CLICK HERE TO view complete photo gallery

June 3 to July 4, 2014
French and Italian Rivieras,
Plus Elba and Corsica, and Florence
Independent + GCT cruise-tour

Click photos to enlarge and see captions

Bonjour, then Ciao, then Bonjour again, and then Ciao again. That was the order of our linguistic and geographic transitions during this summer 2014 in Europe, which included five different stages:

PHASE 1 (France 1): starting in Paris on our own, visiting my sister and her family, and playing tourists in my home town for 9 days;
PHASE 2 (Italy 1): next, flying to Milan to start our 4-day pre-trip extension in the lovely town of Stresa in the Italian Lakes region, namely Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, and the less-known but gorgeous Lake Orta; followed by a two-day stay in Torino, the capital city of the Piedmont region, before driving to Cannes, on the French Riviera, to meet our base tour from Grand Circle Travel;
PHASE 3 (France 2): there we spent four glorious days days exploring the French Riviera, in such places St. Paul de Vence, Monaco and Nice;
PHASE 4 (Italy 2): finally, we boarded our Grand Circle ship in Nice, for a seven-night cruise which took us along the Mediterranean coast of Italy -- otherwise called the Italian Riviera, along the northwestern Liguria region, visiting places such as Santa Margherita, Cinque Terre and Lucca --, to the Island of Corsica, then that of Elba, to end in Livorno; from where we were taken by coach to Florence, where we stayed four days before returning to the US. Yes, wow!

To simplify the viewer's overview of this whole trip, I covered both stages (France 1 and France 2) of France (Phases 1 and 3) in one travelogue, and both (Italy 1 and 2) of Italy (Phases 2 and 4) in another, to follow a geographical consistency rather than a chronological one.

We left June 3 and returned July 4, a whole month during which we had a terrific time, but I admit to having gone beyond my joints’ comfort zone – even with “missing” three half-days because I just had to rest --, and I am now recuperating. A lot more walking than we expected, on old-world cobble-stoned streets, in medieval towns, with steps – or stairs -- everywhere (neither the French nor the Italians ever have public – or private – bathrooms on the ground or main level). We have decided to limit our future adventures to three weeks, which seems to be the maximum to accommodate our ages and my arthritis.

The above notwithstanding, it was another spectacular adventure with Grand Circle, diversified, very active, and we were graced with superb weather, with only one day of rain on Lake Como (the second one of only 2 rainy days we had, the first one having been in Paris). It was quite warm during the whole trip, even in Paris, and especially Florence. We were told upon arriving in both places that we were very lucky because the weather had been rotten the previous week. I noticed that we always have good weather when we travel. So if you want to enjoy sunny vacations, travel with us!

PHASE 1: While in Paris, we went, of course, to the Musée d’Orsay, where there was a splendid Van Gogh exhibition; to the Centre Pompidou, the very modern and weird-looking museum of modern arts, to see an exhibition of Cartier-Bresson, the famous photographer of last century; enjoyed a bateau-mouche boat ride in the sunshine on the Seine (I love to play tourist in Paris). We even managed to have a couple of lunches on our own, doing the traditional tourist thing, sitting in the sun at a sidewalk café. With the added bonus of the company of my old college girlfriend who came to spend a few days with us from near Nice where she lives year around.

After 26 years of being together, I finally managed to take Robin to see the Château de Versailles. We had been before, years ago, but only to see the gardens. This time, we took a typical tourist coach tour from the center of Paris, and away we went for a short but basic visit of the chateau. Unfortunately, we had unknowingly chosen a holiday week-end, and a Sunday to boot. The crowds were u-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e… We had reserved entry tickets with a group, but still waited 30 mns to get in. Once inside, I experienced a touch of claustrophobia and almost ran out because it was standing-room-only in, for example, the King’s Chambers. The Hall of Mirrors made it (almost) worthwhile, and by the time we got to it, the crowd had thinned enough to take some decent photos.

After recovering a whole day from that challenge, we relaxed in the amazing Bagatelle Gardens, in the park west of the city limits, famous for its rose garden. It was the perfect time of the year for it to display its splendor, and I played with my camera to my heart’s content. Just what the doctor ordered after Versailles! Even if we got lost a couple of times when we used public transportation.

