A Week in Provence

While spending the summer of 2004 in France, my godfather, Uncle Rick, came to visit. Mentor, motivator, creator, role model - if there is anyone I owe (or can blame) for inspiring me to get out and see the world, it's him. A fellow francophile and my benefactor, it was no surprise he wanted to come check in on me. We decided to rendezvous in Nice.

Obviously this is not my photo. Promenade d'Anglais. 

From Nice, we took a day trip over to Monaco and the medieval village of Eze, a truly unforgettable place that I hold to be one of the best I have ever visited.

I did not have a helicopter to take this photo. 

 I sat here with a drink for happy hour. 

We left Nice along the seaside route to Cannes for lunch. At a beach cafe opposite the Carlton Hotel, my car sickness caught up with me as I hurled vomit all over the main pathway for the waiters. Uncle Rick was, as usual in situations like this, 1) to be blamed for his aggressive, slinging me around and making me sick driving and 2) to be of absolutely no help unless it involves hiding his face behind a menu laughing hysterically. 

Carlton Hotel

That eventful lunch was followed by a 3 hour drive to Saint Tropez - the place to see and be seen. Princess Diana often visited here, along with the world's elite. The town normally has 8,000 year round residents; in the summer, this swells to over 100,000. Walking down to the marina we saw yachts as big as commercial airplanes. 

Not my photo of Saint Tropez

Uncle Rick did take me to my first gay beach, Coco Beach, near Saint Tropez. Unfortunately, I forgot to put on sunscreen - 7 hours under the sun later, I came to look like this:

Now THAT's what I call a TAN!!!

From Saint Tropez, we headed into the country - first stop was Aix-en-Provence, a city roughly the size of Richmond that dates back to Roman times. Traveling further inwards, we made a pitstop in Moustiers Saint-Marie for lunch and to try the lavender infused honey. 

Not my photo of Moustiers Sainte Marie

Finally, my photo of a waterfall.

Lavender fields like this were all over Provence

We spent the night in Digne Les Bains at an old convent turned hotel. It was empty inside, and felt eerily like we were in the shining. 

On the road to Digne Les Bains

Digne Les Bains

Driving back to Nice we passed France's "grand canyon" - La Gorge, with its azure blue water effect from the vast amounts of limestone. 

Walking in the dried up river bed. 

La Gorge a la speeding car.