Unfortunately my time was spent "working" and not a whole lot of playing.
But I got a little taste of the good life, and I really fell in love with the area.
I spent some time in France last summer as well. I was in Paris for a little while and then lived in Geneva, Switzerland which is right on the border with France. So I would go grocery shopping in France becaue it was cheaper, or when I went jogging in the evenings after work I would just jog across the border. Or I would take a ferry ride with friends across the gigantic Lake Geneva to quaint French villages and go exploring.
I liked these experiences a lot- but I did not care for Paris at all. Overall, I would describe France as one of my least favorite countries.
Until now, at least.
There are not a lot of stories to share about this trip, so I will just share some pictures.
I stayed in a beautiful renovated 1890s villa- 8 bedrooms, stained glass windows, marble floors and high ceilings. This little paradise is where I spent most of my time. The villa is situated upon a hill just east of the Port of Nice in a quiet residential area.
This is our street-
The driveway, massive lavendar plants, and the top of the house-
Fresh figs, oranges and lemons from the backyard-
Me in the backyard-
In the elevator up to the roof of the house-
The view from the roof-
towards the port
the backyard
We spent a lot of our time in two places.
Our evenings were spent in VilleFranche at this restaurant on the water-
And many of our days were spent at a lighthouse park area in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat-
Other pictures-
The port from far away-
A cute little french girl at the playground-
From the beach-
The port on the night of an international culinary festival-
Notice the gigantic yachts. Ohh that would be a dream come true!
Highlights of the trip:
Lizards in the backyard, finding a hedgehog in the driveway, the french bread and olive oil, vegan ice cream, walking everywhere, the SUN and consistently high temperatures, all of the vegan food I brought home (I really want to take a picture of all of it but I lost my camera battery charger!) I bought: fake tuna, tofu ravioli, pudding, veggie burgers, VEGAN DORITOS!!, vegan nutella, a sweet chestnut spread, vegan fig newtons, vegan M&M's, vegan mayo, vegan pesto dip, etc.
I also brought home a little bit of a tan and a swelling stomach.
I am convinced that the French Riviera is paradise, if in the right circumstances. I was not, but I am absolutely desperate to go back with my fiance or friends/family.
I will be updating again soon about a completely awesome Russian tradition- mushroom picking in the forest! Seriously, it's the coolest experience I've had so far while living here.
Oh yes and I almost forgot, there are some beuatiful wildflowers in Nice:
