tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21272790571376438742011-04-21T20:17:06.283-05:00Random observations on places, people, service, food or whatever else I might find interesting or worth mentioning to the world.Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-84881255610166011542007-07-27T10:38:00.001-05:002008-12-11T08:02:32.987-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-62048292093807352142007-07-17T04:23:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:34.027-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-3565515971854430172007-07-15T11:00:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:35.172-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-79920997388185082182007-07-13T13:19:00.001-05:002008-12-11T08:02:36.367-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-23407081097391735862007-07-08T21:44:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:37.150-05:00

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.

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-59474578964631582712007-07-06T14:39:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:38.386-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-9912273446622802612007-07-04T20:22:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:38.841-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-84258802460266142722007-07-03T11:41:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:39.391-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-37449606306015387712007-07-02T05:55:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:39.963-05:00

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

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-21135299944416228052007-06-25T13:43:00.000-05:002007-06-25T13:52:28.043-05:00

It’s been a while since my last blog update – June is almost over already! I’ve spent the month juggling radio interviews and other business for 10Best, working out the details for Unaira’s upcoming summer rollout, and preparing my family to move to Nice, France for a month in order for me to be able to work more closely with Unaira’s global partner, Amadeus.My recent radio interviews have gone

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-21450914139963189542007-05-22T07:53:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:40.535-05:00

I was fortunate enough to be on Peter Greenberg’s radio show last Saturday and Pierre Wolfe’s “America’s Dining and Travel Guide" on Sunday. I was invited on these shows to discuss some of the great things that we have happening at 10Best and our plans for the future. Both of these guys asked me several questions about my favorite trips and places that I have traveled. I thought I would take a

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-56760828215005738802007-05-02T11:27:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:40.855-05:00

Landed in Amsterdam Tuesday around noon. We took the train from Schiphol to Central Station and then the wrong tram to our hotel. We got off the tram and instead walked to the Pulitzer Hotel on the Prinsengracht, which was hot as hell. As we walked we noticed that the streets were heaped with trash: mounds of beer cans, garbage of all kinds, and (oddly) lots of broken yard sale items. I have been

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-74294416921183704752007-05-01T11:21:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:41.072-05:00

Arrived around 4:00pm and took the train to the central station and the number 4 tram out to our hotel. Rod and I met up with Michael Q, our COO at 10Best, for our meetings in Zurich. Stayed at the Hotel Senator, which is rated four star, but it would probably be a 2 or 3 star in most cities. It’s clean and cheap—and in Zurich “cheap” is almost impossible to find anywhere near the city center. We

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-22866673362813073302007-04-29T11:16:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:41.271-05:00

I usually stay at the Fairmont, but could not get in this time—it was fully booked, even though I tried well in advance. I was disappointed to have to change, as I love the convenience of the centrally located Fairmont with its great seaside rooms. I arrived around 3pm and checked into the Monte Carlo Bay Resort instead. Wow, this place is fantastic. The rooms are huge, modern, and probably the

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-64803345519211464292007-04-28T11:06:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:41.600-05:00

Took the scenic route to Monaco going down the coast through Nice and Ville France and stopped in my wife Jill’s favorite little place, the Village of Eza. Rod and I enjoyed the best meal of the trip so far on the terrace of Chateau Eza. I really wish I had taken a picture of this meal—it was unbelievable! Lightly grilled squid with onions, and a delicately flavored vegetable 'thing' wrapped in

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-48918750804087598922007-04-27T10:37:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:41.788-05:00

Arrived at 12:15pm Thursday into Cote d'Azur airport: one of the world’s great airports (at least in Terminal 2). Very modern, efficient, and certainly well-managed. We were met by Unaira’s new business development representative, Eric Ingrand, who had our car reserved. After a brief delay due to a computer malfunction, we headed for Juan les Pins in our sporty little BMW 330 diesel. My hotel in

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-5997275864162594222007-04-25T10:17:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:42.075-05:00

Rod Grandy and I arrived at 9:10am into Gatwick (LGW) with 4.5 hours sleep and a great flight in business class with US Airways—my new favorite domestic carrier. We took the Gatwick Express into London and a taxi to the Milestone Hotel on Hyde Park. I have to admit that I was a bit uneasy about this hotel; I usually stay at one of a few others that I’m familiar with, but this time I waited too

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127279057137643874.post-52135608406926620572007-04-17T15:44:00.000-05:002008-12-11T08:02:42.297-05:00

Why not start a travel blog? Well I have pondered this question a bit and come to the realization that if for nothing else it might just be fun to have an online outlet to spout off and pontificate about things that I find interesting.What are my qualifications? Well I travel a lot! I have been traveling heavily primarily for business (technical sales early on) for the last 20 years; initially my

Brice J Bayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11117893566474088976noreply@blogger.com2