France

Bonjour from the French Riveria! A sentence I have only dreamed of ever saying! I have loved our time here the most! After just one day of arriving in Nice and taking a 20 min train to Antibes, we decided to extend our time here from one week to 11 days! We do not want to leave (although, Italy is next).

Our apartment is the perfect location to walk to the daily market, which has everything from fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, seafood, and spices. It is also a short walk to a beautiful, sandy beach. I like the lifestyle here. . .waking up, going for a run along the beach (Jason, daily; me occasionally) and meeting at the local coffee shop for an espresso (noisette) and a croissant. It’s pretty hard to beat! Even in the small town, most of the locals are able to speak English. They do not engage with us much even though we try to speak to them in French.

The city of Antibes feels very livable. It is a good size and not too touristy compared with the other towns along the Côte d’Azur. Jason did his research and discovered a hidden gem! Antibes has a Picasso Museum which was also his studio. We toured and learned that he also lived in that town during part of his life and created some of his artwork from inspiration there. On a day trip, we trained to Eze, Villefranche de Mar, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes, and Menton. Eze was amazing because it is a town built into a cliff and at the top, art galleries, restaurants and a church that dates back to the 1700’s. We toured the succulent and sculpture garden at the top and took in the amazing view! Monaco and Monte Carlo were also fun to visit, but very busy and touristy due to the celebrities and social media.

We went to the beach almost everyday and soaked up the sun in beautiful Mediterranean. Zachary liked to swim, snorkel, and play paddle ball or throw American football with Jason. The ocean is very salty, warm, calm and clear. We rented a boat one day and ended up floating and cliff jumping (I’m sure you can guess who did what) in Billionaire’s Bay in Antibes! The water was so clear in the bay that you could see fish swimming without a mask.

The baguettes, croissants, and espresso were our favorite foods. There was seafood readily available and very fresh. We ate whole sea bream or sea bass almost everyday. Most restaurants would present the entire fish at the table and then take it back to debone it, ready to eat! The mussels in curry broth served steamed in a giant pot were delicious! We also ate oysters from the region, but they were so briny! Not much taste, other than the salt water. Indian restaurants seemed to be in every city and have been our comfort food! We ate at one in Lisbon, Barcelona, London, and Antibes! Maybe next time we find Indian food, it will be in Rome?