Swept Away HR46 at anchor Second Wind at anchor Northern Exposure at anchor

Glaciers in the south of France are so proud of the homemade ice cream they sell that they decorate it with the fruits and nuts of their flavors. We've seen ice cream that looks like an Italian tiramisu dessert and ice cream with most of a cracked coconut on top. 

The beaches of Nice are world famous, but the city is also well endowed with museums, ancient ruins, beautiful churches, and manicured squares.

The Hotel Negresco is the most famous on the Riviera. The Hotel was founded by the Romanian Henri Negresco in the early 20th century and designed by a famed belle époque architect from the Netherlands. The owner had anticipated that it would draw a royal clientele, but he did not anticipate World War I to begin the next year. The hotel instead became a hospital, and by the end of the war, many of the royals in the potential guest list had disappeared.

The hotel has been brought back to its original splendor, apparent in the rotunda at left. We splurged on lunch in the fine restaurant. We ordered the prix fixe three course lunch, but the waiters kept returning with additional surprises, such as some amuse bouches (appetizers), a fennel gazpacho, and petits fours alongside our dessert.

Villefranche, above, is among the most beautiful anchorages in the Mediterranean. Hills hundreds of feet high sweep up from the round bay, dotted with white and beige houses with terra-cotta colored roofs. Parts of the ancient stone walls remain, covered with bougainvillea. We walked to the church whose steeple is shown above, a trip that was mostly uphill. The photo above right is from the rue obscure, a 13th century underpass where the town’s population would take refuge during bombardments over the centuries, including World War II.

Menton, claimed to be the warmest resort on the Riviera, is just across a small ridge from Italy. The city is best known for its lemon crop, and celebrates each year with a festival that calls for 100 tons of citrus fruit to decorate the parade floats. Because it's just next to Italy, some of the workers in the shops speak Italian to each other and barely speak French.

The city is a perfect size for us; there are enough shops, restaurants and attractions to keep us busy, yet it's not so large that we couldn't learn our way around or walk all around town while we visited. The old town is carved into a hill; the walk to the church and cemetery required one step up for each two steps across. 


 

The principality of Monaco (clicking this link will open a new window) is Europe's oldest dynasty that is active in the management of government affairs. The entire country takes up only about one square mile, much of it covered with beautiful buildings like the Monte Carlo casino shown at left. It is forbidden to wear bathing attire or have a bare chest or bare feet anywhere in town. Citizens pay no taxes, yet the wealth of Monaco (probably coming from the casino and other tourism) is so apparent that there are public gardens everywhere. It's as if the whole place could be lifted up and deposited in a Disney park.