Etape 1 Almost Finished

This long vacation of mine is basically in three stages (etapes):  the Cote d'Azur, following by a cruise and then a trip with my sister to Munich, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Frankfurt visiting Christmas markets with a birthday celebration squeezed in there.  Today, marked almost the end of the first part.  Delcie left for home this morning and I have another week in Nice until I move on to Part 2.  

Before dropping the car yesterday, we did actually try to visit Tourrettes sur Loup but it was market day and there wasn't a parking space to be had in this pretty village perche.  However, we did get a good view of it from the road heading to it.

So, we decided to head for the coast and visit the town of Antibes.  We parked in Port Vauban, the harbour, where there are some serious boats!

Then, it was a matter of walking into the Vieux Ville and wandering around until we were ready for our lunch.  Antibes is really pretty and I always enjoy visiting it.  One day, I'd like to explore Juan les Pins which is nearby but it wasn't to be this trip.  Our first stop was the Marche Provencal where it is always fun to look around.

After the visit to the market, we wandered the streets and along the ramparts before we had lunch on the edge of the square.

Looking towards Juan les Pins

Following our lunch, we took the pretty coastal road which takes you directly to Nice Cote d'Azur airport.  Dropping the car off was easy and in no time we were on a tram to Delcie's hotel to drop off her luggage.  We'd decided to spend the evening in Nice before she headed back to the hotel for her very early morning flights home.

Our first stop in Nice was the apartment which will be my home for the next week.

Then, we headed to the rooftop bar at the Meridien (again) where this time I tried a Limoncello Spritz.  It pales in comparison to its cousin, Aperol Spritz, but I had to try it.  The sunset from the terrace was pretty.  For our dinner, we went to Le Siecle where she had celebrated her birthday.  

Then, it was time to say our good byes.  We'd had a lot of fun and, except for the threatened difficulty finding gas (which didn't materialize), some very dodgy roads and traffic situations, and some meals that weren't great, it had all been wonderful.  I'm so happy to be back here!