Morocco

And finally we went to Tangier, Morocco for the day.  Did you know that 70% of the population of Tangier is under 20?  Crazy!

We had a great lunch Moroccan style with these musicians serenading us.

Gibraltar

The following day we went to Gibraltar.  Lovely town and the view from the top of "the rock" was amazing. The tunnels inside the rock were really interesting.  I had no idea.

So many monkeys living on the top of Gibraltar!

Granada and the Alhambra

The first of my bus tours took me inland to the city of Granada and the Alhambra.  Quite beautiful.

Look at these gorgeous ladies of the court!

Barcelona!

On Saturday morning I headed off to Nice to catch my flight to Barcelona and then on to Malaga, Spain.  Had a 5 hr. layover in Barcelona so thought I would try to nip into the city and see what I could see.  It's not a lot of time as I had to be back 2 hrs. prior to my flight to Malaga and the airport in Barcelona is huge.  By the time I figured out the bus into the city and the metro to Sagrada Familia it pretty well ate up all my time.  I'll have to go back to visit this amazing city when I have a few days.

This is a picture of Sagrada Familia...constantly under construction so not a pretty picture.

The food!

Had lunch overlooking the beach.  Good timing as the heavens opened up just as I got inside.  This was their house salad and it was delicious.  The picture doesn't do it justice.

I then went for a long walk into town along the beach and rewarded myself with a nice cold beer on the way back.  Only 1.50 euro!  Not bad!

Malaga

Late Saturday I arrived at the airport in Malaga.  It was raining which was most disappointing.  Found the bus that I was told would take me to the resort.  These things never go as smoothly as planned as it was a bit of a challenge to find the bus and then figure out where to buy the ticket but got it done and I was on my way.  Only 3.50 euro for the bus so that was good.  The resort is huge but I'm getting used to it and its feeling like home.  I have booked two excursions as the weather is not exactly lay around the pool weather.  Tuesday I go to Granada to see Alhambra, Wednesday to Gibraltar and Thursday to Morocco!  Busy, busy, busy!

Nice hike to St. Paul de Vence

Garry, Marnie and I walked to St. Paul de Vence on Friday.  Took approx. one hour and the weather was lovely.  Had a great lunch and then caught the bus back to Vence.

The sun is back!!!

Today the sun is back....beautiful and warm.  How quickly I can forget the cold, rainy days.

 I met Sophie in town for practice conversation.  We had corresponded through the website OnVaSortir but today was the first time we met.  It was great as Sophie insisted that I speak French which is what I need.  Had a lovely coffee on the patio in town and then headed home.  Rewarded myself with a cold Stella on the back patio.  Ah, the good life.

The tree on the wall is something that Ullrike (Madame of the house) created.  Done with fastening different size and types of stones to the wall.  Amazing!

Learning the language

Tuesday I took the bus to Villeneuve-Loubet to meet up with Caty to practice our language skills.  Villeneuve-Loubet is a small village approximately 20 minutes from Vence.

 I met Caty through a website and we are trying to meet as often as possible to practice conversation.
 For me in French and for Caty in English. 

 It was a beautiful day and Caty offered to show me around her village and take a stroll on the banks of the Loup River.  What a beautiful spot. 

I don't know how much my french improved but I had a great day!

Dining Out in Vence

On Thursday Wendy and I went for lunch at a restaurant in the Old Town.  It was called La Table de Domi.  Fantastic find.  Cozy, great ambiance and the food!!!!  Apparently it's only been open a year but the building is 60 years old.  The owner put in stairs going down into additional dining space that was dug out.  It resembles a plush cave complete with stone walls.

Wendy had a wonderful pasta dish with fresh local mushrooms.  The sauce was wonderful and every bit was soaked up with the fresh bread that accompanied it.

I had this great creation which was creamy, mashed potatoes topped with duck and vegetables.  How creative and yummy! 
Of course the wine was devine too.....definitely returning here.








 
Friday afternoon we went to the local market in Vence where we picked up our Paella (my standard order) and Wendy found the cutest little jacket for her granddaughter.

On Friday night we went to Le Pigeonnier which is another restaurant in the Old Town.  Since it was Wendy's last night in France we wanted to do something special. 

Reservations at 7 p.m. meant that we were the first ones in the restaurant because by French standards that is way too early to eat.  Worked for us though! 

 Wonderful food, great wine.  A night to remember.

Eze

Wendy and I headed to Eze today.  This is one of the medieval perched villages between Nice and Monaco.  It is beautiful and dates back to the 1300's.

We took the bus from Vence to Nice and then to Eze Village.  We walked through the winding lanes in the old town.

I just love old doors and this one was a beauty!

Beautiful old buildings, winding walkways, small shops and art galleries.

Wendy and I went for a bite to eat at a lovely outdoor patio.  Pizza and beer.  Couldn't be better!

Tourrettes sur Loup

Today Wendy and I caught the 510 bus to Tourrettes sur Loup for the Violette Festival.  This village is ony 10 minutes from Vence.

What a wonderful display of goods....here is one of the local merchants who usually sells Paella to me on Fridays in Vence.

 So colorful!  The flowers are amazing.

And the food!  On the right are large slabs of chocolate - white, dark, milk with almonds, orange or plain.  As I write this I can't resist and I am into my stash of dark chocolate....mmmmmm....!

This jazz quintet were really good....especially the woman who was playing a type of washboard instrument.

Beautiful town.  Even if the Violet Festival had not been happening it would have been a wonderful place to wonder.  Looks like lots of great little restaurants and shops to explore.

Some local art.  I'll definitely be back to this town.

Exploring Cinque Terre

On Tuesday Wendy and I headed out to Cinque Terre, Italy for a few days.  It just so happened that this was the one day they had a disruption to the bus/train system.  
 

All planned, we were to catch the bus from Vence to the train station in Cagne sur Mer and there was no bus!  Tried to get a ride with no success when finally another bus came by.  We took that one but it was quite a distance to walk to the train station where there MIGHT be a train.....we waited and waited and no train so we caught a taxi that was waiting.

We had to get to Ventimiglia, Italy in order to catch our train to Cinque Terre and once in Italy all would be good because there was no disruption to the buses and trains there. 134 Euros later!!!! and then we are on our way.

We transfer trains several times and finally arrive at our destination, Corniglia. It is the town in the center of Cinque Terre which consists of five coastal towns.  Unfortunately when we arrive it is raining and there are gale force winds!  Not pleasant but the views are still amazing from way up here!

Now this is a beautiful picture and this is Corniglia however I do have to confess that this is a picture that I took a picture of....unfortunately the sun did not shine when we were there....in fact I couldn't even use my umbrella as the winds were blowing so hard.  As you can imagine being perched on the top of a hill on the ocean you don't have much protection!

One of the many narrow lanes in Corniglia.  There was only a couple of bars and a grocery store open with very limited hours since it is the off season and the weather was bad.  In the summer this would be an amazing place to come.

Looking down from a view point in town the coast is rugged and the water is a beautiful shade of blue.  There are a couple of beaches in Corniglia.

I took the local train to Monterosso which is the most westerly town of the five.

Beautiful beach....lots of restaurants and places to see.....just not at this time of the year :) but I'm still enjoying the sights!

Then I hop the train in the other direction and head to Manarola.  This beautiful town is perched on another hilltop which we can see from Corniglia.

 

And then it's time to head back to Vence.  I promise myself that I will definitely return when the weather is better.  This is such a special place.  To hike the paths between the villages is a promise I have made to myself.....just not this trip....next time for sure!