EUROPEAN HOLIDAY - MAY 2012
Day 1 - Wednesday, May 9, 2012
We made our way out to O’Hare International Airport at three o’clock this afternoon. We were able to upgrade to First Class which we were very happy about. We settled into the United Airline Red Carpet Lounge and had cocktails while we waited for our flight, United Airlines #906 to Munich. We boarded at 5:15 PM and settled into our pods. Very comfortable seats which later on in the flight turned into very comfortable beds. Each pod is equipped with a TV with on demand programming which included a selection of about 50 movies and TV programs as well as interactive games, a writing table and curtains to pull for privacy. After some preflight champagne we took off. Had a wonderful dinner which was served in courses. First we were brought a salad, followed by an appetizer of grilled shrimp cerviche. The main course served was filet mignon with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The steak was excellent. Strawberry ice cream was served for dessert and afterwards a cheese cart was rolled down the aisle and we were served a selection of cheese, fruits and crackers. We felt very spoiled. After dinner we watched some TV and then turned our seats into beds, closed the curtains and had a good nights sleep. The flying time from Chicago to Munich is nine hours. The concept of these "pods" reminds me of the old pullman sleepers on the trains only these are much more elegant and luxurious.
Day 2 - Thursday, May 10, 2012
We awoke to a lovely continental breakfast of a fresh fruit plate, assorted rolls, yogurt, orange juice and coffee/tea. We landed in Munich on time at 10:00 AM local time (3:00 AM Chicago time). After claiming our bags we made our way over to Hertz and retrieved a car. We had made reservations for a Mercedes but found it cramped with all our luggage so they upgraded us to a beautiful BMW. The car is brand new and had only 170 miles on it. It is jet black with bone and wood interior and all the latest creature features. The built in GPS system is phenomenal and soon we were off on the autobahn heading to our first destination ……… Innsbruck, Austria. Innsbruck is a little under two hours by card from Munich and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the ride down. We settled into our hotel, the Tyrolis in the Zirl section of Innsbruck. It is a beautiful hotel in the traditional décor of Tirol. Check out their website at http://www.tyrolis.cc/ We went down to the old city of Innsbruck, known as Alstadt, and explored. A beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s. We stopped for lunch at a wonderful café on the Inn River. The buildings are painted bright colors and we enjoyed watching the locals go about their daily business. After lunch we explored the old city on foot. We drove up into the mountains at had a panoramic view of the city. We returned to the hotel around 6 PM and had an early dinner on the terrace of the hotel restaurant, the Restaurant Maxilmilan. We sampled some of the local specialties which were excellent. Still not totally adjusted to the time change we called it an early evening and slept with the windows wide opened and the cool mountain air and fluffy down comforters made for a sound sleep.
Day 3 - Friday, May 11, 2012
We woke early and had breakfast at the hotel. We left Innsbruck around 8:30 AM and made our way through the Austrian Alps through the Tirol region. We are taking the back roads that wind up and down, over and through the mountains. We crossed in Switzerland at the town of Martina and made our way through the Swiss Alps to St. Moritz where we stopped for lunch and explored this picturesque town. It is anther beautiful, sunny day with temps in the 70’s. After a couple of hours in St. Moritz we continued our journey winding down the Alps. We drove for over an hour going downwards, that’s how high we were. We crossed into Italy making our way through the Italian Alps to Como. Como is a small city right on the banks of Lake Como in a beautiful mountainous section if north central Italy about and hour north of Milan. We checked into the Palace Hotel, a beautiful 19th century hotel on the Lake. http://www.palacehotel.it/en We arrived in Como around 3PM and after checking in were out exploring the town. It is much warmer here with the temperatures in the mid 80’s. There is a beautiful promenade along the lake which is very nice except that a large portion of it is currently under renovation. We took a funiculaire to the top of Mt. Brunate where we had a wonderful dinner at Da Antonio Ristorante on top of the mountain with views overlooking the city and lake of Como. After dinner we took the funiculaire back to town, the views coming down the mountain were awesome. We strolled through Como, visited the cathedral and piazza’s around the town and watched the city come alive for the evening. We made our way back to the hotel around 9 PM.
