Tag Archive | Monte Carlo

Au Revoir Cote d’Azur, Bonjour Paris

Dec27

December 2, 2016, Friday:

From Nice to Paris:

When we awoke in Nice with the realization that our direct non-stop train back to Paris was only at 11.00 am, we made the impromptu decision to go back to Monte Carlo for breakfast—this was so that Llew could see the city (and the country, Monaco) by day. With our bags packed and left waiting for our return, we set out to Nice station and boarded a train that was leaving for Monte Carlo right away.

It was while we were on the train that I realized that it would be making a stop at Eze—which is reputedly one of the prettiest villages on the Cote D’Azur. I talked Llew into getting off and exploring it with me. However, the train station is called Eze Sur Mer—i.e. Eze by the Water. The village of Eze which is visit-worthy is tucked up high in the steep gray mountains that are a backdrop to the small village near the station. There we made inquiries about a bus that would take us up to the village—but we soon discovered that there was nothing until 10.00 am and that taxis to get to the top would cost us no less than 50 euros—plus, when we arrived at the top, the entire town would be closed as nothing opened until 10.00 am. Left with very little choice, we made the decision to scrap our plans for Eze Village and to return to the station to board a train to Monte Carlo. We lost about twenty minutes in the process, but there was still time for us to take in the city by daylight.

Breakfast in Monaco:

Luckily for us, a train pulled up pretty soon—within ten minutes—and off we went to Monte Carlo. We hurried out and walked towards the waterfront. En route, we picked up chocolate brioche from a supermarket and takeaway coffee and seated at the edge of the water with small watercraft and luxury yachts lined up in the harbor as well as the stone façade of the Royal Palace of Monaco (that I have visited and toured on a previous visit about 30 years ago when both Prince Rainier and Princess Grace were still alive), munched quite happily. The gorgeous buildings that we had seen, the previous night, clinging precariously to the sloping mountains looked completely different (but no less pleasing) by day. We took a few photographs as we sat on the parapet overlooking the harbor and ate. The temperature was just perfect and the scene could not have been more exciting. I was glad that although our return detour to Monte Carlo was brief, it was still completely worthwhile.

On the Train from Nice to Paris:

Back in our hotel, we picked up our bags and made our way to Nice station well in time for the 11.00 am train that took us non-stop to Paris. As was to be expected, we thoroughly enjoyed the ride along the Cote d’Azur that we were lucky to do for the second time. I sat by the window and took as many pictures as I could take from a moving train which basically retraced our route of the previous day going through Marseilles and Avignon and the green fields of Provence before taking us through the vineyards of Bordeaux and on to Paris where we arrived at about 4.00 pm at Gare de Lyon. We walked a few minutes across the Seine to Gare Austerlitz to pick up Llew’s consigned bag from the Left Luggage Locker and then took the Metro to make our way on the RER (B) to Cite-Universitaire where I had booked a room for the week at the Fondation des Etats-Unis. It was so exciting to get back in the RER train again as I had become familiar with this route during the summer I had spent in Paris, four years ago.

Settling into Cite Universitaire and Strolling Around Paris:

It was not long before we were picking up the key to our room at the Fondation. Indeed, it felt great to come home again—in a sense, as this place had been a much-loved home for me, a few years ago. Deciding again to make the most of Llew’s last night in Paris, we bought a carnet (book) of ten metro tickets and took the RER (B) again to St. Michel. From this stop, it is just the crossing of a road that gets you to the Parvis (courtyard) of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and it was there, bathed in lovely soft light, that we took pictures of Paris by Night.

Our aim to get to the Ile de St. Louis to pick up ice-cream from the famed Berthillon Ice-Cream Parlor where we had frequently eaten ice-cream on our last stay in Paris. We got there by the skin of our teeth at 8.00 pm just before they closed. Llew chose Dark Chocolate and Glazed Chestnut flavors while I chose the Glazed Chestnut and the Passionfruit Sorbet. They were just delicious. Eating our ice-cream, we strolled along the banks of the Seine taking in the sights of the Eiffel Tower flickering again as it does at every hour. We stopped on the Pont d’Archeveche (which used to be festooned with the infamous locks—but not anymore!) to take more pictures and, walking along the quai, we returned to St. Michel to board our train and get back to our accommodation for the night.

Llew’s last night in France and of his holiday turned out to be perfect. We had two splendid weeks together and it was with a heavy heart that I would see him leave on the morrow. He was to awake very early to get to the airport and I decided to accompany him on the metro train for part of the way after which I would switch to a long-distance train to the Loire Valley as I still had use of our unlimited eight-day train tickets.

A demain!                         

 

Everything’s Nice About Nice and Monte Carlo

Dec27

December 1, Thursday:

Everything’s Nice About Nice and Monte Carlo, Cote d’Azur          

We left Genevieve’s place rather early in the morning for our train to the Cote d’Azur after quick showers. Unfortunately, we did not have the time to enjoy the breakfast pastries that Geneveive and Frederic had laid out of us—brioche de pralines (which is a specialty of Lyon), pain de raisins and pain de chocolate. But we carried them with us to enjoy at our leisure once we were on the train.

To our enormous surprise, we needed reservations for the train to Nice and since we did not have them, we could not board the one that was leaving shortly. Instead, we got reservations for the following one (that left at 11.00 am). We ate our breakfast pastries with hot chocolate that we picked up from Paul’s Patisserie at the station and had them in the waiting room.

