On the Mend and On the Road

It is so wonderful to report that we finally turned a corner, literally and figuratively, on our days in Nice.  Whatever bug it was that took us down seems to have now worked its way through our systems and we are doing so much better.  Whew!

For my last couple of days in Nice, in spite of the weather, I did manage to get to a store near the old harbour which sells a wide variety of items - tablecloths, tea towels, etc. - in Provence fabrics.  I wished I'd had more energy to explore the shop and the two guys who run it were super.  I treated myself to a couple of tablecloths.  I then walked past the big war memorial on my way around the point back to the Old Town where I stopped for lunch at Bollengers in Cours Saleya for a crepe.  It was nice to be feeling a bit more normal.








Sunday, we left our apartment, and hopefully the less than perfect time we'd had in Nice, and picked up a rental car at the airport.  There was an "orange weather" alert and, at times, the rain was very heavy making driving a bit of a challenge.  However, it was lovely to get a change of scenery as we drove west along the coast road through some of the well-known place along the Riviera like Cagnes sur Mer, Antibes, Juan les Pins, Cannes (along the famous Croissette) to Saint Raphael where we stopped for a light lunch.  The scenery along this, at times rugged, coastline, is stunning; particularly in the areas where there are ochre-coloured hills and mountains. 






We stopped for a break and a light lunch at Saint Raphael, another coastal town not far from Frejus.  It was filled with families enjoying a Sunday afternoon on the Cote d'Azur.  From the coast, our route took us inland where the landscape became more of forests and vineyards (we were getting close to where the famous grapes for provence-rose wines are grown), and through Toulon back to the coast.  


Our destination was Bandol where we will stay for the next couple of days.  I've been here several times before and I really like this coastal town.  The glitz and glam of the Riviera is left far behind and this is a much more "authentic" town with regular shops, restaurants, and bars.  Our hotel is Beau Rivage and, while a bit tired, certainly my room with its two balconies, offers lovely views across the harbour and bay.  We had dinner at Du Thym à l’Ail as the menu seemed to offer something for us all.  My scallops in a cream sauce were delicious and the Dubneys enjoyed their "moules et frites".  It was the first time in a week that we'd eaten in a restaurant and it was so great to feel we were back on track again.






We all felt that things were certainly looking up for the coming week.  The plan tomorrow is to do a boat trip along the coast from here west to see some of the "calanques" (coves) famous in this area.



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