Day 4 - Saturday, May 12, 2012
Another beautiful day. Dennis slept in and I took an early morning walk through town. I love early morning walks when few people are about. It enables you to get a feel for the area. Returning to the hotel and retrieving Dennis we enjoyed breakfast. Today we are heading down to Nice, on the French Riviera where we are joining some friends and spending a week in a Villa we have rented. We took the autostrada down through Italy. It is a very well maintained highway and the speed limit is 130 to 140 kilometers (81 – 86 miles) per hour. It is a toll highway and expensive to use. The trip down from Como to the French border in Ventimiglia was about $40 US. Gasoline is also very expensive here in Europe with the average prove being 1.70 Euros per liter. 4 liters are a little over 1 US gallon. It cost of 76 Euros to fill the car which is approximately $98.16 US. We crossed into France and moments later were in the small principality of Monaco. We took the coast road from Monaco to Nice (about 10 miles) and found our Villa, located at 22 Route Forestaire du Mt. Boron. Our friends Dick and Alan had already arrived and had wine and cheeses waiting for us. The villa is beautiful and the pictures we had seen when we rented it do not do it justice. It is amazing with the most stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea and of Nice. Built in 1905 it is four bedrooms on three levels build on the side of Mt. Boron. Painted in a beautiful shade of yellow with white trim and some aqua highlights it consists of four bedrooms, three baths, a beautiful swimming pool and huge garden filled with exotic plants and orange trees. The house has huge glass French doors that open up unto three different terraces, two of which overlook the Mediterranean and one that overlooks the pool and gardens. The first level which is the mail floor with huge living room, modern “Americanized” kitchen, dining room and two outdoor terraces. The floors are white marble and are stunning. There is a grand marble staircase that goes downstairs to the first lower level which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is a lower level beneath that which has another bedroom and bathroom. Dick and Alan said when they arrived and got the keys from the caretaker they were told Elton John has a home down the road a bit and that a very large castle like building a few feet below our villa is Sean Connery’s home. The weather in Nice continues to be great with temps in the 70’s, humidity free and lovely breezes. I could spent all our time here sitting on the terrace watching the sea. Two other friends form Chicago, William and Stephen arrived around 3:30 and joined us on the terrace. We made a trip to the local supermarket, Carrefours, and stocked up on provisions. The six of us took a walk along a coral rock walkway to the Port of Nice where we had dinner outside at a lovely restaurant, the L’ Espad’ or, featuring Corsican French food. We had a long , leisurely dinner there, lasting about 4 hours. We started with an appetizer course of mussels which were so large and very meaty. Great! Dennis has sea bass for dinner and I had duck. Well prepared. Champagne and aperitif’s flowed and we finished up about 11:30 PM and walked back to the Villa for a nightcap on the terrace looking at the lights of Nice in the distance before bed.
Day 5 - Sunday, May 13, 2012
A beautiful morning. The early riser that I am enabled me to take a long morning stroll into Nice. A Sunday morning it was very quiet with the smell of fresh baked breads coming from the bakeries, people walking their dogs and gradually the town coming to life. Returning to the villa everyone was up and we had breakfast on the terrace. It is a little cloudy today but quite warm and comfortable.
We made our way into town and explored the old city section of Nice. The market place was very active and we climbed up to the top of the Parc de la Colline du Chateau for spectacular views of Nice. We visited the Cascades, a waterfall in the park as well as La tour Bellanda (Bellanda Tower) were, in 1831, Berlioz composed the opening of King Lear. Making our way back to the market place we had lunch in an Italian Café. Being so close to Italy (20 miles) there is a large Italian influence in Nice as well.
We explored Nice on foot and walked along the Promenade des Anglais which is the street along the Mediterranean with the beautiful beaches on one side and shops, restaurants and hotels on the other. The street is dotted with beautiful palm tress and looks very elegant and pristine.
Dennis and I were last in Nice 18 years ago in the summer of 1994. One of our memories from then was going to the Castel, a restaurant right on the beach. We were so happy to find it still there. We repeated what we did 18 years ago and ordered a bottle of wine and sat just a few feet from the water having a great conversation and feeling quite content.
