Planning a Trip to Côte d'Azur
Remember my sister-in-law, Khanh, and her husband, Don? We vacationed with them last year in Cancun and the four of us have decided to make a trip to the south of France in October.
Cannes, Nice, and Monaco are located on Cote d'Azur which borders the Mediterranean and touches Italy
Khanh came up with the idea to go to Côte d'Azur, also known as the French Riviera, the Mediterranean coastline on the southeast side of France. Of course, Lee and I were on board with the idea right away.
Why are we interested in this area? For me, my interest was born from the French movies I saw when I was growing up, the books I have read, and my scant knowledge of the wonderful places named St Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, etc… I also know about these places because of Brigitte Bardot, James Bond, Princess Grace, and Henri Matisse.
Why are we interested in this area? For me, my interest was born from the French movies I saw when I was growing up, the books I have read, and my scant knowledge of the wonderful places named St Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Monaco, etc… I also know about these places because of Brigitte Bardot, James Bond, Princess Grace, and Henri Matisse.
Brigitte Bardot in her heyday. So ahead of her time with her plump lips and big sunglasses.
So this is our plan:
Khanh and Don will fly to Paris for a few days first before they head to Nice. We will fly to Nice by way of London and meet them there on October 21, 2010.
We have reserved a two-bedroom apartment in Nice, the region’s biggest city.
Our apartment is in an area full of hotels, restaurants, and shops. The apartment is located right on Promenade des Anglais, the main pedestrian walkway in Nice, and has a wrap-around balcony that faces the Mediterranean Sea.
Nice will be our base for the four-day stay, and from there we will tour Villefranche, Cap Ferrat, Eze Village, Monaco, St Tropez, and Cannes using a number of transportation modes including buses, rental car and yes…walking.
On October 25th, we will leave Nice and fly to London, spend a couple of days at the Radisson Edwardian Bershire in the heart of London, tour the City of Big Ben, Tate Modern Art, Buckingham Palace, and Harrods. Then we will fly home on Wednesday, October 27, 2010.
Since we have never been to Côte d'Azur nor London before, the prospect of seeing these wonderful places that we have always dreamed about is certainly exciting.
As with previous trips, I have sketched up a itinerary so that we can hit the ground running when our planes land in Nice.
We can't wait. I will update my blog when I get to Nice in late October.
(Written July 20, 2010)
On October 25th, we will leave Nice and fly to London, spend a couple of days at the Radisson Edwardian Bershire in the heart of London, tour the City of Big Ben, Tate Modern Art, Buckingham Palace, and Harrods. Then we will fly home on Wednesday, October 27, 2010.
Since we have never been to Côte d'Azur nor London before, the prospect of seeing these wonderful places that we have always dreamed about is certainly exciting.
As with previous trips, I have sketched up a itinerary so that we can hit the ground running when our planes land in Nice.
We can't wait. I will update my blog when I get to Nice in late October.
(Written July 20, 2010)
Left to right: Don, Khanh, Lee and Bo. Celebrating Don's and Khanh's 25th Anniversay at Bailey's in Fort Worth, TX. June 2010
You are listening to Sylvie Vartan, performing "La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser". Use control above to turn off music.
The Dance - Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)
