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Eze, France: A breathtaking ancient village

Friday 6 September 2013
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I hope you don't mind being bombarded with thousands of photos. I managed to fill up a 32gb SD card. How crazy is that? Let's just say I went a little trigger happy with my camera but who wouldn't when you have spectacular panoramic views from every angle? I'm still bathed in the sunshine bliss of the Cote d'Azur. We came home 3 days ago with literally hours to organize for Lil L's school the next day but I'm missing Nice terribly.

I saw a photo of Eze via Instagram and was immediately struck by how pretty it was. However, the drama that ensued trying to find out where that darn Bus 112  became a running joke between the hubby and I. It departs from Le Port in Nice (every 2 hours) straight to the village on the hilltop. It turned out that the bus stop, though it wasn't displayed clearly, was in front of Saint James shop. In the end, we hopped on the legendary Bus 100 which took us to the bottom of Eze, otherwise known as Eze sur mer (Eze on the sea) and then took got on another bus (No. 83) which took us up to the village. I wouldn't recommend walking because it's a loooooong way up.

The ancient fortified hilltop village reminds me of San Gimignano in Tuscany and is just as picturesque and elegant. It is also completely geared for tourism with shops selling exorbitantly priced souvenirs. There's no way you could miss the luxury Chateau de la Chevre d'Or (Golden Goat) resort and its Michelin star restaurant. Thankfully, there weren't masses of tourists because it can get as packed as St Paul de Vence in the height of the summer season.

I stopped to gape at a woman who wore a beautiful but tight dress in a pair of 4 inch skinny stilettos while clutching an expensive Dior bag. She definitely stood out in a sea of tourists all looking like...well, tourists. How she managed to maneuver the cobbled and uneven streets that weaved around the entire village is a mystery to me. On the other extreme, there's me who'd attempted the Nietszche trail down a rather rocky path in my flip flops. By the time, I'd made my descent to the seaside town from the village, I'd slipped, fell and shredded my feet. The moral of the story is wear appropriate footwear.

The breathtaking landscape was even more magnificent with the glow from the setting sun. There's that magical moment just as the sun disappears from the horizon and the entire surroundings transformed as they catch the last golden rays of light. I wouldn't recommend doing the trail in the afternoon sun or the ascent either as it's quite brutal unless you're extremely fit.

11 comments:

  1. Hi there, did you stay in one of the hotels? I saw this place featured in Samantha Brown's Passport To Europe...I would love to visit someday. Thank you for your beautiful pictures.

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    1. No, I didn't. Eze is small but very beautiful. We decided to stay in Nice as it's the transportation hub. Thank you for the compliment. I'm so pleased you like the photos. Cote d'Azur and Provence are two of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. I can understand why so many people are drawn to the region. It's just that spectacular.

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  2. The eighth photo - reminds of Bormes Les Mimosas which I visited on a school trip probably about 30 years ago but it's amazing how that's ingrained in my memory. So beautiful.

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  3. I love the 6th photo - there are so many beautiful photos in this post but that one really caught my eye. It must have been such a torment to leave! Doing the right thing can be so difficult.

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  4. Nice looks so nice! I was meaning to go there earlier this year but work got in the way.
    Beautiful piccies!

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  5. The Côte d'Azur is fantastic, the light, the scene, the sea... No wonder so many artists put roots there. Thanks for the dreamy pics!

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  6. I saved looking at this post for today so I had plenty of time to linger over your photos. Just beautiful! Stone walls, little alleys, pot plants and climbing greenery just inspire me. Happy belated birthday and what a wonderful way to celebrate!

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    1. Thank you! It was by far, one of the best vacation I've ever had. I'd love to go back again next year. Fingers crossed.

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  7. The blog post title says it all. Absolutely breathtaking! I really love seeing the dramatic bougenvillias and cascading plants. So tranquil. I still think you should take up a spot doing travel photography Marlene. You've got a talent!

    x Mandi

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  8. I'm really enjoying your posts from France, and something about them also captures the sense of summer coming to an end...must be the sunsets! I feel like I can almost smell the warm air cooling.

    South of France is a place I've always yearned to return to...especially when my slowing disintegrating knees can still take a few good hikes! Filing some of these places into my "to visit" folder.

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  9. Love all of these photos from your trip. Seriously breathtaking! Hope your feet recovered ouch!

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