Leaving France in the morning

Our time in France this year is coming to a close. We will be leaving for London in the morning, and then back to Greenville on Tuesday. My work has gotten in the way of my vacation, as I have had many meetings and business trips to London, Madrid, Switzerland, and Amsterdam while here, but all in all this has been by far the best trip ever for the Bays.

Both Ellison and Joseph celebrated birthdays on the trip. This is Ellison's fantastic cake for her big eighth!

Friends Nora and Eric on Bastille Day.

Margaret, Ellison, and Joseph enjoying the pool.

Joseph's dream car - mine too!

I think Margaret just won a stage of the Tour de France.

Me doing what I have done best on this trip.

A bit of skin from the topless beach.

The family cook Jill

A view from the balcony of our temporary home in the Cote d'Azur.

Joseph being Joseph

X marks the spot for the "real" Provence

We spent the day in Aix-en-Provence (pronounced "x" or "x on Provence"), which is about a 2 hour drive from Nice. I am told Aix is the place to go to experience the "real" Provence. I can't say that I have enough knowledge to know if this represents the "real" Provence or not, but Aix is a very nice place to be. My photos for this day did not turn out so well, but this city is amazing.
The history of Aix dates back to Roman times. The city served as a Roman military camp in 120 B.C. It was the first Roman base outside of Italy.

Aix-en-Provence is famous for great shopping, beautiful people, and the lifestyle - which appears to be very upscale.

I would recommend spending a night or two in this region as there is simply too much to see and experience in just one day.

I can't say that we picked the best of Aix for our dining, but the Bay family had another great day in Provence!

Sunday at the Marche Provence

We finally made it to the Marche or "market" in Antibes this Sunday. Sunday mornings are the time to hit the markets in France. Most villages have markets 4-6 days a week in the summer but Sunday is the big day and the variety is most impressive.

The Marche Provence is located near the sea in the old city of Antibes and has a huge assortment of vendors selling everything from clothing to very fresh seafood.

We sampled the olive tapenade from this vendor on a recommendation from our friends that live nearby and it was amazing. The proprietor is also a very colorful guy that sings and engages everyone who walks by - which just adds to the "flavor" of the place.

The fragrant spices are plentiful and very inexpensive with an endless variety of choices.

We found a fantastic assortment of cheeses from many regions of of the country. France produces nearly 300 different varieties, many of which simply can't be found outside of the country.

You will find fresh produce, olives, and meats of all kinds to enjoy, but just walking through will enlighten the senses with Provencal fare. You can easily walk through this market and buy everything you need to prepare a traditional midday feast for you entire family, friends and neighbors.

Saint Paul Beckons!

We heard the call and headed to see what Saint Paul de Vence had in store for us and were not disappointed. This is another of the many hill-top, fortified villages from centuries ago that has been transformed into a great destination to fill your time in the Cotes d'Azur region.

I have been traveling for meetings the last few days and finally have some free time. The family and I head off to spend part of our day in this fun and interesting village. The old walled village hosts dozens of art galleries and studios.

This is a very popular destination, so I would recommend coming on a weekday if possible as parking is not plentiful. The narrow alleys are easy to navigate and lead to many fun, little shops and some great restaurants as well.

I think that the architecture alone is worth the trip and would recommend spending as much time as possible looking at the buildings and charming sights in all directions.

We enjoyed the many galleries, but returned empty-handed after a great lunch and another fun day.

Anyone know this guy? He seems so blue. How could anyone be blue here in the Cotes d'Azur?

Gourdon is gorgeous!

My son Joseph and I did a little trip up to Gourdon today to check out this gorgeous little mountain top village.

The village has many little shops that sell a variety of tourist friendly items and tons of candy for the children.

The enormous Chateau Gourdon dominates the village with surrounding gardens. The Chateau charges a 5 Euro admission but hosts a large museum and many period antiques.

You will find many cafes and restaurants and the drive up from the valley below is quite exhilarating as well.


We ended another fantastic day in Provence with a great meal on the terrace with the Quattlebaum family who arrived yesterday...

Europe has a Grand Canyon??

I heard that a large canyon existed here in the South of France and have even seen a glimpse of it from the air, but words do not describe the Grand Canyon du Verdon that cuts its way through the Alps. This is the largest canyon in all of Europe and is an awesome place to visit. Grand Canyon du Verdon is easy to find and well-marked on all maps and road signs; it is roughly a 1.5 hour drive from Nice.



The roads are quite narrow and heavily traveled so be very careful as you observe the scenery and wind your way through the canyon.The river that cuts through the canyon is a shade of green that pictures cannot do justice. The canyon is massive, with the Alps towering in all directions. You can drive on either side of the canyon and both routes should be equally fantastic; we took the "a gauche" route which finishes at the Lac de Ste. Criox.

The children loved the trip and we finished by dipping our toes into the teal green waters of Lac de Ste. Croix.

I could not resist putting this little angel in the blog today!

Independence Day in Antibes

We spent the day in Antibes - one of my favorite towns on the Riviera. Antibes is not too big and not too small; the seaside is wonderful with lots of public beaches and plenty of private beaches with easy access to parking and nice beach front dining. (You should check out the newly refurbished Royal Plage restaurant and beach club). I think that Antibes is much cleaner and more upscale than Nice and generally very safe and family friendly. Keep in mind that the traffic this time of year is very heavy. You should allow for lots of extra travel time and much patience.

The old town of Antibes is wonderfully charming with narrow streets and little alleys -most lined with great shops and restaurants. The yacht harbor is world renowned with many of the planet's super-rich coming here to park their mega-yachts. Many ports in the region cannot handle yachts over 50 meters, which is a "Nice" problem to have.

Gone to Valbonne

Just returned from a little excursion to Valbonne which neighbors our village. We explored some of the shops and beautiful alleys and look forward to returning soon to dine in one of the many great restaurants that populate this great little village. Parking is a bit difficult but if you're patient the spots eventually open up.

We ended our visit to Valbonne with a trip to the seafood market to buy some fresh shrimp and swordfish for our evening meal.

Vive la France!

We finally made it to France for our long anticipated month in the French Riviera. The trip did not go quite as smoothly as we planned as our US Air flight from the US was canceled due to weather. We left one day late then had to spend the night in the Sofitel London Gatwick (which was very nice). We arrived at Nice's Cote D'Azur airport two days later than planned but all is well now.





We have moved into our wonderful house in the little village of Chateaunuef near Valbonne.





We spent part of our first full day on Monday in Menton (the last seaside town in France before the Italian border) enjoying the beach and a great lunch at Plage Napoleon.





After our lunch in Menton we journeyed down to Latte Di Ventimiglia Italy to shop for groceries. Our friends had recommended shopping for groceries in Italy because things are much less expensive and I can now fully agree. We loaded our little van with all the staples including an assortment of wines, cheeses, meats, fresh vegetables, fruits, olive oil and lots of pasta; all for about half of what we would spend elsewhere.