France – Page 5 – Travels of John and Flo

August 11, 2013October 19, 2020

L’Isle de Noirmoutier

Noirmoutier is an island off the coast of France, in the Atlantic, just below Nantes and Brittany. We vacation here frequently as there’s a summer cottage of the family in a small town, Herbaudiere, at the far end of the island beside the port. The island is flat. So flat that at times with the combination of a high tide and a storm, at times the ocean has made its way completely over the island. It is just 12 miles long and only 4 miles at its widest beam.

August 2, 2013October 19, 2020

A Day in Paris…

Put a guy in Paris (sans sa femme) with too much time on his hands, a bike and an iPhone, throw in a 1/2 bottle of rosé and a beautiful Parisian evening, and this is what you get…

June 21, 2013October 20, 2020

Sailing on the Manitou

In April of this year we had a very special opportunity when asked by our friends Argie and Pat to join them for a day on the bay of Cannes on Pat’s classic 64-foot racing sailing boat the Manitou. Each summer Pat and his partners enter the Manitou into about 14 classic boat sailing regattas that take place in different ports around the Mediterranean. This was to be a first cruise for the upcoming season, to see just how ready the boat was. Although sailing conditions were not ideal, it was great to be out on the bay on such a beautiful boat and to get a glimpse on just how the boat can perform. After sailing for awhile we anchored in between the island of Saint Marguerite and Saint Honorat for lunch and a little wine, before heading it back to port ahead of the incoming rains.

May 29, 2013October 20, 2020

Nice Apartment – Finally finished…

Our spring project was the purchase and renovation of an apartment in the central part of Nice, France. We returned to Nice from Mexico in January, with really no intention of buying a place in Nice, but we were getting tired of living out of suitcases and moving from one rental apartment to another. We knew we eventually wanted to get a place in France, we just weren’t sure where, although Nice was looking better and better. Well, we ended up finding a for sale by owners that offered all we were looking for, so we went for it.

April 26, 2013October 20, 2020

Apartment Buying in Nice, France

About a year ago we thought we were heading over to Europe to begin a period of nomadic travel. Well, it didn’t last long. As our daughter was attending school in Nice, we ended up setting up the town as our base to explore other towns in the area, Italy next door, and the hills behind. And through that, we ended up enjoying Nice so much that we really couldn’t think of another place we’d rather live. We knew we wanted a place in Europe at some point, we just didn’t know where and when that would happen. Well, it happened.

February 12, 2013October 20, 2020

Back to Auron

We returned to Auron in mid’ February of 2013, but this time to ski not just to visit. We arrived on a Monday and it had been snowing all the night before and continued all the way up. We took the bus, which was a good idea as there were a lot of cars along the side of the road, and we reached Auron in 2.5 hours. When it cleared up in the afternoon we had more than 15 cm. of new snow on the hill. We took an afternoon pass (US$20), and enjoyed fresh power and sunshine. The next day they opened the other side of the mountain; so more fresh powder and even more sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky by mid’ afternoon.

December 17, 2012October 21, 2020

Lunch in Auron, France

There had been a lot of snow coming down in the mountains behind Nice lately, so we decided to go up and check out Auron, a place we’ll be skiing at in the new year. We took the #250 bus that leaves from the Nice train station, with a stop at the airport. Amazingly, the two-hour trip cost only 1 euro each. A similar trip, roughly same distance and time, from the Vancouver airport to Whistler, costs $63 dollars each. So for two euros each our transportation was taken care of up to the hill and back.

December 13, 2012October 21, 2020

Great Walks in Nice, France

If you’re in Nice, here’s some great walks you should consider. They are as simple as just walking the boardwalk in front of downtown central Nice, but most follow the sentier coastal paths that have existed for hundreds of years.

December 2, 2012October 21, 2020

Sunday in St. Agnes, France

For the past three weekends we’ve been visiting difference towns close to Nice but that are up in the mountains. This weekend we headed northeast and visited three towns; Peillon, Peille, St. Agnes and nearly made it to Gorbio. The drive is amazing, with great view points, a lot of hair-pin turns as you climb and some very narrow roads hanging, barely it seems, from the mountainside. You certainly need to keep your eye on the road! These towns are a little off the beaten path of the tourism circuit, like St. Paul de Vence or Eze, so there are less people around and tens to be less “Disneylandyish” – meaning people still live and work there like they have for hundreds of years.

November 25, 2012October 21, 2020

Sunday walk to Monaco

I hadn’t been to Monaco in over 30 years, so I didn’t have many memories of it, other than this feeling that it was only for the wealthy and perhaps a bit pretentious. Well, we actually very much enjoyed Monaco. Visiting during low season (November) is nice, but I’m sure the streets are just packed during the summer months. Although Monaco is very much over-built with high-rise condominium projects surrounding it, the downtown area has some wonderful architecture, making up for it. And on the “the Rock” where the palace is situated and the old part of Monaco, it is extremely pleasant, especially the garden areas and the views that follow along the cliffs looking out over the Med.