C is for Côte d’Azur

November 3, 2023 /

Last September, my cousin Carey and I took a 2 1/2 week trip to France. She and her wife have a time share situation, which they pay a lot of money for, and she offered me the opportunity to go with her to France, since Diane (her wife) didn’t want to go to Europe. Carey lived in France for awhile in the mid-80s, and hadn’t been back since.

We spent our first week in the South of France, the Côte d’Azur, in the hillside town of Mougins. Mougins is certainly a touristic area, though not as busy as Nice, Cannes, or Antibes. Like so many of the hillside towns, Mougins has a Medieval village, with narrow streets and shops selling artisan wares. We ogled art, had a delicious lunch, and purchased dish towels and jams. It’s lovely.

We rented a car and drove to Nice, where we saw a lovely Russian Cathedral, and the amazing Chagall museum. We walked on the Promenade des Anglais and had gelato and enjoyed the beauty of this lovely city. I wish we had spent more time here.

We drove across the border into Italy, which was lovely. We walked around Ventimiglia and had pizza in Sanremo. I wish we had planned Italy a little better, we didn’t really have a plan. Sometimes that is fine, but as it was we didn’t see much.

We drove up the hill from Mougins to Grasse, a little town known for its perfume industry, and down the hill to Cannes, where we took a boat day trip to Saint Tropez. We enjoyed baguettes and croissants and walked 7 – 10 miles a day. It was a wonderful week! I know if I get a chance to return, I will have a willing travel companion. Maya REALLY wants to see this part of France, and was very disappointed that she couldn’t come with us. Somehow I think Ted could easily be persuaded as well.

My alphabet theme is timed perfectly today to tell you that today is Carey’s birthday! Happy Birthday Carey! Here she is last year, enjoying a chocolate croissant while we amble around the narrow streets of the old town part of Mougins. We bought our breakfast every day at the same boulongerie, and the gentleman holding the bread for our photo helped us graciously every day.

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