In St Tropez and Saint Maxime, we were living it up with the rich and famous along yacht lined harbours with too many passing Bentley coupes, Ferraris and Porsches to count.
Cassis is a lovely little village on the Riviera straddled by crystal blue waters on the one side and rocky vineyards on the other. In the hazy heat of a summer Sunday afternoon, we found traditional marble courtyards and gardens and sat with the locals playing boulle for some respite from the sun.
Cannes, with enough star-power to fuel a million paparazzi cameras, has a sophisticated glamour all of its own. The boulevards, the luxury shops beneath majestic hotels and the Red Carpet of the Palais de Congress, this town has retains the atmosphere of its famous film festival all year round.
Nice, the packed Promenade de Anglais lined by glitzy casinos and imposing hotels on one side and wide stretches of beach on the other. This is where we spent the night of Bastille Day, standing amongst the crowds and gazing up at some of the most intense and lingeringly beautiful fireworks I have ever seen.
Eze, the famous medieval town teetering on the brink of dizzying heights which captures the most sweeping and awe-inspiring views of the Mediterranean. The steep and unending path from the village itself down to its sister town is where Nietzsche’s daily walks gave him time to consider some of his most famous works.
Antibes and Juan les Pan, this part of the Riviera reminds me of my parents and their song ‘Where do you go to my lovely?’. Two very small villages which have all but merged into one, we stumbled upon an Israeli expat hub in Juan les Pan where we had a wonderful lunch there sitting right above the private beaches.
St Paul de Vence, the walled village on the hill where even the rocks and pathways are steeped in art and you can feel the presence of its famous inhabitants, especially Chagall, can still be felt. With incredible views of the Provencial countryside and homely galleries next to those of famous artists, as well as the local craft shops housed in the small ancient houses of its winding cobbled streets, St Paul is itself an inspiration.
We also spent the day of Bastille Day in Monarco, the principality which juts out of the merging mountains and sea in all its highrise splendour. The streets were still lined with South African flags from the wedding, so it was a really special time to walk Monte Carlo with its Grand Prix route and take pics on the Casino red carpet.
Ah, this is the life!
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