Provence and the French Alps

Well in some ways I guess you could say we saved the best for last because The Alps were definitely the most stunningly beautiful landscape we saw. This first picture is in Provence where we stopped for a night in between our two beach trips. We decided to include the pics from Provence with the Alps post because the part of Provence where we stayed is referred to as the "Pre-Alps" as it is there that the terrain starts to become quite mountainous. We had a lovely afternoon and evening enjoying the country side. The bed and breakfast where we stayed was literally in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town was a 20k drive, which was perfect for us after fighting the traffic at the beach. The couple who owned the place were very nice and we had fun conversations with them and the other guests, an older couple from Lyon. Our favorite new friend, of course, was their sweet dog.


After a picnic dinner, we asked the owners where we should go for an after dinner walk and he gave us directions for a 5k loop that would take us up onto the hillside where we could see the ruins of an old village. He said the views were great so we started out. Of course, his directions were given in French, and realizing that we might need a little extra instruction, he drove his truck out to check on us to make sure we had made the first turn-off. (we hadn't.) After his added instructions, we were able to finish our hike without getting lost in the Provence country-side. Not that it would be too horrible of a place to be lost. It was so beautiful I almost forgot about the horrible allergic reaction I was having. :)





We even saw a shepherd herding his sheep. Could we have asked for a more picturesque addition to the already magnificent hike?


And, on our way back, we came across a sign for an antique store with a name that is near and dear to our hearts:


We spent the last night of our 14 night trip in another bed and breakfast in a very tiny remote village. The drive up the mountain to get there was a little intense, as the 4 cylinder Citron was having a little trouble handling the very steep, very winding road. Let's just say that based on the Citron's performance, we have decided in advance to spare the Celica an Alpine adventure, as we are pretty sure the Alps would then become her final resting place. After we made it though, the views were so incredibly worth the harrowing drive. Especially the views of the famous "Mt. Blanc."





Even better than the views though, was the unexpected village party that we stumbled upon during our after dinner walk. This party was complete with French hunch-punch (just add some white wine to our version), lots of yummy food, board games for the family, and other very random forms of entertainment. The entertainment included this percussion band:



And my personal favorite..... a group of local high-schoolers who did a skit in which they pretended to be russian acrobats. The main theme of the skit, however, was their disdain for George W. Bush.


We really could not have made this stuff up if we tried. It was hilarious. The people were so friendly though, and were so very different from the people we had just left in Monaco. These people were the truest version of hippies I have ever encountered. Everything at this party was free, but there were boxes at each game or food station for you to pay what you saw fit. The sign at the entrance explained that this was their way of celebrating communal living and reminding everybody of the dangers of commercialism and capitalism. The practiced what they preached though, as after dinner, everyone was expected to go and wash as many dishes as they felt they should. It was insane. Peter loved it, of course.... especially as he drank more hunch punch. It turned out to be the perfect birthday party for him and a really amusing end to the most incredible trip of our lives.

From the Redneck Riviera to the French Riviera...we are livin now!

Our next stop in the French Riviera was Villefranche Sur Mer (A little harbor town near Nice). We found a hotel on the harbor in Villefranche with a great view. While the drive getting there, through Nice and down the winding roads was a bit tense, it was all worth it when we saw the beautiful bay that is surrounded by cliffs and filled with swaying sailboats.







Because our balcony had such a great view we decided to picnic each night over looking the harbor. No restaurant there offered a view like this.




We strolled around the docks at night and got a closer look at some of the "average" boats along the "cote d'azur":




Something else we have noticed all over France are the fresh flowers and how well maintained the public areas are kept.


Monte Carlo, MONACO:
On our last day on the coast we took a 15 min train ride from Villefranche sur Mer to Monaco, the second smallest country in the world (I couldn't resist snapping a photo of a license plate).



Our plan for the day was a bit of sightseeing, swimming at the beach, maybe the tables, then dinner. However, after arriving I realized I had packed everything except my swim trunks. No problem,right? Just head over to the Monte Carlo mall, hit the dollar store and grab a cheap pair. Wrong...I knew I was in trouble when I walked into the mall and saw dark marble floors throughout and noticed that none of the clothes had price tags on them. In the cheapest store there, I found a great bathing suit, that I will no doubt wear for the rest of my life, for just less than $100. What a deal! After the mall we made the short trek over to one of the most beautiful beaches that I have ever seen. We relaxed there for the day and enjoyed the clear water and the view of the yachts.





After a perfect day at the beach we toured the famous Monaco harbor. I haven't been so excited to see a harbor since I returned from my last Navy cruise. The amount of luxury and opulence is indescribable. The thing we were most surprised about was the fact that you can walk amongst the boats and gawk as long as you want. I did notice that most of the yachts had full time crews from 4 to 20 people, so all you can do is look.







We took the water taxi ride across the harbor. At 1 euro a ticket, it was well worth the price because during our 10 minute trip, a massive yacht glided through the channel. The yacht carried only two passengers (not including the crew of course) who were enjoying an afternoon cocktail on the aft promenade deck. After more research we found out that this was the 11th largest privately owned yacht in the world. Simply amazing...I wonder if they need a good helo pilot?



So, after a few weeks of fresh vegetables, fresh fish and foie gras it was time for a return to the burger. We dined at the celebrity-visited All Star Cafe in Monte Carlo. Monaco's version of a sports bar is decked out with Formula 1 paraphenalia, which we missed by only a week.



