So Nice in Nice!

January 23, 2012

Our last day in Paris was spent at the Musee d’Orsay.  It is too bad we were not allowed to take pictures of the artwork there as it was incredible.  We couldn’t believe that we could walk right up to so many famous paintings.  Incredible!  David did manage to take a picture of the main Gallery from up on the fifth level.  It used to be an old train station… love the interior now.  We were also able to take pictures looking outside through the clock.

That evening we went to the Arc de Triomph and saw the eternal flame for the Unknown Soldier.  Then we walked the entire way back down the Champs Elysees to the Louvre. 

We had to stop at the car dealerships because they had all of their concept cars there, so David and Jason had a little fun with that.

Then we said goodbye to our little studio near the market… so sad…

Then next morning we drove from Paris to Clermont Ferrand and stayed with a colleague of David’s from UCLA , Arnaud, his wife, Pillar, and their three children.  They treated us like royalty!  After walking through the city, we had dinner at their house.  We had zucchini soup (Pillar’s family recipe from Spain) and a local French dish made with bacon, onion, potatoes and cheese.  Absolutely divine…  Then they bought a special Galette des Rois cake with porcelain figurines like the one we had in Paris.  Danika ended up with a figurine again and became Queen for the day.   The next morning they served us an incredible breakfast with croissants and pan aux chocolate (pastries with chocolate inside) and we also had baguettes with something like Nutella, but even better!  Yes, we were spoiled rotten. 

Then it was off to drive south, and what a beautiful drive it was.  Driving through the south of France reminded me of driving through the hills of Southern California..  It was glorious sunshine once we were further south and the temperature warmed up to sixty degrees Fahrenheit, so it felt like summer to a Montanan!  So nice to feel the sun on our faces.  Then coming to the sea felt like being in San Diego again.  That morning we had decided that we would rather have two longer days of driving with a day to play in the middle instead of three short days of driving every day.  So we pushed through to Nice.  What a great decision that was!  Arnaud helped us find a place to stay that had a kitchenette and was only two blocks from the beach.   After checking in and a spot of food, we walked the beach at night.  It was so relaxing and so nice to be out of the misty rain and low clouds.

Lovely day today!  We walked up the beach to the old part of Nice.  On the way, the kids stopped to build rock towers and skip stones in the sea.  Then it was a walk up to the Chateau de Nice, up on a hill between two bays.  The panoramic views were spectacular and the kids enjoyed the surrounding park. 

On the way back to the hotel we stopped so they could have their first swim in the Mediterranean Sea.  Too cold for us, but they didn’t seem to mind.  It is so nice to have warm weather (58 F).  Feels just like being in San Diego this time of year.

Danika, soaking wet and happy!

This evening we walked the Promenade des Anglais along the beach again and went into Old Nice for a typical Nicoise meal.  Fabulous J  Then it was a nice walk back along the beach to the hotel. 

We shall pack up and leave in the morning.  We will finally be at our apartment in Perugia, Italy tomorrow evening.  It may take a few weeks to get internet access, so not sure when the next post will happen.   We are so excited to finally unpack and stop living out of suitcases!!!

We are missing all of our friends very much.  Keep posting the comments because we love hearing from you.  It really helps us feel connected. 

~Au revoir  to France, next post will be from Italy!!!

Mary