Nice is another charming city in the French Riviera- the biggest and one of the most famous. This in itself made me nervous about visiting as I don’t tend to like the bigger cities… but there was intent in this visit. I had seen a restaurant on social media a while ago that appealed to me and had made a booking for lunch at Le Plongeoir… which literally translates to ‘the diving board.’ The restaurant occupies an iconic location in Nice, hovering above the sea on the famous pillar of rock and the base of the diving boards themselves, the restaurant welcomes you in this most unusual setting, steeped in history.

I was pretty excited about this one… and was not disappointed. I don’t think you could go anywhere with better views or location… delicious food…

awesome cocktail (couldn’t stop at one)…

… and great service. Felt very privileged as we sat and enjoyed the moments and had a very memorable lunch.

So we figured that while we were here, we may as well look around. There is more to Nice than the world-famous shoreline… it is a city filled with history, culture, and art. So we walked past the harbour…

… and of course we headed first for the beautiful Old Town (Vieux Nice)… apparently a favourite with locals and tourists alike… as there’s few things I like as much as wandering an old town… colourful facades painted in orange and yellow hues…

… winding cobblestone streets, shaded alleyways, historical buildings and churches, and delicious smelling restaurants. We certainly didn’t need to eat so we wandered around taking it all in…

Including a visit to Saint Reparate Cathedral…

and the Opera.

We particularly wanted to check out the shopping. We were both desperate to buy something cool to wear. It has been so unseasonably warm and I brought nothing summery with me, and Anne had only packed a few bits of pieces… and we had been struggling in the heat… and most shops we’d seen where we’d visited were full of new season winter clothes. Not helpful. But we had done success- we both bough white linen dresses and Anne made a couple of others purchases too.

We wandered all over the place enthralled at the stunning facades of so many of the buildings, the gorgeous squares, fountains and gardens… including the Place Massena with its hypnotic checkerboard tilework, bright red buildings around the periphery, and a large fountain.

Passed through the Jardin Albert I … a delightful green space where there is an interactive fountain/splashpad area, a fantastically imaginative playground. It was pretty cool.

We felt we couldn’t miss that world-famous shoreline and strolled along the Promenade des Anglais (the English Walkway)- a very wide boardwalk right along the Mediterranean. It extends for miles and has access points down to the beaches (which are beautiful, but rocky).

As I’m always after gorgeous views, we headed to the La Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill), first grabbing a crème brûlée ice cream that had been recommended. I wasn’t even hungry but as a crème brûlée lover, I couldn’t leave Nice without trying it, I can tell you it was to-die-for! With actual chunks of brûlée sugar in it!

We were pretty tired by this time and didn’t realise it was quite a big walk up but even though the majority of the castle has crumbled, it is worth walking up to reach the peak of this hill for the sweeping views of Nice along with the Baie de Anges.

We then had to walk back down and a couple of kilometres back to the station and then back up the hill when we arrived back in Villafranche… and we were totally exhausted. I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Anne had the state of mind to buy some baguette and tomato’s so we could eat something for dinner when we got home- or we would have gone hungry… and I don’t think I would have cared! Nearly 20 kilometres today and I could feel every one. Bed please!

Today I had decided to go to Eze, a charming medieval town perched high on a hill over the Mediterranean, not far from Villefranche, that I had seen pictures of. I was pretty excited about this one… as I just knew I would love it! Anne was planning on having a rest day after our huge day yesterday in Nice, but she changed her mind and decided to come with me. So we donned our new pretty white linen dresses and off we went. An hour after we left home I have no doubt that she wished that she hadn’t!

We hopped off the train and somehow decided to do the walk (if I can call it that) up. It’s not really a walk… more like a hike… and it’s not really a path… more like a trail for mountain goats! The distance is about 5km but the elevation of the route is about 500m… straight up! It was incredibly rocky and difficult to navigate in places with very large steps at times and slippery loose stones.

We were taken by surprise with how difficult this ‘walk’ would be and it took us about an hour and a half… in the heat… in our new pretty white dresses 😂. At least we had the right shoes… and awesome views on the way up! (Note to self- when there’s an available bus, sometimes it would be wise to take that option).

But it was totally worth it. My heart was beating out of my chest… and not just from my lack of fitness. This place was stunning… one of the most beautiful medieval towns in France- and yes… we only visit the most beautiful ones!

And the insane views of the Mediterranean made our jaws drop.

The village itself is stunning even from the road, as you can still see the old castle walls that date back to the 12th century.

But as we were so exhausted by our ‘walk’ up the mountain, we settled in Chateau Eze’s panoramic restaurant terraces for a glass (or two) of chilled wine and gave ourselves some time to cool down and replenish before exploring the gorgeous village.

This village is like a labyrinth- as we strolled its cobblestone alleys, we found ourselves lost amidst uneven stoned streets, ancient fountains, narrow alleyways…

… ivy blanketed stone buildings…

… and old stone houses, amazing archways…

… art shops, and galleries.

… and boutiques…

… and extraordinary street-light shades.

This village is over 1,500 years old and walking around it, we could feel and see every bit of that history- kind of like you have stepped back in time… if I could just get rid of all those pesky tourists 😂

We explored the Botannical Gardens Jardin Exotique d’Eze, perched above the village on top of the mountain where over 400 Mediterranean cacti, citrus trees and tropical plants from around the world surround the castle ruins.

It felt like a little oasis, complete with many gorgeous sculptures encountered on the garden’s stone and curvy path…

… and with stunning panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea and the hills below.

Seriously I think it’s the most stunning garden I’ve ever seen… and it doesn’t even have flowers as such?

We stopped for lunch in a tiny vine covered alleyway restaurant fir another wonderful memory.

Really I was totally seduced by the beauty of Eze, and it was easy to lose track of time. This is the first place on this trip that I really wished I could stay longer. Would love to have been able to wander the intricate passages at sunrise… alone with my thoughts… and camera (iPhone) of course.