Ahhh..... the contented look that only comes from a huge bacon cheese-burger and a couple of frozen margaritas.




Next stop: The Alps!

Finally.....the beach!!

Now that we are back from our trip, we want to finish posting pics from our drive around France. As most of you know, we spent the last several years living at the beach and we loved every minute of it. We missed it terribly during our 7 months in DC, so when we were planning our trip around France, we placed top priority on including some good quality beach time. Our first beach stop was a little family beach town called St. Cyr Sur Mer. We stayed in a cheap hotel across the street from the beach that had not been renovated since the 1970's. Our toilet, shower, and sink were avocado green to match the orange and green striped wallpaper. We thought this was hilarious though, and the place would have been perfect for us had the air conditioner worked. Unfortunately, it did not.

Other features made up for the heat though, like the price and the view. The best part of the hotel by far was the sun deck, which Peter discovered on our second night. The view of the sunset from up there was amazing.



Nothing Peter loves more than watching the sunset in the south of France while enjoying some red wine out of a plastic cup.


Before we discovered the sun deck, we found another great way to enjoy the sunset...... with a pizza picnic on the huge rocks that line the beach. This was probably our one of our cheapest and favorite dinners of the entire trip.



Peter even found a way to set the camera up on a rock so we could use the timer to take a pic of us together. We were praying that a gust of wind wouldn't blow the camera into the sea, but luckily, the picture turned out perfectly.

In addition to the amazing sunsets, the other highlight of our time in St. Cyr was definitely the hike we did on our last day. Starting literally outside our hotel, we found an 8 mile hiking trail that winds around the cliffs to the next port city. Words really can't describe the views that we experienced that day. It was awesome. Often, the trail took us precariously close to the edge of the cliffs. In this first photo, Peter is contemplating just how high the trail is.



It was a hot day, and when the trail wasn't shaded, it was pretty tough going. So we were very excited to happen upon this beautiful cove where a few people were swimming. The water was the clearest, most beautiful water I have ever seen. We couldn't resist a quick refreshing swim.



Peter's second successful attempt at using the timer feature on the camera in windy conditions. This time we really thought the camera was gone.....while we are smiling and waiting, it was wobbling dangerously on the tiny post where Peter had set it up. The pic was worth the risk though.


Here are a couple more shots of the views.





Next stop Monaco!!

Home again

Well we just returned from a successful and enjoyable Med cruise. I have done a Med cruise before (on board the USS Neverdock) but this time their was a bit more Travertine tile and the ship didn't run out of water, always a plus.

I wanted to add a quick post about the happenings around our apt these last few days. I glanced out the window yesterday and noticed a strange sight. I man, standing inside a piece of a sky crane structure, which was dangling in mid-air. Last fall a fire partially destryed the building across the street and efforts are currently ongoing to restore the building. However in my opinion, with the max. 35 hour work-week in France, the 2 hour lunch breaks, and in addition to the numerous holidays this project could take quite some time.



At least he opted for the aid of a cigarette to help concentration rather than a clumsy hard-hat or cumbersome safety-belt.

Dordogne Valley

Next, we left DeDe to his no-doubt hangover and scooted south to the Dordogne Vallée. A narrow and steep winding road followed the Dordogne River to the town of La Roque-Gageac, which was apparently voted the most beautiful village in France. The rest of the stay here for Whit would become a bit blurry, not from the Rose Wine, but the pollen.

La Roque-Gageac is carved into the cliffs overlooking the river. The hotel was quite charming with a café downstairs and canoeing adventures across the street....

we were best pleased!


After researching the next day's canoe trip, and a local wine tasting we pick-nicked in the park along the river. Whit found some simple entertainment to take her mind away from her average rate of 300 sneezes per minute.

That evening we wandered through the town, admired the houses, and Whit even stopped to smell the roses...





Canoe among the Castles!


The following day, we rented two canoes for a 5 hour/25km canoe adventure along the Dordogne River. Apparently France has not gotten around to regulating the canoe business like we would expect in the states. We paid the rental fee, climbed in a van for a 20 min ride up river, jumped in our canoes with our lifejackets, cooler and snacks and set off. The only formal instruction we got were, "you should stop in Beynac and have beer at the river café"...Roger, got it!

The canoe trip was amazing. There are several castles perched on the cliffs, and each time we came around the next bend in the river, a new castle would appear on the horizon...simply amazing.


We stopped for lunch on an island in the middle of the river.

Whit enjoyed her favorite new concoction..nutella-banana sandwich.

The river was a cool, winding and relaxing way to beat the heat, the pollen and see France from a entirely different perspective:





Not wanting to break any rules, we beached the canoe at Beynac and slipped into the river cafe for a cool beer.

While I took a break, Whit hiked up to the castle overlooking the town. The views she saw from there were breathtaking...



Our postings may be more spuratic for the next two weeks or so, as our friends Matt and Christi are coming on Wednesday and then we will leave on Saturday night for our next adventure: An Eastern Mediterranean Cruise. We are so excited to have our first guests in Strasbourg and to explore Rome, Sicily, Athens, Ephesus, and Crete! We will definitely be posting pics from Matt and Christi's visit and our cruise after we finish the posts from our "Tour de France"! Hope all is well with everybody. We love and miss you all.