We returned to the villa around five and joined up the our friends. Another couple, Duane and John (also friends of ours from Chicago) joined us for a few days. William and Stephen, who are quite accomplished chef’s, spent the day going to the local markets and preparing a phenomenal meal for dinner, using some spices picked right from the garden at the villa. Before William and Stephen arrived they had spent several days at a chateau in St. Tropez owned by a client of William’s. William is a wine distributor and his client produces the wines. They brought several cases of fine wines and champagnes with them and it flowed all night. We ended the evening after dinner by watching the movie “To Catch A Thief” with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. This movie was filmed in Nice and the French Riviera in 1955 and is when Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier of Monaco. It was interested seeing Nice in the movie 57 years ago.
Day 6 - Monday, May, 14, 2012
Another glorious morning at the villa. I woke early and had a cup of tea on the terrace before setting out on my morning walk, It is so peaceful and beautiful here. Dennis and I are falling in love with Nice and the environs. It is much different "living" here as a native and getting a feel for the people and the culture as opposed to being a tourist and staying in the tourist area's in hotels. On my walk this morning I met several people walking their dogs and I felt like I fit right in with them. Returning to the villa we had breakfast before leaving with Stephen and WIlliam and walking east along the coast road to the next town of Villefranche. Villefranche is very upscale and quaint. We toured the old city and port areas before meeitng up with Dick, Alan, Duane and John around noon. From Villefranche we all continued walking east to Cap de Ferrat. Cape de Ferrat is a long hilly strip of land that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. It is filled with Villas and Chateau's each one bigger and more elegant then the other. Tina Turner currently lives full time here and the late actor David Niven had a home here which we saw. The main village on Cape de Ferrat is St. Jean Cape de Ferrat and we had a wonderful liunch there at Le Voilier du Cap, a restaurant along the docks of the port, Lunch was outstanding, especially the mussels which we had as appetizers.
After lunch we went to the Villa and Gardens Ephrussia de Rothschilds, an amazing villa and exotic gardens originally owned by the Rothschilds family and now open to the public. It was outstanding. Check out their website at http://www.villa-ephrussi.com/ The home iteslf is a mastepreice but the gardens are priceless. Clasiscal music plays throughout the grounds as you tour the gardens which sit on several acres.
We returned to our villa around 6PM and decided to have a combination American barbecue and French country dinner. We grilled hamburgers and eggplant (known here as aubergine) and had Cassoulet and steamed vegetables. For desert we had French ice cream (known as glace) with fresh strawberries. We had a wonderful evening and were still sitting around the dinner table at midnight when we called it a day.
Day 7 - Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Was up at sunrise and took some beautiful pictures pictures of the villa before my morning walk on Mt. Boron. Today Dennis and I went to Monaco and spent a wonderful day there wandering around town and seeing all the sights. Monaco, a small country surrounded on three sides by France and one side the Mediterranean Sea is a beautiful modern city that is picture perfect. A haven for the rich and famous of the world, Monaco looks like it is a movie set. Everything is immaculate, the people all dressed to the nines and the low end car on the street is a Mercedes. The majority of the cars you see are Rolls Royce, Ferrari’s, Alfa Romeo’s and Porsche interspersed with jaguars and Mercedes. There is no homelessness or poverty in Monaco and all of the fashionable stores are present there. Monaco consists on city and two towns. The city is Monte-Carlo and the towns are Monaco-Ville and Fontville. The major streets are named after the late members of the Monaco Royal Family, the most major and beautiful street after Princess Grace. Monaco is about 12 miles east of Nice and about 5 miles west of the Italian border. We did some shopping in Monte-Carlo and visited the famed Casino that is there. The city is setting up for the Grand Prix of Monaco which is next week and seating is being erected along the main streets.
The town of Monaco-Ville is located on a plateau overlooking the sea and Monte-Carlo. We walked up enjoying the splendid scenery. In Monaco-Ville we visited the Royal Palace where Prince Albert is now reigning monarch. We had a lovely lunch in Monaco-Ville. The weather again to day is perfect……70 degrees, crystal clear and sunny.
We headed back to Nice around 5 PM and we met up with “our gang” at Lido Beach at 6PM where we had cocktails on the beach at the Lido Plage Lounge. Sitting right on the beach we toasted John, who today is celebrating his 49th birthday and to Alan and Dick who this year are celebrating their 41st Anniversary.