PHASE 2: The next phase of our adventure took us south by plane to Milan, to start our pre-cruise tour to the Italian Lakes, Lake Borromeo and its lovely islands, and Lake Como. (See Italian Lakes and the Ligurian Coast travelogue) After which, we returned to Cannes for the third phase of our trip, to join our group and board our ship to explore the Italian Ligurian Coast, also known as the Italian Riviera.

Cannes, on our way back via ferry from Ste. Marguerite Island

PHASE 3: Our stay in Cannes was a little different from what we expected, because, the week before departure, the originally planned hotel (one block from the beach) had been changed by the hotel itself and GCT had scrambled to find us accommodations. Because of a medical convention taking place in Cannes at the same time (the reason why our original hotel booted us out), everything was booked in town, and we wound up in Valbonne, a little town inland, 20 mns from the famed Croisette boardwalk, where the annual Cannes Festival guests always parade in May. Located in a green and quiet park, our new hotel was much to my liking because it had a great and large pool. However, its lack of proximity to the center of town was a disappointment to those of us who wanted to walk to the Croisette, as we expected. But GCT picked up all drinks and meals while we stayed there, so we didn’t complain (too much).

To compensate for the distance, GCT hired a van to shuttle us to Cannes twice a day, with a very skilled lady driver who lived in the area and managed to get us there and back through the back ways to avoid the worst of the horrendous Cannes traffic.

Trivia: When Paolo first mentioned “the American Embassy” as a meeting point, we were a bit befuddled. We soon found out he meant the local Golden Arches, in front of which he was standing at the time.

Monaco - The Marina from the top of the Rock

We spent our first day there with American friends from Bonita Springs, FL, who own an apartment in Aix-en-Provence. They came down to spend the day with us, and were kind enough to drive us to Monaco, where Robin had never been. We had a delightful day -- even if a good chunk of it was spent in heavy traffic --, driving around (we took a photo of the Casino in Monte Carlo but didn’t go in because none of us are gamblers), and finally arrived at what is called “The Rock”, or the hill of Monaco, where the Royal Palace is located. We visited the Musée Océanographique created by Jacques Cousteau, which was very much worth it, and walked on to the Old Town where we had a fun lunch with our friends in a narrow street full of sidewalk cafés. Once on the very top of the hill, next to the Palace, we were met by outstanding views of the harbor, the city and the coastline.

Cannes - Ste Marguerite Island's harbor (one of the Iles de Lerins)

The next day, Robin and I took the van to the beach, to catch a ferry to the Iles de Lérins, ½ mile offshore from Cannes. The group, in the meantime, went on their own tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo. So we had two great days on our own. There are two Lerins Islands: Ile St. Honorat, and Ile Ste Marguerite. We went to the latter, best known for its luscious gardens, and prison at Fort Royal which is supposed to have detained the Man in the Iron Mask – of Alexandre Dumas fame -- who was allegedly Louis XIV’s identical twin according to Voltaire.

It was, indeed, a gorgeous island, which reminded me of Ile St. Joseph, in French Guiana, which we visited at the end of our Brazil cruise last February. Steep hills, lush vegetation, gorgeous beaches, lovely birds, etc. Our arduous climb up took us to Fort Royal, the said prison, now a museum, displaying evidence of the island’s Roman and Medieval times.

The last day, we visited Antibes in the morning, and St. Paul-de-Vence in the afternoon. Antibes is one of the highlights of the French Riviera, with enough photo ops to tire even the most ardent photographer. One of which being a local marché provençal, with its dizzying arrays of spices, sausages, herbs, cheeses, and other tantalizing goodies. After which we climbed to the old town to visit the Picasso Museum and take the views from the ramparts, since this alsoused to be a walled town.