Train Ride to Nice:

We did board our train at 11.00 am and gave ourselves up to the enjoyment of yet another lovely train ride through the heart of France. This ride took us through Provence and the folk- song town of Avignon (Sur le Pont d’Avignon, on y danse, etc.) where we passed by one of its famed aqueducts (it was not the Pont du Gard although I have seen that before on another visit to Provence about 30 years ago!).

However, the real glory of the ride began once we passed Marseilles and reached the azure-blue Mediterranean coast where the scenery changed dramatically to reflect the rocky red coastline and the snazzy towns that have mushroomed along it. Indeed we took many pictures of the dazzling waterfront with its low-growing trees, its snaking highway (made famous in many Hitchcock films), its pretty white towns and then the well-known cities that have made the area famous: Juan Les Pins, Antibes, Cannes. Boats of varied size and shape were moored in the waters, hotels perched at the edge sported interesting shapes and forms and when we arrived in Cannes, its unmistakable palm trees defined it very well. This drive is one of the most beautiful in the world and I was glad that we were able to do it by train so that Llew too (who usually does the driving) could enjoy it fully.

Touring Nice on Foot:

Eventually we arrived at our destination—the city of Nice. We had made a reservation in the Hotel du Midi which happened to be just a five minute walk from the station. We popped into the Tourist Information Center, got ourselves maps and asked for suggestions on how we could spend the few hours left to us—as it was already 4.00 pm and we had only a few hours before daylight disappeared. The lovely lady gave us very precise instructions and we set out for our hotel to drop our bags off and start our exploration of the city on foot.

Hotel du Midi turned out to be just lovely. Its location was splendid, it was cozy and clean and met all our needs. Since it was just about morning in Los Angeles, we thought of Facetiming with Chriselle as it was her birthday and we were keen to made facial contact with her before setting out on our sightseeing jaunt. We were very lucky that we were able to get her for a few minutes and were able to convey our wishes before a bad connection ended our call.

Then, stashing our stuff away, we grabbed our maps and set out on foot to find Avenue Jean Medecin which is the main artery that cuts through the city and arrives at the waterfront. When we passed by the Church of Notre-Dame, we stepped on for a visit to pray for Chriselle on her birthday.

Avenue Jean Medecin is a busy thoroughfare, lined on both sides by stores of all kinds as well as fast-food places. We walked briskly towards the water but stopped at Cours Saleya where a large sculpture saying ‘I Love Nice’ had been set up in front of a series of water fountains. Indeed Nice is a very pretty city and Cours Saleya with its pink-fronted low arcaded buildings and its Christmas Tree made a good entry point for our stroll along the famous waterfront.

A Stroll Along the Waterfront in Nice:

Nice has a very wide promenade that was filled with joggers, dog-walkers and flaneurs when we arrived there. The Promenade des Etats-Unis leads to the Promenade des Anglais which is the most hip part of the scene. The beach is sandy and wide and, in summer, is covered with near-naked bodies, sun-bathing. On this chilly evening, it was quite deserted, but we did walk towards the waves and attempted to dip our toes into the water. Once at the Promenade des Anglais, we admired the hotels on the other side as twilight had fallen and the lights had come on across the street. Sunset painted the sky in appealing autumnal shades of yellow, salmon pink and cream. The Hotel Negressco is particularly striking and we entered its lobby for a little look around.

Then deciding not to waste precious time, we retraced our steps, this time along the road passing by all the grand hotels and arriving at Cours Saleya in search of Fragonard, the famed French perfumier who has its base in nearby Grasse—where the perfumes are actually made and where the flowers are grown. Thankfully, Fragonard’s showroom in Nice was well-stocked and I ended up buying the soap and perfume I wanted to replenish my stocks. We then walked back to our hotel to leave our packages there and decided to take a train to Monte Carlo in Monaco that was just a 20 minute drive away with the idea of having dinner there.

Dinner at Bouchon in Monte Carlo:

We found a train from Nice to Monte Carlo leaving within ten minutes and off we went to one of the world’s ritziest cities in one of the world’s smallest countries—Monaco. Although it was already dark when we arrived there, we asked for directions on foot to Bouchon, a Lyonnaise-style eatery that offers traditional French food. We were told to head towards the waterfront—so off we went. I have to say that speaking fluent French is a huge advantage as it was so easy to get anywhere simply by asking for and receiving directions.

En route, we passed by the world-reputed Grand Casino set in a fairy-tale like building. I would have liked to step into it, but Llew was hungry and wished to eat dinner. On we went past some of the most beautiful buildings and swankiest shops. Indeed, in the soft reflection of fluorescent lights, Monte Carlo glowed softly. It was quite magical indeed.

When we arrived at Bouchon, we found it to be the perfect French place. We started off with red wine then moved on to steak-frites and an assorted cheese and fruit place for dessert. We did not hurry over dinner as we felt sure we had plenty of trains to get us back to Nice. But at the end of our meal, when I took a look at the time table, I found that the last train to Nice had left long ago! We were stumped as to how we should proceed—would a cab be in order? Would we end up spending a night in pricey Monte Carlo?

Without wasting any more time, we paid our bill and hurried along to the station by tracing our steps back and found that a train would actually be leaving in exactly 6 minutes! There was no time to lose. We hotfooted it to the platform and managed to make the train in the nick of time—the female conductor actually waited for us to board it before giving the signal for departure! I was a panting mess when I plopped down in the train, but at the end of the day, we made it back to Nice at about 11. 30 pm, walked to our hotel and made straight for bed after what had been a most exciting day.

A demain!