Cote d’ Azur
Our family spent 12 fun-filled days in the Cote d’ Azur and Provence for Spring Break. We stayed in a little town near St Tropez called Port Grimaud.
The South of France is a beautiful area with many different landscapes. From hilltop towns, to sun-drenched beaches, lavender, to palm trees, it has it all!
We can’t wait to go back. Until then, Au Revoir…
Cote d’ Azur
We spent Spring Break in the Cote d’ Azur, France. It was the best trip ever! And the first Cummings/Kling adventure. We spent 12 days in the South of France, or the Cote d’ Azur, and Provence. The area is so diverse with every landscape imaginable. Upon Brigitte’s recommendation, we stayed on the beach in Port Grimaud, an adorable little town about 10 minutes from St Tropez. From there we took day trips to Provence, Nice, Cap Ferrat and Villefranche, St-Paul-de-Vence, Monaco, Porquerolles, and lastly the Cotes du Rhone.
France has many memorable pastimes. Every town it seems has its own unique market. Some selling Provencial goods like French linens, soap, lavender, olives, clothes, and olive wood cooking utensils. Others sell fresh produce, flowers, and gourmet snack foods. I sampled 2 markets in Provence: St. Remy, and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. My favorite market was in St. Tropez. I couldn’t get enough of the city.
A morning in any town in France will likely start out at a bakery, or Boulangerie. A croissant and baguette are necessary to purchase “to-go”. The next stop is a cafe perhaps a few steps down the street. No coffee is served at the bakeries. This would take away from the business of the cafes. And this is a serious Frenchism. It is a time to slowly begin the day. Cafe Creme, croissant, and newspaper is all you need to relax and enjoy the French ritual. Oh, and people watch. This is an art in itself. Brigitte showed us the cafes with good market watching views. Then in the afternoon when the sun is on the harbour side, the happening cafe in St. Tropez is Senequier.
We spent a wonderful day in the area between Nice and Monaco. Some of our favorite scenic spots were Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat, Nice, Eze, and St-Paul-de-Vence. The drives connecting each town were incredible. The colored shutters, steep streets, and medieval towns were nothing like we have ever seen. We had a wonderful lunch at Le Cosmo Cafe on the water. Just below where we were eating there was a large film crew preparing for the final day of shooting for the Hollywood move ‘Five Killers’ with Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck, and Katherine Heigl. Pretty cool!
My favorite moment was on an island near Port Grimaud called Porquerolles. We took a ferry ride to the island, rented bikes for the day and rode from one end to the other. The scenery was breathtaking. We stopped for a picnic lunch on our private beach for the day. April ended up being a great month to travel. No crowds!! I was riding my bike down the rocky path thinking “I’m on an island. In France. On a bike. How crazy is this?” Most importantly, our kids loved it even more. Caden was in his element on the island. They were pretend pirates for a few hours at the ‘Caribbean’. Addy of course as Elizabeth Swann, and Caden as Jack Sparrow.
I got to experience a few great modern art museums in the South of France. Most notably, the Fondation Maeght, in St-Paul-de-Vence. The long, winding roads were well worth the views from the hilltop town.
We stayed our last night in Gigondas in the Cotes du Rhone. It was a quiet, beautiful village nestled in between countless vineyards and great views. We tasted wine at the local caves and stocked up on some of our favorites. Our second to last day in France was Easter. We cooked a big meal the evening before at our apartment. So on Easter we decided to eat pizza at a Rick Steves recommendation in Beaumes de Venise. I brought plastic eggs just in case filled with some treats for the kids. With not a lot of time left in the day, I thought it would be fun to have an egg hunt in the vineyard while we waited for the restaurant to open. (Most restaurants in France open at 7:30pm) SO, Katherin, Brigitte, PJ and I hid the eggs all over and the kids were off! I’m always wondering what the locals think of us while we are traveling. The Suburban on the tiny streets of Provence was a sight in itself. But we managed just fine despite all the stares.
The French are great people, and the Cote d’Azur is a treasure! I of course took way too many photos. Here are some that made the cut…
Au Revoir!
