There Must Be More Than This Provincial Life…

…but unfortunately for Belle, living in the time she did, there was not as much access to easy transport methods as there are now, for her to explore further afield in France!

(Don’t forget to check out my travel vlog video at the bottom!)

I left London as the summer began to fade away and the rains came rolling in. The French Riviera had just experienced an angry storm the morning of the day I arrived. I guess you could say that was lucky timing.

Being away from something for so long really enables you to fully appreciate it, in this instance, that would be the sea and the beach. As the wing of my plane suddenly dipped to the right amidst our descent into Nice, the sight of the nearing blue sea and rocky cliffs surrounding it brought a wave of contentment and appreciation over me. It made me realize that I have not seen a proper beach or sea (I mean, can you really count Brighton Beach in the cold and grey?!) in over a year, and that is rather a big deal coming from someone who lived literally on the doorstep of the beach growing up in Australia! Although I rarely appreciated living on the beach whilst living there, simply seeing a beach again finally proved to me how much I took it for granted and how much I missed it.

The drive from the airport up to Valbonne, a medieval village up in the alps where I was to be staying, was absolutely breathtaking! As the sea began to disappear from my sight, it was replaced with magnificent scenes of mountain landscapes and provincial houses dotted throughout, as we drove higher and higher up the mountain. Upon arrival at the villa, I was in awe. The most beautiful old provincial building I had always dreamed of staying in, complete with a charming swimming pool, over 20 olive trees which make bottles upon bottles of olive oil when the time comes, and the most spectacular view across the mountains.

The following morning I took the bus into Cannes for a much needed dip in the ocean after all that time. Aside from forgetting about how my skin tends to react to the sea water (aaah yes now I remember why I did not use the beach all that often back home), that was the most refreshing swim I have ever had.

One thing I noticed in this region of France, is the lack of catering for vegans. Although of course I was very aware of France having a diet consisting of a high meat and cheese intake, I thought that surely there would be at least one vegan option in most places…hmmm I guess I should have researched before!

Top tip for vegans: RESEARCH IN ADVANCE!!

Ok I realized two things…the second was the apparent lack of recycling. Now I don’t know if this is all across France or maybe I just happened to miss any recycling efforts, but however hard I tried to look, I struggled to find places for recycling, and wound up having to carry any plastic around with me for the whole day. I mean it’s not the end of the world having to carry something extra, but the main point is that France maaaaay need a little boost in the recycling movement. (Ok it’s not just me, after some further research, France is in fact lagging behind in this movement! Come on guys!)

The following few days were spent exploring the quaint village of Valbonne in the early morning, wandering the intricate streets alone, with the sounds of the chirping birds, the villagers opening their wooden windows to the morning sunshine, and….literally….”the baker with his tray like always” making his way through the village to open his stand. My Beauty and the Beast dreams literally came true as I twirled my way around this adorable place.

When the morning markets were open, it was a sea of brightly colored fruits, vegetables, spices, ornaments, clothing, bags, preserves, jewelry, the list goes on. The hustle and bustle of the market created a busy yet friendly ambience, as it was wonderful to see that the majority here were from the area and knew one another, creating a sense of community.

A slight change of scenery a few days later, and a jump forwards in time to the present again, where the day was spent jumping off boats, snorkeling, paddle boarding and swimming in the most beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The approaching weekend meant it was time for a trip to Nice, where all my time was spent making new friends in the hostel (my favorite part of traveling!), exploring the charming old town streets, and soaking up the sun and my chance of being near a beach! That evening I was quick to befriend my hostel roommates, before we headed out on an exciting adventure entailing dancing on tables in a live music bar with more new friends, drinking games on the beach at midnight, spending 10 minutes in an empty club which we brought life to, and finishing off running back to the hostel performing ABBA in the streets to every passerby.

Now…has anyone ever made a trip to a country or city for an hour JUST for the sole purpose of a song, movie, joke, book etc. reference?

I’m sure you must know the ABBA song “Money, Money, Money”, yes?

The line “I must leave, I have to go, to Las Vegas or Monaco”…

I was in Nice at this point… You can probably guess what I did…

Yes I jumped on the train, visited Monaco for about an hour just for the sake of that song, and hopped straight back on the train! Jokes aside though, Monaco was a truly remarkable place, and I had no idea until recently that it is even its own country! Definitely worth visiting for its stunning views and quiet, winding backstreets with their own charm to them.

My final day in France sent me to coastal town, Antibes, where I took it upon myself to make the most of my time by the sea, therefore spent the morning relaxing on the rocks and floating in the shallow, clear waters before exploring the winding streets where I found myself surrounded by art shops with incredible impressionism paintings spilling out of the doors. It is no wonder artist Picasso made his residence in this charming town.

Who has been to the French Riviera before, or is hoping to visit? I would certainly recommend a trip at least once, and if you have chance, to visit some of the lesser known villages and towns in the mountains for some marvelous views and pure French charm <3

Let me know if you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear!

Also check out my travel vlog from France here!

Mel xx