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We drove down to Avignon to meet up with some friends from my hometown who are doing a barge/bike trip from Avignon to the coast following the Rhone. We drove down Saturday morning from Nice and were back Sunday evening.
Continue reading “Avignon Again…”
This hike starts off in Cap d’Ail and heads straight up the hill and mountainside to the “Tete de Chien”, the massive rock that sits above and behind Monaco and Cap d’Ail. Easy to get to with the #100 bus. This is one, though, that I recommend using your smart phone with Maps as the path can be difficult to find at times, and they do show well on both Google and Apple Maps.
Continue reading “Cote d’Azur Hike: Tete de Chien”
This hikes begins in the town of Beaulieu, which is just east of Nice, past Villefranche and in front of Cap Ferrat. Beaulieu is one of our favorites coastal towns along Cote d’Azur, lacking the tourists of Nice and Villefranche, sort of a more sophisticated sister-ville, that is still close enough to make it into Nice within a few minutes.
Continue reading “Hike to Saint-Michel Plateau”
This is one of the most accessible and flexible hikes around Nice. It allows for a short hike to a great viewpoint, or a more sportive three-hour hike, and a few hikes in between. Mont Bastide is the mountain that is just before Eze. When you pass over the bridge to Eze, your back is to Mont Bastide; the bridge joins Mont Bastide to Eze. Here’s the hikes that are possible to Mont Bastide.
Continue reading “Hike to Mont Bastide”
This is a must-do when in Lisbon. The Time Out Market is similar in concept to the Eataly markets that originated in Italy (Turin, I believe), but are now popping up in major markets in the USA. This one involves actually two markets, the old Ribeira Market, which can be traced back to the 13th century as a central city market, and still is one of Europe’s most famous fish markets. But there’s also fresh fruit and vegetables available as well. But next door is where the fun really takes place.
Continue reading “Time Out Market, Lisbon”
I have been trying to visit Roquebrune, (a hillside village above Cap Martin and overlooking Monaco) for some time, but every time we had gone the traffic, parking and crowds had been overwhelming so we chose to pass and try again another time. Well, it is November and there are usually not as many tourists around at this time of year, and as it was a beautiful day, I decided to give it another shot.
Continue reading “Roquebrune, Cote d’Azur”
The Conseil General Alpes Maritimes publish a number of booklets (available online as well) that describe many of the walks and hikes that can be discovered enjoyed along the Cotes d’Azur. We’ve been enjoy many over the past few years, and below are some of our favorites. There are 60 in total in three books; Pays Cotier, Moyen Pays, Haut Pays. If I’ve written previously about it, a link is included. “A” means they are from the first book (closest to the coastline walks) and the number signifies the number of the hike in their book. They are rated as Easy, Medium, Difficult and Sportive.
Continue reading “Walks & Hikes of the Cote d’Azur”
This past week we decided to take the #81 bus up to Eze from Nice and hike one of the trails close by. We chose a marked trail that would take us up to the Fort de La Revere (and goes by the same name), which is about a 4 km hike and would takes us a couple of hours. It’s a loop that leaves Eze, heads north and upwards, and there returns back down to Eze village. And all along the way there are amazing views looking back at the Cote d’Azur coastline. On this particular day the air was clear and you could see far down the coast towards Antibes and Cannes.
Continue reading “Work and Play”
Portugal has become increasingly popular recently for people wanting to obtain residency in the country, because of its fiscal advantages and the opportunity to be able to live and travel throughout the European Union. Done correctly, the amount of tax payable on incomes earned outside of Portugal, can lead to one paying 0% in tax.
Continue reading “Portugal’s Non-Habitual Resident Taxation Regime”
In 2010 we arrived in the Dominican Republic to visit our friends Jack and Yvonne. Our plans were to take their sailing boat, Busco Viento, with them, to the Caribbean. We sailed around Puerto Rico, visited the Spanish Virgin Islands of Culebra and Vieques, and on to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. We had a great time. Drank a lot of rum (our favorite was Mount Gay) and because of that don’t remember a lot of the trip. But we still have photos to help us remember, here are some of them!
Continue reading “Sailing the Caribbean”