After cocktails on the beach we went for dinner at a truffle restaurant the Terres de Truffes for a phenomenal meal. They have two locations in France, one in Paris and one in Nice. Check out their website. The food was excellent.
http://www.terresdetruffes.com/la-societe/nous-contacter/index.htm
After dinner it was eleven o’clock we strolled back to the villa for a nightcap before bed.
Day 8 - Wednesday, May 16, 2012
An exciting day. After breakfast Dennis and I drove west along the coast to Cannes (about 25 miles from Nice) Today is the start of the Cannes Film Festival. This is the 65th anniversary of the film festival and a very important event for Cannes. The entire waterfront area of Cannes is set up for the festival with each country having their own pavilion to showcase their films. Actors and actresses from all countries are there promoting films and talking with film distributors and backers. Since they are set up along the waterfront and harbor there are many huge yachts, representing different film companies, one yacht more elegant ad beautiful the the other. Dennis and I were interviewed by a reporter from the German television network ARD who asked where we were from sand filmed us walking . I have no idea what it was about but perhaps we will be on German morning TV. We were searching for the Today Show set but they were not present yet.
We had pizza for lunch at the Caffe Roma, a charming sidewalk café across from the festival hall. After lunch we explored Cannes on foot, climbing to the top of a large hill for a wonderful panoramic view of the city. We toured the old section of town and walked the entire waterfront promenade to Palm Beach where we sat in a beachfront restaurant and had some wine.
When we walked back into town it was 5 PM and the festivities were beginning. The paparazzi where in full force as people from all walks in the film industry arrived on the red carpet for tonight’s festivities. We saw Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Pattinson arrive as well as many French performers who the paparazzi went wild after. It was very exciting being caught up in it all.
We got back to the Villa around 9PM just in time for dinner. William, Stephen and John had gone to the fresh market in Nice where everyday farmers, fisherman and bakers bring their goods to sell. They had prepared a wonderful dinner of homemade vichyssoise, mini ricotta stuffed ravioli in a light butter and herb sauce, baked fish with capers and lemon butter and white asparagus. Magnifique!
A wonderful way to end a wonderful day
Day 9 - Thursday, May 17, 2012
Today we set out to explore the old perched city of Peillon and it’s environs. A perched city sits atop a mountain (hence the term perched) and is a walled compound. The city of Peillon was founded and built in the 12th century. The walled compounds of these cities served as protection from invading armies and pirates. So today Dennis and I and Dick and Alan in our car, and Duane and John and William and Stephen in their car drove up into the Maritime-Alps, north of Nice and visited Peillon. Words cannot describe the visual of the city, looking much like a castle, as you approach it from afar so I will rely on the pictures for you to see for yourselves. It is still inhabited and the homes, have been modernized and it is quite beautiful. We explored the city and its beautiful panoramic views before taking a two hour hike in the French Alps which too was breathtaking. All the wild flowers growing on the path added to the beauty of the blue sky and green covered mountains. After our hike we had a delicious lunch at Auberge de la Madone. The only restaurant and hotel in Peillon it is very dramatic . The menu was excellent and the chef came over and spoke to us (between his English and Stephen’s French we had a great conversation.) The meal was amazing; an amous bouche of crostini with olive tapenade and three courses consisting of asparagus soup with cappuccino cream froth; roasted guinea fowl with whipped polenta, foies gras and current compote; strawberry terra misu. A strawberry wine accompanied the soup course and a white wine the main course. Check out the website for Auberge de la Madone at http://www.auberge-madone-peillon.com/
After our two hour lunch overlooking Peillon we drove through the alps and stopped briefly to walk through the town of Sospel, a quaint town in the alps on the Italian border. We could not resist stopping at a local patisserie (bakery) and getting some tarte citron meringue (lemon meringue tarts).
We returned to the Villa around 6PM, I took a swim in the pool and then we all had cocktails on the terrace watching the Mediterranean watching the cruise ships leave port. Not extremely hungry tonight we sent out pizza, watched the movie, “Bell, Book and Candle” and retired around 11PM.