A
Fall Trip Through Provence
and the Côte d’Azur!
A ten-day exploration
of the charms of the French Riviera and the grandeur of a
Rhone River cruise.
T
he following is a detailed report that
follows our trip itinerary and includes traveler’s
notes on the places we visited, impressions of our river
cruise and hotels, meals and wines we enjoyed, notes on some
hotels and excursions we made either with a group or on our
own.
Part 1: Nice, Eze,
Aix-en-Provence, Arles
Days 1-2 PARIS CONNECTION.
Our 10-½ hour flight from San Francisco is not too
painful, until we arrive Charles deGaulle airport, which
is undergoing major renovation. Unfortunately we are herded
onto airless, overcrowded shuttles and bused around the construction
site for mile after uncomfortable mile. Not a very nice welcome
to La France! At last we arrive F terminal for our connecting
flight to Nice. A long wait at Hertz for our rental car,
and we are finally en route, Steve driving and me straining
over a French map, as we make our way to the city of Nice,
capital of the French Riviera.
NICE is also under construction!
Which makes it difficult to get to Hotel Massena. Located
on Place Massena, it will one day be a fine location to stay
and a good moderate hotel—but
for us it is a serious challenge to get to the single street
not blocked off that provided access to the hotel. A
brief rest in our tiny room, and then we’re out on
foot, to explore Old Nice and the waterfront. We choose a
tiny bistro, Lou Pistou, for our first meal: artichoke
ravioli with a lovely sauce with violets, spinach and crisp
white Cotes de Provence wine. Madame gives us friendly service
and Steve tries out his rusty French, while Monsieur cooks
our meal in a postage-stamp size kitchen.
Day 3 NICE.
Good breakfast in the hotel dining room. Up early we explore
old town and hike up Castle Hill park. Visit the old Jewish
cemetery. At the top we have a great view of the entire city
and coastline. We wander the flower, fruit and fish market
at Cours Saleya. Pick up our Citroen and enjoy an easy pleasant
drive out of Nice to the medieval village of Eze. Patrick
from the Tourist Office provides us with a delightful walking
tour of Eze, the old fortified city with its cactus garden
and beautiful church. Then we are welcomed like VIP guests
at the terrace restaurant of Hostellerie Chevre D’Or.
Shaded by a market umbrella, we dine on the sunny terrace,
perched high up on the cliffs above the magnificent Mediterranean
coastline. Our chef’s menu luncheon consists of terrine
of liver and pistachios followed by delicate white fish with
mushrooms and shallots on creamy polenta, followed by salad
of watercress and a patty of fresh and delicious goat cheese,
for which we are offered a selection of herb toppings. A
crisp Cote de Provence white and a dessert creation that
included butterscotch glace, mousse and spun sugar wafers,
and then café creme. After lunch we meet with Fabienne,
the charming sales manager of the Chevre D’Or for a
site inspection of the hotel. The hotel shows itself
to be as unique as its setting is awesome. Rooms and suites
are fashioned out of various historic buildings around the
village, and each is different to accommodate the old walls.
The several we saw looked very comfortable, very luxurious
and very much with a sense of place. The gardens and public
areas offer perfect spots for rest and relaxation. This hotel
is truly a one-of-a-kind rare gem.
In the afternoon we continue the coast road
to Monaco, where we stroll in the garden exotique and up
to the Palais and through some of the old town. We miss
our turnoff to Nice and take a route through
suburbs clogged with traffic. Difficulty again getting to
our hotel because of construction. Back in our room we enjoy
a bottle of Sancerre and try to stay awake as long as we
can.
Day 4 NICE-AIX-EN-PROVENCE. A
morning walk on famous Blvd. Anglais. I have a quick peek
at the tired old Hotel Negresco, and then we hit the road
again, highway A8 out of Nice to Aix en Provence. In
Aix we check into Hotel Cezanne, a good 3 star hotel with
big Provencal style rooms and helpful staff. Out in the streets
crowded with students, Steve remembers his student days here
many years ago. His first time back, he is dismayed by traffic,
crowds and the luxury chain boutiques that seem to have replaced
the patisseries and small shops. My impressions are of a
lively city populated by well-heeled and chic young people.
We have dinner in a crowded Italian restaurant on Cours Mirabeau.
Gnocci and a good red Cote de Rhone.
Day 5 AIX-EN-PROVENCE.
Petit dejeuner at tiny sidewalk café on the street
below our room. A morning walk to the old town and farmers
market, visit to the Cathedral and Cezanne atelier. Took
a taxi to the outskirts of town, to find ourselves in an unattractive
area of car lots, until we turn into a tree-laned driveway
and then the grand entrance to the beautiful Chateau de la
Pioline. Here we have one of the best dining experiences
of our trip. Lunch was served en plein air on the chateau’s
large patio shaded by centuries-old lime trees. The day was
warm and sunny, and an occasional gust of wind picked up
fallen leaves. The tables were spaced far apart and set elegantly,
and every one held diners enjoying a long leisurely lunch,
a French custom that became dear to us in the course of our
trip. The menu this day included a soup of baby clams
in a rich saffron broth, whitefish on creamy risotto, a fabulous
duck entrée for Steve, a delicious white burgundy
Chateau Grand Seuil, and desert of chocolate crème
brulee. The kind of lunch that leads to an afternoon nap.
Before leaving, though, we toured the formal French gardens
and park-like grounds, and saw several of the 33 rooms and
suites. The Chateau is run as both a 4-star luxury boutique
hotel and as a site for groups and special events.
Day 6 AIX-EN-PROVENCE-ARLES. We
find highway A7 Route de Soleil headed for Salon de Provence.
Some tense moments when we get in the credit card line at
the tollbooth and the machine rejects all our credit cards.
We exit at the town of Cavaillon, an important town in the
Ardeche region. We have a café and then stop into
the tourist office for maps. Our next stop is the town of
Apt where the Saturday market is in full swing. We enjoy
the sights and sounds and buy a carton of paella, which we
eat by the river. We continue to the medieval mountaintop
village of Gordes where we enjoy the view from a little streetside
café with local wine and fat ripe figs. Continuing
on, we detour off the main road for a quick look at Les Baux—an
amazing geological wonder. Then the final stretch to Arles,
where we fill the gas tank—40 euro for ½ tank—and
return the car. A short cab ride takes us to Quai Lamartine,
where our riverboat, the Princesse de Provence is
docked. A nice welcome, but the cabin seems small, the beds
are like bunks, and we’re not sure what to expect.
Our tablemates are a lively group from Virginia and Denver
and we get acquainted with our young German waitstaff.
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