We are getting very comfortable in Nice. Last evening we went the other direction leaving our apartment, down to the port. Having seen Antibes, we can be very discerning about the caliber of yachts nestled here. Nice, but not, you know, up to the billionaire level. However, they do seem to share a loyalty to those Caymans!
This morning we took the bus from Nice to our first stop, St-Paul-de-Vence, the most famous Riviera hill town, and the most-visited village in all of France. We were not deterred by the threat of mobs of tourists, because we know we have beat the crowds by coming in April. The day was glorious, the competition was minimal, and we have trained in some similar places….Provincetown comes to mind. This is a village many famous artists came to in the late 19th century because it was cheap, before it was “discovered” by tourists and scads of boutique and gallery owners, eager to make the quaint into the profitable. At any rate, we managed to only window-shop.
One famous artist is buried in the local cemetery- which does certainly have views to die for. Chagall is interred here, the mayor having offered space in the Christian cemetery to his family. It is truly a lovely place.
We walked around the old ramparts, built by Francis I in the 16th century. We can understand why people flock here!
Then it was on to the town of Vence, larger and less scenic, though only by comparison. We had a fabulous meal in the old city, in a plaza that looked like a stage setting. The cream of broccoli soup was heaven on a spoon! On a more serious note, the main reason for our visit was to see the Rosary Chapel designed by Matisse. No photos allowed, of course, but it was a very pretty light-filled room, and must be a special place to hear Mass.
Back to Nice and our home away from home. Have we only been on this adventure a week? Feels like we are very settled in.