2nd November Nice & St Paul De Vence

This morning we had free time. I decided against doing some washing as I think I can survive till Paris when I get my apartment as it has a washing machine, so my first stop was the post office to post back a few things I have bought and to make some room in my bag. It only cost 46 euro to send a 7kg box which was much cheaper than it was to send my 4kg box from London. Then I headed up to a shop called fnac to buy some new memory cards for my camera and then I thought I would head to the beach. I got a little distracted on the way past the shops and felt myself drawn in...LOL! I went to a department store called C&A and bought 3 new shirts...only 19 euro each which I thought was fabulous. Then I saw a pair of boots in a shop called Mirelli (made in Italy) that I liked so I tried them on and bought them. They have a higher heel than I would normally have for everyday wear and they are ankle length, but I hope they will be OK. I hope to find a longer pair maybe in Paris, London or Scotland that have a lower heel. Then I went down to the beach. It was a glorious day in Nice today, the sky was a beautiful blue and the colour of the water takes your breath away. I know as Australians we love our sandy beaches but I could totally look past the pebbly beach out to that aqua blue water! I loved the smell of the sea, the way the waves crashed against the pebbles and the way the white foam sprayed into the air. I had a lemon ice tea at McDonalds so I could use the internet but it wasn't working so I headed back to the hotel as our meeting time was 1pm as we were heading out for the afternoon to St Paul De Vence. It is one of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera and is well known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries. This little village was so beautiful and we would have loved to have spent more time in the shops. We did stop at a gift shop which had the most beautiful coloured vases...if I could have got one home you would have had one Mum...and maybe if I hadn't blown the budget at Morano glass in Venice!!! I did however buy a plate which has Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss' on it. He is an Austrian artist and I first saw this image in Vienna on a scarf which I loved but didn't buy. Then I saw it again in Venice, but I still didn't buy it. So today, when I saw it again for the third time, I knew I had to have it. It represents the feeling I have about this 21 day trip of Europe...it has really been like a 'first kiss'. I then wandered up to have a look at the small church and I lit a candle for all my family & friends back home and because it was All Souls Day. On the way back to the bus we stopped for my new favourite flavoured gelato Stracciatella.

We dropped some of the group back into Nice before our optional extra tour along the Riviera Corniche Roads. We made several stops along the way to take in the spectacular views along what is probably the most beautiful coast in Europe. We drove on the Grand Corniche, the stunning coastal highway which snakes along the cliffs above Nice to Monaco and saw the road where Grace Kelly suffered a stroke and tragically crashed her car in 1982. We then continued to our retaurant for yet another geat meal shared with wonderful new friends...some of us were even brave enough to try the snails!!! After being dropped back at the hotel, some of us went to the Casino at Nice...but weren't allowed in because we didn't have our passports. The bouncer on the door then took us around the corner to another bar which we completely took over...a fun night...LOTS of laughs...the girls were trying to teach me to 'pick up'!!!