Remember When I Went to Europe?

So, after we got back from Europe in January, I had grand plans of writing a post about each country/city we visited: Paris, Bruges, Brussels, Nice, Amsterdam & Interlaken. I only got through Paris and half of Nice.

But, now I've been given a reason to continue sharing my stories thanks to Helene. So let's travel back in time.

The date: January 3, 2013. The location: Nice, France.

The most wonderful thing about Nice, aside from being beautiful, having amazing food, and being right on water, is that it's so close to so many places. In one day, you could visit Italy, Monaco and France, all in one train ride. And that's exactly what we did—almost.

We hopped on the train and headed East. First stop: Menton. Menton is about the farthest East you can go on the train before you get to Ventimiglia, Italy. It was a beautiful town, but in retrospect, would have been more fun to visit when the weather was warm. That didn't stop us from having lunch on the boardwalk, enjoying a drink and soaking up some sun.

After we wandered the city, we got back on the train and headed West. Next stop: Monte Carlo. Full disclosure: We only stopped in Monte Carlo so that we could we say we went there.

Fun facts: Monaco has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita, the lowest poverty rate, lowest employment rate (0%),  and the highest life expectancy (90 year old).

We walked the coast, explored the shopping areas, and of course, went to see the famous Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo. We didn't go into it, as we were sure we were not classy enough to be allowed in, but we went to the poor man's casino where we promptly lost 20 euro, and left.

 

Back on the train we went. Next stop: Èze.

Èze eze awesome.

View of the sea walking through the village.

It's a charming hilltop village overlooking a high cliff (1,401 ft) above sea level on the French Mediterranean. The view is like, jaw-droppingly beautiful. 

The famous fountain in Eze. Until 1900, all water for the residents of Eze had to be hauled by man 

or beast up to the hilltop village. This is the town's only public fountain.

And the town itself is so quaint - cobblestone streets, and local perfumeries and art galleries run rampant. 

Bryan and I sat on the patio of this cute hotel for hours, drinking cafe and Coca-Cola Light. We couldn't stop talking about how amazing this city was. 

After our lovely day trip(s), we went to the best.dinner.ever. The restaurant was Le Maquis. Super small - the kitchen was upstairs -  barrels for tables, chalkboard menus, and since we had to wait, they gave us complimentary champagne as an apertif. Um, OK. After a short wait, we were seated and offered the menu, which changes frequently based on what's fresh. B got prawns on a bed of risotti, and I got "fried" chicken, which was stuffed with cheese and some type of olive tapenade. My mouth is literally watering as I remember it. These pictures do no justice.

And there you have it. folks, Nice was fabulous, probably my favorite region we visited on our whole trip. Have you ever been? What did you love?

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