Birthday Weekend

Jesse arrived!  Bright and early Saturday morning the kids and I picked him up in Nice and we drove along the Moyenne Corniche (middle roadway) to Monaco.  We parked over in Monacoville by the Palace and Oceanographic Museum (Cousteau).  A beautiful, Disney-like perfect city to reconnect our family, and see a lot of fish.

Then Jesse & I left the kids in Emilia's capable hands and headed inland to Mougins and Les Rosees.  We had a room with a view.

I got to show Jesse all the quaintness he'd missed over the last few weeks in Provence.

We could relax.

We ate well.

Then returned to the monkeys and Emilia and spent a cloudy day at the beach.

Finishing off with kid-decorated brownie cake and ice cream. :)

Goodbye Côte d'Azur! A bientot!

The Rest of the Riviera

After our trek to Italy we stayed close to home in Juan-les-Pins/Antibes.  Mostly we spent the mornings at the beaches and the afternoons doing something.  We left town to visit Cannes, the French Beverly Hills.  Of utmost importance was that we take the train.

See the Harbour.

The beachfront promenade.

Walk the red carpet.

Then we went up into the mountains to visit old acquaintances from pre-school in Tourrettes-sur-Loup.

Back along the coast we played at the local playgrounds.

Rode a glass-bottomed boat.

Saw old Antibes and took in a little art.

At Picasso Museum.

Le Nomade.

Walked around the Cap d'Antibes.

Ate fresh fruit outside.

Did I mention the beaches?

Then on the last Friday night before Jesse joined us, Emilia and I took the kids to Nice.  We drove in along the Quai des Etats Unis, along the beach, past the exquisite hotels and casino to the old city and the market square, lined with restaurants advertising seafood dishes and Italian food.  We got ice cream of course and browsed the many souvenir shops before going down to the beach to collect rocks as the sun set.