FRANCE- PART 1

Picturesque scenes greeted us in France. The stunning coastline of clean streets and modern villages were a welcome change from Italy. We drove to Monaco, where we walked the streets admiring the wealth of yachts, cars and incredible buildings. We stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant with views of the port before continuing our journey in the afternoon to Eze. 

The village of Eze was one destination from my childhood that has been imprinted in my mind with the memory of escargot at Chez Dor, an amazing restaurant with views of the coastline. Upon returning, the charm of the cobble stone streets was still prominent, although we didn’t dine at the Michelin Rated restaurant from my memories. We left Eze after a stroll through the village and headed for Nice, staying at a campsite just out of town. 

The following day we rode our bikes down the Promenade visiting the produce and flowers markets in Old Nice to pick up some delicious bread, cheeses and figs and picnicked on the beach. Afterwards we headed up to Castle Hill, a preserved Battle Fort and Gardens with a waterfall and a beautiful view over Nice.

After a great night in Cannes we headed down the coastal road of the French Rivieria for the day, another truly remarkable coastline, stopping at St Tropez for quiche and elcairs for lunch and many French skate parks along the way. We stayed that night in a campsite just outside of Marseille with all the trimmings, pool with slides, tennis court, mini golf and Ping-Pong. 

The next day we visited Marseille, known for being a gritty city, meant that it was a skater’s paradise. We first headed to a famous skate park bowl by the beach and enjoyed lunch by the water before heading to another skate park in the afternoon. Brightly coloured graffiti and a cool location made this a stand out park in my eyes, and in Matts as well.

 Late in the afternoon we headed to the town of Avignon where we stayed at a campsite in a prime location by the river overlooking the famous Pont Des Avignon (bridge). A month long festival was underway so we joined the festivities listening to a DJ by the water as the sun set and explored the beautiful ancient town that looked magnificent lit up at night while street performers entertained the masses. 

The following day we headed to Nimes, another town not far from Avignon where we visited yet another skate park before visiting the famous Roman amphitheater that was nothing in comparison to the Colosseum. We headed in the afternoon to Montpellier where we stayed at a campsite waiting to get the car serviced in the morning. The next day we explored the streets of Montpellier while Kermit was being serviced. Once Kermit was fresh and ready to go, we headed towards the board to Spain. Quite a short but sweet time in France, I am definitely looking forward to returning after Portugal, but for now, the adventure must continue. Hola Barcelona!