For work I have been to Paris more than a dozen times, and although I love shopping in Paris, I’ve never had the typical love affair with France that so many of my co-workers developed. So, it took me completely off guard to find the Provence region in France so enjoyable. We toured the Provence region stretching from Marseille to the Cote d’ Azur and Monoco. I’ve heard the rest of France is nothing like Paris, and now I believe it. The people are so incredibly nice, and it’s beautiful and peaceful in the country. We went to a weekend flea market in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, stayed amidst rolling vineyards at Chateau Juvenal (a restored home, now a B&B), tasted wine in Chateauneuf du Pape, visited many other Chateaux, Roman ruins, and the homes of Renoir and Van Gogh. All in all it was beautiful.
So beautiful that when we arrived in the Cote d’Azur to visit Nice, Monaco and Cannes, I really wanted to escape back to the sleepy countryside we just left. Besides the beaches and a few museums there isn’t too much to do, except shop. AND, I do have to admit, while walking along Rue d’Antibes in Cannes, I momentarily forgot myself in the haziness of shopping. I felt the urge to go into every single boutique and scour it for anything “new”. I probably would have except for two things; Mike waiting around (although I did suggest he take a boat ride “somewhere”), and the fact that I can not fit anything else into my luggage. The Cote d’Azur is extremely beautiful and although the beaches live up to its namesake, I was happy when we retreated back into an old walled-city called Cagnes-Sur-Mer. As for France, I can see why people love it so much.
