Nice
As recommended by most, Nice was the base during our vacation. Navigating the city was fairly easy, overall. Bakeries, bus stops, and markets were plenty and easily accessible. More time was spent in Nice than originally planned because we ended up splitting our days into two: the first half was used to explore another village and the second half was taken in Nice. Somehow, the trip felt like it lasted so much longer by doing this! Most of the time, we’d take a nap midday to recharge for a dip in the ocean.
If you’ve learned you’re not entirely big on French food, no problem! I came across a variety of cuisines while exploring. I’m not sure if the south of France is known for a specific style of food (I could’ve done better research) but we definitely tried different things at each restaurant we chose. I would recommend learning basic food names and known allergies before visiting to make life a little easier.
There were no shortages of souvenir, gift, and chocolate shops! On one of our evenings closer to the end of the trip, we did some shopping for our family and then went to the beach (there was NO way we’d hike all the way back to the Airbnb). We had our stuff covered while enjoying the warm water though I never suspected someone would come over to take our goods; I’m just used to hiding my belongings in public.
Villefranche-sur-Mer
On the first full day, we went to Villefranche-sur-Mer (VsM). The area we visited was walkable though some of the sidewalks were fairly narrow. The only reason I noticed was because I had a 10-year-old to look after who kept stepping in the street 🙂 Quiet yet active is how I would describe VsM. Some people were enjoying the water not too far from the marina. I saw a variety of water activities like swimming, snorkeling, and paddle boarding. Ohhh, how I wish we bought our bathing suits! While meandering about, we came across the citadel and checked out a display of beautifully blown glass. I recommend going to the top if you haven’t succumbed to fatigue because you’ll get a lovely panoramic view and it’s worth it!
Gelato and time in the shade was how we cooled down after getting cooked in the sun. It was consumed in a matter of seconds. We did return to VsM after a couple days because our speedboat tour had this town as a pitstop and we spent our free time grabbing brekkie by the water.
Antibes
From the station, we took a 20-minute walk down to the beach. Front and center on the beach is a historic monument called Le Fort Carré. Public bathrooms can be found built into the walls… and I’ll tell you this… I won’t complain about another public restroom in North Carolina again. And that’s all I shall share. We picked our spot in the sand and got settled. It seemed generally acceptable to be at the beach topless (no matter what beach we went to during our trip). It’s something my little brother had to get used to and I really hoped this experience helped to combat the sexualization of women’s bodies, that is bombarded all over the media.
Another thing I noticed was most beaches we visited were of stone but this one was sand! Well… Kind of half-and-half: where the towels were laid out on the beach, there is sand but as you approach and enter the water, there is stone. I’m so glad we had water shoes! The water felt amazing and it was calm! Nasir turned into a fish and it seemed he didn’t want to leave.
After a while, something unfortunate happened. Someone was walking their dog at the top of the fortress, and the dog stepped up on the edge and fell over. I only saw the aftermath: the dog was whimpering on his side struggling to get up. I was in shock. It was sad to see, but I think the dog survived with a few injuries. Locals took him over to a first aid booth nearby.
When we were ready to leave, we went to Les Filles du Micocoulier for brekkie. Nasir seemed to like his breakfast, but I was not happy with mine. In fact, I wasn’t happy with most of my meals because they lacked flavor.
We took many photos, walked around the area, and came across the Marché Provençal. I highly recommend coming here early to avoid crowds because it was a little overwhelming; there was so much to see and an equal amount of people present.
Èze
We first saw the commune of Èze during our speedboat tour. It’s a small village that sits on top of a hill over 2000 feet above sea level. Fairytales were inspired by places like this one – I’m convinced. The place was mesmerizing! I will say make sure to pack multiple bottles of water and go early in the day because walking around this area is quite the workout and it’s even more intense if you go during the summertime like we did. It’s also highly recommended to go earlier to get photos without the background noise. Our first stop was to get food! Nasir ordered a large burger with fries and ate everything and I had a banana crêpe with Nutella. We also watched some of the Olympics while we were there and we took our time because we knew we’d be working out! This place was mainly a photo opp. I actually recommend coming here for souvenirs over Nice because the crafts were of higher quality and didn’t wreak of mass production.
Monaco
Such a beautiful place to simply walk around. Everywhere I turned, I found myself in awe of the cityscape. Our first stop was the Prince’s Palace. They gave us headphones and something of a radio where you could select a button and it would give you information on the corresponding room. Though, I found the experience somewhat interesting. I don’t recommend bringing kids unless they are thrilled about history and architecture. Even then, the excitement is likely to dwindle prematurely. After leaving, we went to the restaurant nearby and got lunch for Nasir. This is also where I got bit multiple times by mosquitoes and chased by bees. The food was amazing (the best I had during the trip!) but I suffered. We continued on foot towards the oceanographic museum. This place had so much to offer! You need at least two hours to take everything in. Before leaving Monaco, we had our last dance with gelato.
Zaira Viteria 