From our base in Nice, such destinations as Monaco, Cannes, and the like are nearby, but well-known, touristy, and congested. We elected to rent a car and visit the hill villages: medieval small fortified villages whose architecture today is little changed from centuries ago. Many were built on high rocky hillsides which were more easily defensible. Driving to them is a challenge. Our driveway at home is wider and smoother than some sections we encountered. But the views of surrounding mountains and valleys are extraordinary, and a few (Gourdon, Eze) have many artsy shops with high quality products.
Nice: large bustling, touristy with great restaurants, museums, shops, monuments, and parks. Security features are obvious, but we avoided the most crowded areas.
Many classic sailing yachts were out, not far off the beach. impressive power yachts were parked in the marinas.
We should expect a Club Med yacht here on the French Riviera.
At breakfast today we talked with a couple visiting from Buenos Aires, and at lunch we exchanged views on world events with a couple from Kiev, Ukraine. They witnessed the recent revolution against their government which included people being shot and killed just outside their windows.
The village of Gourdon; why put a village on such a remote rocky outcropping? The ridge you see in the background is a popular paragliding spot.
A street scene in Gourdon on one of the less touristy lanes.
Occasionally, the paragliders would fly right overhead. Imagine soaring like a bird!
The village of Gourdon, our first stop, is apparently a paragliding hot spot. We could see at least ten paragliders catching the updraft at a nearby mountain ridge. When we lived in Germany 25+ years ago, I took a paragliding course. I was never able to pursue it; my career was too demanding at that time. But it is as close to feeling like a soaring bird as you would ever experience. Our "final exam" was to launch from the top of a ski slope and fly down to Garmisch, turn into the wind, fly over the wall of the Olympic winter stadium, and land in the center field. Controlled much like an airplane by using the "flaps".
The village of Tourrettes sur Loup. Different homes have common walls made of many huge stones and mortar joints. The passageways are too narrow for cars, which are left outside the village.
A street scene in Tourrettes sur Loup. Despite its ancient origins, the surroundings can be neat and aesthetically pleasing.
A street scene in Eze which used to be a village but now is basically a touristy arts center.
A typical art studio in Eze; although the variety of items in different shops covers a wide range of cute, quality products.
The village of Peillon; no tourists here due to its remote location, but the scenery is outstanding. We ate lunch here at the only restaurant we could find; it would seat about twenty persons maximum, but the food was good. Very little English understood here.
Another view of Peillon; you can see the rugged terrain it is located in.
Aren't passageways such as this amazing? Ancient yet very pleasing to see. This is the village of Luceram; again, no tourists due to its rather remote location.
This is Luceram, but passageways, such as this, are routine in all these old medieval villages. Amazing that people have brought in modern electricity and plumbing instead of abandoning such old surroundings.
A defensive watch tower at the high end of Luceram. I wish I knew why they needed such strong defensive locations; who were they protecting against?
Nice: large bustling, touristy with great restaurants, museums, shops, monuments, and parks. Security features are obvious, but we avoided the most crowded areas.
At breakfast today we talked with a couple visiting from Buenos Aires, and at lunch we exchanged views on world events with a couple from Kiev, Ukraine. They witnessed the recent revolution against their government which included people being shot and killed just outside their windows.
The village of Gourdon; why put a village on such a remote rocky outcropping? The ridge you see in the background is a popular paragliding spot.
The village of Gourdon, our first stop, is apparently a paragliding hot spot. We could see at least ten paragliders catching the updraft at a nearby mountain ridge. When we lived in Germany 25+ years ago, I took a paragliding course. I was never able to pursue it; my career was too demanding at that time. But it is as close to feeling like a soaring bird as you would ever experience. Our "final exam" was to launch from the top of a ski slope and fly down to Garmisch, turn into the wind, fly over the wall of the Olympic winter stadium, and land in the center field. Controlled much like an airplane by using the "flaps".
The village of Tourrettes sur Loup. Different homes have common walls made of many huge stones and mortar joints. The passageways are too narrow for cars, which are left outside the village.
I believe the answer is that these fortified villages were built in locations with difficult access to protect against Moorish slave raiders. Few people realize that tens of thousands of Europeans were made captives and taken to north Africa as slaves. The men would be chained to the oars of sea-going galley ships and slowly worked to death. The women were household slaves or sex objects, and the children would have field chores. This started hundreds of years before north America was settled.
We took time out for laundry recently. The hotel service charges 7 euros for a shirt; we were able to do an entire self-service load for that amount. We have a neat little pocket WiFi "hot spot" which allows us to keep our internet connection while roaming the area; rents for only 2 euros per day. We have now visited Gourdon, Le Bar sur Loupe, Tourettes sur Loup, Grasse, Eze, Peillon, and Luceram; all distinctive hill villages. Visiting the last two, we were almost the only tourists present. The architecture is amazing; fortress walls, chapels, fountains, and homes with thick shared stone walls. Flowers growing from pots; large trees pushing up through the cobblestones which have been polished by generations of inhabitants passing over them; heavy wooden doors leading into unknown recesses. The photo opportunities are endless.
The past two days we have had lunch in little country restaurants, seating perhaps twenty patrons max, where no English was spoken. A phrase book, some memorized words, and common expressions got us through. Great meals in an authentic atmosphere. I do not recommend our approach generally: the driving is very challenging both in the city and rural back roads. Dawn & I have familiarity with European driving; we drive as a team (driver, navigator) and still use a GPS.
We took time out for laundry recently. The hotel service charges 7 euros for a shirt; we were able to do an entire self-service load for that amount. We have a neat little pocket WiFi "hot spot" which allows us to keep our internet connection while roaming the area; rents for only 2 euros per day. We have now visited Gourdon, Le Bar sur Loupe, Tourettes sur Loup, Grasse, Eze, Peillon, and Luceram; all distinctive hill villages. Visiting the last two, we were almost the only tourists present. The architecture is amazing; fortress walls, chapels, fountains, and homes with thick shared stone walls. Flowers growing from pots; large trees pushing up through the cobblestones which have been polished by generations of inhabitants passing over them; heavy wooden doors leading into unknown recesses. The photo opportunities are endless.
The past two days we have had lunch in little country restaurants, seating perhaps twenty patrons max, where no English was spoken. A phrase book, some memorized words, and common expressions got us through. Great meals in an authentic atmosphere. I do not recommend our approach generally: the driving is very challenging both in the city and rural back roads. Dawn & I have familiarity with European driving; we drive as a team (driver, navigator) and still use a GPS.
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