Falling in Love with the South of France

Post date: Apr 11, 2017 6:48:24 PM

Nice was lovely, but I made the mistake of having expectations. I learned when I was younger (Belize and Ghana), that making expectations about where you’re going to be visiting is a risky venture. So I was pretty surprised with Nice… expectations. They will kill you every time.

If I were to describe it in one sentence, I’d say Nice was like a love child between Barcelona and Miami. A bit sun drenched, a little trashy but a lot of old world style and exceptional balconies.

And the promenade was lovely.

My friend Thibault is from Brittany and has previously made me crepes. The correct style is with buckwheat, and a metric butt ton of butter. So when I found this little creperie on the way back to the hostel, I decided to dig in.

I’m not one to take photos of my food (at least not too often), but this was a pretty good crepe. Dare I say it… better than Thibault’s… and that’s a little tea cup of cider! Apparently it’s called a bolée, I was corrected when I sent this photo to Thibault to talk shit.

My sous chef is french, and he told me that I simply must drive through the National Park between Nice and Avignon (Parc Naturel Regional Verdon). However, between the twisting roads and climbing up and down mountains it doubles the drive time between the two towns. I woke up super early and hit the road. Let me just tell you...

It was worth it.

Stunning valleys, rivers and little mountain top villages. The water was glaciar turquoise. I want to come back here a do a proper visit, maybe a few days backpacking enjoying the stunning views. The sous chef and my domestic partner (his girlfriend) may be invited along.

Next, Avignon! It is an adorable little town, filled with bee biologists who study viruses! Or at least it was for a few days.

For example, people live here. In this ancient roman monastery, which is now an apartment building. No joke.

I stayed with my friend and colleague Alexi, who’s flat is simply stunning and has an amazing balcony with a view over the rooftops of Avignon.

This is the Pope’s palace! Apparently in the 14th century the Pope decided he had had enough of Rome and shifted the papacy to Avignon. 6 Popes lived there before returning to their seat in Rome. It’s a pretty spectacular building.

Proof I did work! One of my colleagues focuses on viral capsid structure, and he brought props for his talk. That’s a Deformed Wing Virus (the virus I study) capsid that he 3D printed to pass around!

But even when we were working (on our way to lunch) the view was pretty lovely.

After the workforce was over, I headed south back to the coast. Marseille!

The view from the Jardin du Pharo is stunning. You can see the entire harbor of Marseille! I was feeling very french in this photo, a tad under washed, and a little too much lipstick. I regret nothing.

The Jardin du Pharo has a ton of green space and looks beautiful in every direction. The guy who worked at the hostel told me he takes all his dates here for picnics and I can see why!

The rest of the day was spent walking around Marseille, admiring the boats, enjoying the views and people watching. (Note: I love French food, but I had one of the worst meals of my life in Marseille. It’s like if a frozen pizza and bruschetta had a love child. An unholy, terrible tasting love child)

I had booked a hotel for the next night in Cannes, and since I had the day to waste I decided to drive the long way there, along the coast! Instead of repeating last nights food mishap, I stopped at a grocery store, bought some cheese and bread and found a beach for lunch. Coincidentally, this is also the small town where I’m going to buy my vacation home/retirement home! When I get enough money/sell a kidney/win the lottery. Soon…

It was a long drive (3 hours? Europe has ruined me) made longer because I kept stopping at every overlook to take photos. At one point, I found an easy turn off to a small beach. I lay in the sand and read my book for a few hours. A nice glass of wine was located in a nearby beach hut. It was paradise.

In Cannes, I booked a cheap hotel right outside of town. I got WAY more than I bargained/paid for. The house is right on the beach, and until 6 months ago it was a family home for a rich, old school, Cannes family. It’s only been open as a hotel for about a month. It was in the swanky part of town, and let me feel like I was living in luxury… for only 30 euros a night. I swam in the pool, took breakfast on the veranda, and generally got to feel like I was hollywood/cannes royalty. I didn’t really want to leave… And I hope I can return before they realize how much they should be charging.

But at some point I made my way out of the pool and onto the beach. Behold, my final dinner in the south of France. On the beach, while viewing the mediterranean.

For dessert I stopped by a beachside bar to enjoy the view and my book. And it’s close enough to my future beach house that I hope to be able to visit again in the future!

I spent my final morning shopping in an antique market, and being a tourist.

Above, I’m on the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, where the film festival is held. Not seen in this photo, the other tourists also posing on the red carpet.

Again, I have always assumed I was predisposed to like the South of France, and it turns out I was right. I will be back, hopefully with friends.