Villefranche-sur-Mer and other stories

As promised I wanted to give our day at the beach full attention and then talk about our other adventures in Nice including a hike to the neighboring town of Villefranche-sur-mer which means tax-free city on the sea.

The Mediterranean:

Dipping your toes into the warm clear water, the color a vibrant aqua. It is easy to see how this part of the world is known as the Cote D'Azur. Because the color of the water is so distinct and azure is the perfect color to describe it. 

Rick Steves and the couple we met in Paris  warned us that the beaches in Nice are rocky. Now living in the Pacific Northwest I just assumed they meant rocky. Instead the beaches contain no sand, as a budding geologist I feel compelled to go off on a tiny tangent about the definition of sand. Sand is sand because of the size of the grains. All minerals can be classified based on size ranging from silt to boulders and each has a specific size in mm. Sand is between 1/16mm and 2mm in diameter and can be made up of a variety of substances. Usually it is made up of quartz. But as I said, there is no sand on the beaches instead they are covered in what geologists would classify as pebbles and cobbles. Smooth rounded stones of varying size. And from being a huge nerd sitting under an umbrella staring at these rocks they also seem to have varying composition. Most were sedimentary but I did see a few granitic rocks as well. I am particularly curious what geologic phenomena creates a beach like this, I have some ideas but I have not looked into this more thoroughly. 

Our first few days in Nice

Nice is nothing like Paris except of course that most people speak French. Although many also speak Italian.

And this makes sense, Nice has spent much of its history independent from France. In fact it only became part of France after the revolution and it was decided by a vote.

The train from Paris to Nice is a scenic journey. The majority of the distance is covered by high speed travel in the first 2 hours. However once along the coast the train slows down and makes probably 5 stops before arriving in Nice. The last 3 hours of the ride are truly breathtaking views of cliffside villages overlooking the Sea. The train was comfortable, had a cafe car and honestly didn't feel that long. 

Things I have noticed about Paris

1. Most of the city parks do not allow dogs. Most city parks also keep their grassy areas behind tiny fences to keep people from walking, sitting or lounging on it. In all our time in Paris we only saw grass you could sit on at Versailles, at the Eiffel Tour and in front of Les Invalides despite passing at least 20 city parks.

2. I can see why the people of France revolted. Everywhere you go there is some palace or garden for nobility only. Most were built in the 1600s and no doubt contributed to bankrupting the monarchy. 

3. The green walk signs at crosswalks are more like an advisory as people will still try to mow you down. 

4. Brunch in Paris is from 11-4. More like an extended lunch. 

5. Historic markers in Paris typically involve buildings built before 1600 or are related to the French Revolution 

6. There is a cheese shop every few blocks but all seem to be closed when looking for one. 

Restaurants in Paris

This post is all about the best restaurants we visited while in Paris. Consider it a recommendation list or just something to wet the appetite. We were able to visit all of these places without reservations and during the holiday when many restaurants are closed. Restaurants described: Restaurant FL, Cafe Strada, La Cordonnerie, L'as du Falafel, Le 404 and L'Ange 20.

Restaurant FL

Location: Near the Eiffel Tour
Date visited: August 3rd 2013 dinner

This unique modern french restaurant came to our attention via trip advisor. The chef is young and the cuisine is not served in a traditional way. Like many delicious restaurants in Paris, the dining room seats about 30 in very close quarters. They pull the tables out so you can slide in. These intimate venues practically guarantee that you will end up sharing a few words or more with your neighbors.The decor of this small restaurant was also quite unusual, the walls on one side of restaurant had cut-outs to display objects. Mostly wine bottles and a cardboard cutout of a cheeseburger that was positioned behind bars. The other wall had a large graphic painted on it of a sculpture made out of utensils. The dishes are modern takes on classic Southwest French cuisine. They make their own foie gras.

The Louvre

It has been 3 days since we went to the Louvre and I still feel like there is little I could say that would truly do it justice. At the end of this post is a mini photo tour of the weird and wonderful pieces and rooms of the Louvre.

Our time in Paris can really be divided into 3 main categories walking around, eating and art museums.

Of the three art museums we visited (Louvre, D'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou) I felt like I connected most to the art at the D'Orsay. There were a lot of very memorable pieces and the building is beautiful however just being inside the Louvre is an experience. We went on Friday when the Louvre is open for almost 13 hours 9am-9:45pm and collectively we spent around 10 hours looking at art (we took a break to get lunch and another to get a snack). 

Tips for dining in Paris

Eating is one of the highlights of any good trip. This post will include tips for dining and the next post will include a list of restaurants we have tried.

Tips for dining in Paris:

1. Plan ahead. 

Sean and I are spoiled living in Seattle where the quality of food is high even in mid or low range options. If you want a good meal in Paris, check reviews on trip advisor (they have a website, a phone app and a downloadable guide for major cities like Paris for your phone that does not need Internet access). You can also cross reference on yelp but trip advisor is more commonly used. 

2. If you are not in the mood or unwilling to pay 20 Euro a person for a good meal, go to a food stand. 

There are many inexpensive quick options in Paris. Falaffel, Lebanese food, Chinese, sandwiches, etc. Some of them are out of this world good. I had a falafel sandwich in Le Marais that took the cake (read all about it in the next post). But if they are not the greatest it was a small investment and you are still fed. 

Versailles: like Disneyland but no fun

We did everything the guidebook said. We bought tickets ahead of time online and we woke up early but somehow we were still unprepared for Versailles.

Short version: expensive, long lines, screaming kids and just not as impressive as the Louvre 

Long version: