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Day 15- En route to Villefranche via Eze (written by Carl)
After a couple of hours of getting organised, we finally checked out of the (worst)
Best Western and left Antibes en route to Eze. On the way we were diverted through
some of Nice. We didn't stop off as we were eager to get to Eze and we'd had enough
of rows upon rows of buildings for the time being.
Just beyond Nice, we were led to a never-ending climb up the mountains of
Villefrance. We drove at 50km/h instead of the prescribed 70km/h just because the
views were so breath taking and not to mention the scary the thought of driving off
the cliff face into oblivion.
When it wasn't possible to drive any further up the mountain, we were greeted by a
cute little village that consisted of a few cafes, a fruit market and a perfume
factory. We were in Eze.
The perfume factory was called Fragonard and it is well known for manufacturing some
of the most familiar fragrances from around the globe. The fragrances here however,
do not come with expensive designer brand names or signatures of celebs, hence some
reasonable prices. Emma pretty much had a field day here buying gifts for her
friends and family, not to mention herself. I also found a few hundred mils of men's
fragrances to add to the shopping list.
The perfumery car park was directly below the old town of Eze. What was astonishing
about the geography of the town is how it wraps around the mountain's sharp pinnacle
until it reaches Le Jardin Exotique at the very top. It felt like we were at the
Everest base camp from where we were in the car park and the hot sun provided little
motivation. Nevertheless, we trekked up the hill and into the old town towards Le
Jardin Exotique.
10 euros later and after a little huff and puff, we had experienced even more breath
taking views from Le Jardin. Not to mention an interesting mix of sculptures,
architecture and cactus-like vegetation. We set the sat-nav to our hotel in
Villefranche and took the long and windy route down the hill.
When we arrived at our Hotel Provencal we thought it would be another rough stay by
the looks of it's shabby exterior. We were soon to be proven wrong as our room, even
though basic, had the most remarkable views of the boat harbor and the sea beyond.
The room was sun drenched and you couldn't help but stare from the balcony and get
lost in the beautiful town of Villefranche and it's surrounding harbor below.
We walked down through the old town and enjoyed a lovely late lunch and swim at the
beautiful Plage des Mariniers. For dinner we ate at the waterfront again. It was at
a funky restaurant with neon lighting and there was the option of eating/drinking on
lounges, in booths or at the traditional table setting. We choose the traditional
setting we shared risotto, salad and tasting plate. The bill was 70 euro including a
beer and cocktail.
Day 16 Villefranche and Monte Carlo (written by Carl)
Our second day in Villefranche finally started with a joint decision not to hit
snooze on the alarm for a tenth time. It was after ten when we eventually rose and
we were hungry for something lighter than the typical French cuisine. A punnet of
strawberries and a couple of nectarines were suffice.
At first glimpse the day looked overcast and a little windy. It was a pleasant
surprise as it felt much cooler and we'd only had piping hot sunny days since we
left Zaragoza. The relief was short lived as we got about thirty minutes into our
walk up the long hill on our search for a more secluded beach.
La Plage Passable was recommended by trip advisor and it was meant to one of the
quieter beaches in the Villefranche region. We arrived there after following the
coast in a westerly direction for at least an hour or so. The route was poorly
signed and to our good fortune, we spotted the little sign to the beach whilst we
were discussing turning back. A few minutes later we were greeted by a cute little
cove with a pebble beach and crystal clear water. The weather was also on the turn
(for the warmer) which was great timing for our swim. It was one of the quieter
beaches (we had 3msq to ourselves as opposed to 1msq) we had swum at and was well
worth the walk. The water was refreshingly cold and clear, and too deep to stand
after only a few metres.
On our walk back to our hotel we stopped by one of the cafes in the old town for a
late lunch. We were hot, salty, sweaty and most importantly hungry. The shade and
the menu provided everything hungry and thirsty souls could ask for. Unfortunately,
just before we ordered, one of the waiters dropped a tray of drinks all over one of
the Spanish patrons. There was a massive fuss, lots of apologies and for almost an
hour there wasn't much attention in our direction. When we finally got our food an
hour or so later, we devoured it and left leaving no tip. Funnily enough it was only
that we had no change and that we could only pay by card. Even still it was as great
excuse to help curve the guilt as the food was great despite the poor service.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in preparation for our big night in Monaco. Both
of us had friends who had been to Monaco and they had all told us how ridiculously
opulent the entire city of Monte Carlo was. The train was definitely the best way to
get there from Villefranche. The plan was to have dinner, cocktails and a dance in
an exclusive night club all before the last train home at midnight. We had great
expectations. The train got us there in 15 minutes after a frustrating ordeal when
the ticket machine would only accept coins - not notes or credit card.
We passed the waterfront bursting with million dollar yachts and followed the signs
to the Casino. Our arrival was evident when we reached a long line of luxury cars -
Ferrari's, Porsche's, Mercedes, BMW's, Lamburghini's and Mazzerati's - you name it.
Instantly, we became aware of how underdressed we were. Outside the Casino, there
was a line of extremely well dressed people of all ages, and many people dressed
like Em and I, crowded on the roundabout taking photos of the rich but not famous.
This behavior led us to believe that there was a special function at the casino, but
after a quick scope, and a lot of courage, we held our breath and made our way
through the casino doors, hoping we would not be stopped by the doormen. We made it
into the spectacular foyer, with high ornate ceilings and guilded walls. It is a €10
entrance fee to the casino, and as we were not planning on gambling, we had a quick
look around and made our way to dinner.
We walked the entire way around the boisterous esplanade, with restaurants, market
stalls and even water slides and a ropes course. Eager for a new menu, we settled on
"Stars and Bars", an American themed restaurant, where we were pleased to have a
cocktail, beer, chilli and a burger. The Australian couple next to us gave us some
advice on our travels and told us about their life working on boats across Europe.
It was soon time for the last train (we had said goodbye to our high expectations of
a big night at first sight of the ball gowns and flashy rides) and made our way back
to the station. Again, the stupid machines did not accept our money so we risked the
train ride back to Villefranche without a ticket.
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