addresses to visit, fantastic markets,  historic villages, beautiful majestic natural geography.

Some places I didn't really dive into much, such as: Les Gorges du Verdon.  The grand canyon of Europe.  Breathtaking views without a single village in sight.  A place of extreme nature, hiking, kayaking, camping are the focus in this area.  A group of us took the time to travel to this marvelous switchback riddled road, to capture a part of France you would not expect.

At the end of the road, a medieval village called Moustiers Sainte Marie.  Hugged by ancient walls, divided by a narrow fast running river, this village is best known for earthenware tiles, with over 14 workshops sprinkled throughout the village.

  Handmade plates adorn many of the walls and doors, creating an artful invitation to each small street as you wander up toward the centre of town.  Two rocky mountains stand above and to each side of the village, casting a welcoming shadow on the town in the heat of the summer.  If you look closely you will see a chain that connects the two rocky crests, supporting a star hung there by a knight of the Crusades.  The food is amazing here too!  We found a little bistro tucked into a small street.  Da Vinci's had 20 seats all but two full when we arrived..... lucky for us.  

The menu sounded perfect, the taste was even better.....

Hungry yet?  We also enjoyed a nice Rose, from Provence of course.  I can still smell the foie gras.....

Speaking of food, in October, we Canadians celebrate food and coming together..... of course I am referring to Thanksgiving.  Well we have 60-70 Canadians here in the Riviera, they like turkey, we like turkey, so we must have it.  Johanne and I made a mad tour throughout the town of Cannes, in search of a restaurateur capable of serving up a Thanksgiving dinner that would equal the taste and appetite of the group.  There is an art to arranging such an undertaking.  First, every single restaurant owner will say no!  You must start with the obligatory, Bonjour.  Then gently approach the foreign concept of turkey for dinner when it is not Christmas.  If you got that far in the discussion then the second roadblock would be presented.  The chef would say, "I can do it, but there are no turkeys at this time of year."   followed by the question "How about big chickens"?  To which we... correction, Johanne would reply, "we just left the Marche Forville, where no less then 5 Boucheries had turkey proudly displayed in their coolers"  In the end we found a fantastic venue.  

Turkey dinner with all the fixings!  Everyone came.... had a huge 3 course feast including unlimited wine for 20 euros each!   I should point out, this is our second French Riviera Thanksgiving dinner.  Last year's event was held in St. Laurent du Var with equally impressive results.  For the record, I did offer to join the chef's in their kitchen to teach them my world famous turkey stuffing recipe.  That resulted in the third NO of the negotiation.  

I wrote about attending the Auto show last year.  Well, a few of the guys from this year wanted to go.  I figured it would be a piece of cake this year.  I knew the route, the venue, basically like riding a bike.  Once you know how, you never forget.  So on the fateful day, three of us headed out.  Shuttle to Cannes, board the 200 bus to Nice, ride until we get to the stop after the St. Laurent du Var train station.  Walk to the venue.  Check on all of the above.  Everything worked according to plan...well almost everything.  The auto show changed venues.  Crap!!!  In bad French we managed to find out that the new venue was at the stadium 10KMs away.  We made arrangements for a taxi, arriving without further incident.  The show was considerably larger then last year.  We had a great day.  Except for the return!!!!!! This stadium is home to the Nice football team, seats 20-30 thousand people on a regular basis, and most importantly has absolutely no transit service.  No Taxi stand.  No hope.  We wandered into the Museum of Sport, where we found a nice young woman who spoke much better English then our French.  She directed us to a bus stop not to far away.  We walked, and walked, and walked.  No bus.  10,000 steps later, thanks to some fitness monitoring technology, we found ourselves back at the stadium.  I approached a traffic security officer, not a real cop, more like a venue security type, to ask further directions.  He asked, "Do you want a ride to "La Promenade des Anglais?"  "oui" I responded.  Within minutes, we are shuffled into an Audi following a Mercedes full of lost tourists like us, for an F1 style race through the city streets of Nice.  Our driver paddle-shifting his way between obstacles in an effort to stay exactly two inches from the bumper of his friend in the Mercedes.  30 euros later we were happily deposited directly in front of the station where our #200 bus back to Cannes was boarding.  What a day.  Cool cars, racing in the streets and we will make it back in time for happy hour with a new story to tell, grinning from ear to ear.  

We have discovered so many things visiting the Riviera, it is regretful that I can not record all the details here.  One of the activities we most often receive comments on is the Happy Hour.  

While traveling with our groups we always arrange for a meeting from 5-7 each night.  This allows everyone to swap stories on places they have visited,  catch up on the news from us regarding things to do, and of course have a glass of wine, beer, water etc.  The happy hour in France has a twist.  We managed to corner a space off the pool deck, with a view to the Med no less,  where we are able to bring our own choice of beverage and a snack to share among the group.  Well, needless to say this activity became the place to see and be seen.   The food on offer became more glamorous as the days passed.  The more people explored the markets and the bistro's of the region, the better the appetizers got.   With a view like this....good food and wine, how can one go wrong.

 There is so much to like about this place, we can't wait to go back.  Our guest felt the same.  The feedback from so many was simply wonderful.  Our last happy hour included every single guest on the tour.  We even had a musical performance from three of our guests!!!!  Many songs were enjoyed...they even wrote one for the group. 

An amazing place.... come join us next year to feel the magic.

Be well

Sante