After a delightful lunch in a local restaurant, we headed for St. Paul-de-Vence, where the artist Marc Chagall lived a long time and was buried. St. Paul-de-Vence is one of those little gems that wins every body’s heart. Many bodies, in fact, as proved by the number of bus tours gathered in one parking lot at, of course, the bottom of the hill from which you had to climb to the old town up on top! By the time we got there, I had really had it, and begged off the walking tour of the town (which is gorgeous, I am sure, as it is a refuge for artists of all kinds) which Robin joined. I sat in a café in the square where we were supposed to meet, and happily watched a game of pétanque or boules (“bocce ball” for Italians and Americans alike) between two local middle-aged women, whom the male regulars watched with particularly critical attention.

Trivia: Throughout the whole trip, a refrain kept popping up at regular intervals between Robin and me, reflecting our aversion to high-traffic and crowds: “You think this is bad? Just imagine what it will be in July and August!” Are you getting the message about going to Europe in July and August – or not?

And it was time to head out to Nice, where the Arethusa, one of GCT’s own fleet of ocean- and river-going ships, was waiting in the harbor.

I spiced things up a bit, lest we all get bored with everything going so well, and managed to drop Robin’s passport in the water, while walking across the flat 5 or 7-foot gangplank linking the pier to the boat. I was loaded with my cane, my camera, my hip-pack, and trying to hold on to the safety rope on the side while handing the passports to the crew because Robin was pulling our hand luggage, and my arthritic fingers didn’t measure up to the task. It gave Robin a chance to admit that he knew all along I wanted to get rid of him, anyway. The crew managed to retrieve the passport before it floated away with the current, washed it, let it dry in the sun, and it was as good as new.

Trivia: Be advised that the important information on our US passports is plasticized and indelible, and water-resistant - if not waterproof. Feel free to soak yours in your bathtub to verify the previous statement.

Nice - Neighborhood around the U-shaped port

Our home for a week was a lovely, small, 50-passenger-ship, with good-size cabins, with balconies in the upper deck ones. It held two groups at the same time, each with a separate Program Director. However, some activities were shared, and all the meals were together. We befriended a Russian couple, living both in Michigan and Colorado, who belonged to the other group.

I didn’t remember Nice being such a lovely city. Especially the Old Town, and the port. It’s the second largest city on the French Mediterranean, and the fifth largest city in France. We were offered two more walking tours (…) before we sailed, the most memorable of which was to Castle Hill, reached by an in-the rock-cliff elevator. Once up there, there was still lots of uphill walking to do, but the views of Nice and the Mediterranean coast from the Castle were spectacular, making it all worthwhile. The other tour introduced us to Nice’s Public Library, which is really a very original work of art.

Trivia: I found out that Yves Montand, the celebrated French singer, was born… in Italy! But his family moved to France two years later, and he grew up in Marseille. So it’s all right, he is forgiven.

Nice’s origins go back to 350 BC when the Greeks established a settlement there, because of the privileged location of its natural harbor. Originally part of Italy, it became French in 1792 until 1815 when it was returned to Italy, to be finally and permanently annexed to France in 1860. Re-learning all this made me realize how borders of countries and provinces are really so arbitrary, because they are more often than not controlled more by political decisions that by cultural and linguistic affinities. I am convinced that the world would not be in the state of turmoil it has been for so long if culture and language had continued to remain where they always fell naturally, or had been for so many centuries that changing them would necessarily create problems.

Trivia: A statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the prominent politician and revolutionary statesman who played a major role in the making of modern Italy, has a place of honor on the square in front of Nice’s City Hall. His claim to fame proved to be his having been born there in 1807, when Italy was under the control of France (go ahead, blame it on Napoleon).

The next morning, we left France proper and sailed out after the huge car-carrying ferry docked near us had left for Corsica, where it operates several times a day. The sun was still shining, lovely and warm, and we didn’t get to wear any of the warm clothes we had brought to wear in Paris (where it happened to be warm also). Even though Corsica is French, that part of our trip is included in the cruise part (mostly in and around Italy) of our adventure because they were done together. And on to Phase 4 to explore The Ligurian Coast of Italy (see the Italian Lakes and Ligurian Coast travelogue).

Travelogues

Travelogues

FRANCE June 2014 - Phase 1 (France 1/Paris) and Phase 3 (France 2/the Riviera)

Click photos to enlarge and see captions