Playground of the Rich & Famous

After almost two months of travelling around Europe in the middle of winter, we were keen for a bit of sun so we headed to the Cote D'Azur in the South of France. First stop, Nice.

The first thing we did upon arriving in Nice was to head to the world famous coastline. Covered in large pebbles, its not exactly the kind of beach that us aussies are used to, but the view of the coastline was just breathtaking. The views got even better when we made our way up to the lookout at the end of the beach....just spectacular. And the weather was so warm, I even wore a T-shirt!

Covered in large pebbles, its not exactly the kind of beach that us aussies are used to, but the view of the coastline was just breathtaking

Wandering around the park at the top of the cliff (which used to be home to the town chateau before it was destroyed) was just wonderful. The parks and gardens were lovely and we managed to find a secluded little moss alcove where we sat for a good hour playing 'Who/What Am I'! Such fun!

We wandered back home through the old town, which was really lovely and full of old balconied apartments with flower pots....I'm a sucker for flower pots! We finished off the day sitting on the pebbly beach! It was just lovely relaxing with the warm sun on us.

We also managed a trip to the local flower markets which were just full of small town charm. Flowers, fruits, olives, cheeses and spices of all colours and smells were just everywhere. All the senses just felt alive. We broke the budget a bit later by having a coffee in a beach cafe. The coffee wasnt great, but it was worth it for the amazing views.

Another trip was down to the port of Nice to check out how the other half live on amazing, enormous luxury yachts. We spent the morning pretending we were in the market for these boats and discussing the pros and cons of each one. (Of course, this one is lovely, but one really needs a third floor with a deck and more space for a spa)

A day trip to Monaco was on the cards the next day, which added another country to our list (but alas, no stamp in the passport AGAIN). If we thought Nice was the playground of the rich and famous, we now realised that Monaco was the playground for the REALLY RICH AND FAMOUS! The town itself is lovely, perched on the side of cliffs with beautiful bays. We were just blown away by the number of high rise apartment buildings jutting out of the cliffs. First stop in Monaco was a trip to the palace for the changing of the guards. It was quite good and we managed to get prime position in front to watch the show. The rest of the day was spent wandering along the coastline and admiring the lovely yachts and looking for famous people. Alas, no luck though.

Our trip to Monaco wouldnt be complete without a stop at the world famous Monte Carlo Casino. So we paid our 20 Euro entrance fee and entered into the amazing splendeur of the casino. It really was a grand place with chandeliers everywhere and glitzy furniture. So we dug deep and managed to lose 20 Euros in about five minutes on the pokies and with a bit of a dab on the roulette table (where the dealer shoved our one chip to Mike as he slid our fiver in between the hundreds that were rolling in!) Oh well, we are lucky in love!

Well, our trip to France wouldnt be complete without trying out the local delicacy of Escargot (ie. Snails). So whilst in Nice, we managed to find a relatively cheap placed which served up these slippery little suckers. And to our surprise, they were actually REALLY YUM!