{"id":650,"date":"2016-12-27T07:19:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T07:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/27\/au-revoir-cote-dazur-bonjour-paris\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:44","slug":"au-revoir-cote-dazur-bonjour-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/27\/au-revoir-cote-dazur-bonjour-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Au Revoir Cote d’Azur, Bonjour Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nDecember 2, 2016, Friday: <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nFrom Nice to Paris:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>When we awoke in Nice with the
\nrealization that our direct non-stop train back to Paris was only at 11.00 am,
\nwe made the impromptu decision to go back to Monte Carlo for breakfast\u2014this was
\nso that Llew could see the city (and the country, Monaco) by day. With our bags
\npacked and left waiting for our return, we set out to Nice station and boarded
\na train that was leaving for Monte Carlo right away. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nIt
\nwas while we were on the train that I realized that it would be making a stop
\nat Eze\u2014which is reputedly one of the prettiest villages on the Cote D\u2019Azur. I
\ntalked Llew into getting off and exploring it with me. However, the train
\nstation is called Eze Sur Mer\u2014i.e. Eze by the Water. The village of Eze which
\nis visit-worthy is tucked up high in the steep gray mountains that are a
\nbackdrop to the small village near the station. There we made inquiries about a
\nbus that would take us up to the village\u2014but we soon discovered that there was
\nnothing until 10.00 am and that taxis to get to the top would cost us no less
\nthan 50 euros\u2014plus, when we arrived at the top, the entire town would be closed
\nas nothing opened until 10.00 am. Left with very little choice, we made the decision
\nto scrap our plans for Eze Village and to return to the station to board a
\ntrain to Monte Carlo. We lost about twenty minutes in the process, but there
\nwas still time for us to take in the city by daylight.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nBreakfast in Monaco:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Luckily for us, a train pulled up
\npretty soon\u2014within ten minutes\u2014and off we went to Monte Carlo. We hurried out
\nand walked towards the waterfront. En route, we picked up chocolate brioche
\nfrom a supermarket and takeaway coffee and seated at the edge of the water with
\nsmall watercraft and luxury yachts lined up in the harbor as well as the stone
\nfa\u00e7ade of the Royal Palace of Monaco (that I have visited and toured on a
\nprevious visit about 30 years ago when both Prince Rainier and Princess Grace
\nwere still alive), munched quite happily. The gorgeous buildings that we had
\nseen, the previous night, clinging precariously to the sloping mountains looked
\ncompletely different (but no less pleasing) by day. We took a few photographs
\nas we sat on the parapet overlooking the harbor and ate. The temperature was
\njust perfect and the scene could not have been more exciting. I was glad that
\nalthough our return detour to Monte Carlo was brief, it was still completely
\nworthwhile.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nOn the Train from Nice to Paris:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Back in our hotel, we picked up our
\nbags and made our way to Nice station well in time for the 11.00 am train that
\ntook us non-stop to Paris. As was to be expected, we thoroughly enjoyed the
\nride along the Cote d\u2019Azur that we were lucky to do for the second time. I sat
\nby the window and took as many pictures as I could take from a moving train
\nwhich basically retraced our route of the previous day going through Marseilles
\nand Avignon and the green fields of Provence before taking us through the
\nvineyards of Bordeaux and on to Paris where we arrived at about 4.00 pm at Gare
\nde Lyon. We walked a few minutes across the Seine to Gare Austerlitz to pick up
\nLlew\u2019s consigned bag from the Left Luggage Locker and then took the Metro to
\nmake our way on the RER (B) to Cite-Universitaire<\/i>
\nwhere I had booked a room for the week at the Fondation des Etats-Unis<\/i>. It was so exciting to get back in the RER
\ntrain again as I had become familiar with this route during the summer I had
\nspent in Paris, four years ago. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nSettling into Cite Universitaire<\/i> and Strolling Around Paris:<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>It was not long before we were
\npicking up the key to our room at the Fondation<\/i>.
\nIndeed, it felt great to come home again\u2014in a sense, as this place had been a
\nmuch-loved home for me, a few years ago. Deciding again to make the most of
\nLlew\u2019s last night in Paris, we bought a carnet
\n<\/i>(book) <\/i>of ten metro tickets and
\ntook the RER (B) again to St. Michel. From this stop, it is just the crossing
\nof a road that gets you to the Parvis<\/i>
\n(courtyard) of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and it was there, bathed in lovely
\nsoft light, that we took pictures of Paris by Night. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Our aim to get to the Ile de St.
\nLouis to pick up ice-cream from the famed Berthillon<\/i>
\nIce-Cream Parlor where we had frequently eaten ice-cream on our last stay in
\nParis. We got there by the skin of our teeth at 8.00 pm just before they
\nclosed. Llew chose Dark Chocolate and Glazed Chestnut flavors while I chose the
\nGlazed Chestnut and the Passionfruit Sorbet. They were just delicious. Eating
\nour ice-cream, we strolled along the banks of the Seine taking in the sights of
\nthe Eiffel Tower flickering again as it does at every hour. We stopped on the
\nPont d\u2019Archeveche (which used to be festooned with the infamous locks\u2014but not
\nanymore!) to take more pictures and, walking along the quai,<\/i> we returned to St. Michel to board our train and get back to
\nour accommodation for the night. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>Llew\u2019s last night in France and of
\nhis holiday turned out to be perfect. We had two splendid weeks together and it
\nwas with a heavy heart that I would see him leave on the morrow. He was to
\nawake very early to get to the airport and I decided to accompany him on the metro <\/i>train for part of the way after
\nwhich I would switch to a long-distance train to the Loire Valley as I still
\nhad use of our unlimited eight-day train tickets. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n            <\/span>A
\ndemain!    <\/span> <\/span>            <\/span> <\/span>  <\/span>    <\/span> <\/span><\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 2, 2016, Friday: From Nice to Paris:             When we awoke in Nice with the realization that our direct non-stop train back to Paris was only at 11.00 am, we made the impromptu decision to go back to Monte Carlo for breakfast\u2014this was so that Llew could see the city (and the country, Monaco)… <\/p>\n

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