Since we still weren't in the mood for winter, we tried a tour of the French Riviera to see if we could enjoy a bit of sun. Well! for 2 days out of 3 we managed it. We set off on 7/12/06 around 18.00 and after a stop at a motorway service station for dinner, we arrived in Nice around midnight at the hotel booked online. We left the cars in the garage near the hotel and took possession of our rooms.
Day 18 Dec 2006
Grasse e Cannes
On the first day we set off for Grasse, the city of perfumes. Along the road you come across signs for visiting the many perfume factories, but we went to the oldest and most famous one: Fragonard. The free guided tour in Italian was interesting and naturally the final passage through the outlet where you can buy at better prices than in the shops, both perfumes and lots of scented little gifts that we bought for Christmas presents. From soaps in various shapes and various scents, to bubble baths, to scented creams…there's something for every taste and every price. The tour of the town, the little shops and the narrow old streets, unfortunately ended with rain and after lunch we set off for Cannes. Cannes at Christmas time is like so many other towns, decorated and with a nice Christmas market, not at all to be envied to those in the Tyrol or Trentino.
Unfortunately here too the relentless rain didn't allow us to fully enjoy the city…but the next day was splendid and we roamed around all of Nice on foot.
Market - Spices
Day 29 Dec 2006
Nizza
The old town is enchanting, full of shops of all kinds, both food shops and shops selling various objects; there are little streets with antique dealers and art galleries and little squares with stalls selling fresh fish and seagulls waiting to get a bit of food. Since it's Christmas, in the square connecting the old town to the new one we also find the little market with stalls, the "snow-covered" trees and the ice-skating rink. There's also a small funfair that lets us see all of Nice and the blue of the sea, from the top of the ferris wheel. Walking through the old town you arrive at Cours Saleya, where the flower and fruit market reigns supreme with its colours and scents. From here you reach the most famous street of "worldly" Nice: the Promenade des Anglais. The promenade, the Hotel Negresco, the blue chairs along the seafront…everything as in times gone by.
After a hearty lunch in a little outdoor restaurant (and it's December!!!) along the Promenade, we head towards the new part for a bit of shopping in a huge shopping centre, very busy in the gift-giving season and extremely well stocked..The evening catches up with us…exhausted!!!
Eze little square
Day 310 Dec 2006
Eze
For the last day we had booked, on the way back, a visit to the medieval village of Eze. Perched on a mountain, it is an absolute gem that is absolutely worth a visit. From here the view is enchanting and it feels like being on top of the world. Then the time came to leave and after a lunch stop in San Remo, we return to Bologna.
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