Day 11 - Antibes

So very glad we made the effort to get to Antibes for the day. It turned out to be so easy. Just took the train for 2 euros 20 minutes and we were there. When I return to the French Riviera that is where I will base myself. It was totally charming and spectacularly beautiful. It’s tiny compared to Nice, but just as easy to get to and much quieter. And they had the only sandy beaches we saw - all the others are small rocks.

Hello sand!

Antibes is well known for its huge harbor filled with boats - or should I say yachts!

Not a great picture of the huge yachts but I love the fort. Many of the boats we saw were well over a million or 2 dollars each.

As with so many of these waterfront towns there are still excellent remainders of the wall built to protect it, so we first walked around that for the beautiful views of the water and beaches.

Hello from Antibes!

Antibes has what appears to be an excellent Picasso Museum, and when I return it will be first on my list to visit. Since we just had the one day we decided to keep exploring and see it another time. The building was originally a home of the Grimaldi family famous for ruling Monaco.

Hello Pablo! Next time for sure!

We meandered through quaint streets stopping here and there to browse in shops.

Love this!💕

If I lived here I would definitely have a bike.

We always like to visit at least one church everyday. This is the Church of the Immaculate Conception and has been here since the 1200’s. So simple but so beautiful.

Time for lunch! My friend Lynn had recommended a place she loved called La Storia and it was easy to find. Now we love it as well. It was a small place run by the owner and one staff. They were so nice and the food was fantastic. The extra bonus was meeting the owners cousin and family. When the children were being introduced they immediately came to both Julie and I and kissed us on each cheek. I’ll never forget that!

Pasta Pesto for me and Carbonara for Julie. Our sweet new friends💕

We headed back to the beach because Julie wanted to take a dip in the Atlantic.

Happy Julie!

Happy Patti sitting on the beach feeling like the luckiest person in the world.

Back to Nice for a final walk on the Promenade.

Made it back in time to watch sunset sitting in one of the famous blue chairs. Spectacular!

The French Riviera was even prettier then I had imagined it to be. I was most surprised at how one town just runs into another, and how easy it is to get around without a car. Next up heading inland to Avignon. So much more to see and do! Thanks for coming along!

Day 9 & 10 - Nice, France

We made it to Nice! We flew from Lisbon and then it was very easy to take the brand new tram from the airport right into the central area of Nice and walk to our Airbnb. And very inexpensive - only 1.50 euro each. No surprise that Nice is beautiful, but it is quite a bit larger then I expected. There are things to see here such as museums and squares with historical statues, but with the fairly short amount of time we have here we are doing what I think most people do here - enjoy the beauty that is the French Riviera.

There is a flower/produce market everyday in Nice except Monday, so we headed that way first thing in the morning. It is located in Cours Saleya which has been a market since the Middle Ages. There are little cafes all around the square so first stop breakfast.

My favorite way to start the day in France!

The market was amazing! Everything was so fresh and aromatic. People come everyday with their baskets getting what they need for the day. Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olives, sausages, breads, flowers and a number of artists painting beautiful pictures you can buy and take home.

Lots of handmade signs saying Don’t Touch!

Sofi the artist. One of my favorites and still tempted to go back and buy something.

Next up the Promenade Des Anglais Walk along the much strolled beachfront of central Nice. I had the Rick Steves walking tour with me so enjoyed all the building descriptions and the history. I know Julie enjoyed me reading it to her too😊 Even without the guide it’s just a beautiful walk between the Mediterranean Sea and the huge gorgeous hotels. The beach is filled with restaurants offering lounge chairs with umbrellas as the beach is very rocky.

Hotel Negresco - the finest and most expensive lodging in town.

All along the promenade are blue chairs you can sit in free. This statue just celebrates the beautiful view and invites you to sit down and enjoy. We did!

We walked down to the old fort that overlooks the water and got some great pictures of the town. That’s also where the #I Love Nice sign is so we had to get that shot as well.

We just wandered the streets and came upon a very cute cafe so stopped for lunch. It was wonderful!

Cafe Paulette. Shared the Buddha Bowl which was amazing.

People ask me why I love France so much. It’s because of streets like this one. And they are everywhere.

The street our restaurant was on. And like so many others we saw.

The night before at dinner we talked to a woman next to us that had been to Mont Boron that day and raved about the view so we decided to try and walk there. We made it but it was long and challenging and probably better to take the bus. Totally worth it for the view.

View from Mont Boron of Nice. Off in the distance we could actually see the airport which has the runways build on the sea. A spectacular view!

We were halfway to Villefranche-sur-Mer at that point so decided to go ahead and walk the rest of the way. We were surprised that one town just led into another so we were never walking in an uninhabited area. It wasn’t great for walking because there were stretches with no sidewalks, but we were super careful when there was traffic and definitely got a great workout. The town is so quaint and pretty, and really feels more Italian then French. The building are pastel orange and has steep narrow lanes leading to the sea and harbor filled with big sailboats. We found a restaurant right by the water and shared a large delicious Caprese salad.

I’m not meeting my dessert quota so indulged in an amazing raspberry tart - yumm! Since we walked over 10 miles I didn’t feel guilty.

Wisely we hopped the train back to Nice. It only took about 10 minutes max and we were close to our Airbnb. A great day exploring and enjoying Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Next up Antibes!

Day 8 - Azeitao and Lisbon

On our way back to Lisbon we made a stop at the Azulejos de Azeitao tile factory. Two things you quickly find out Portugal is known for are tiles and cork. We skipped the cork factory to stay in Lagos another day but enjoyed the tile factory very much. The tiles are made by hand from start to finish - starting with molding the clay into the squares or circles etc., glazing, baking, decorating and baking again. It takes months for the process to be completed for each tile.

3 methods to decorate the tiles - painting by hand, plaster mold and a rope method.

Our next stop was in Azeitao for a wine tasting at the oldest winery in Portugal - Jose Maria da Fonseca Winery. Started in 1834 and a huge producer and exporter of Portuguese wine.

Such a gorgeous building! The tour was interesting to me mainly because of the old beautiful buildings. In the building some of the best wine is aged in they were playing a sound track almost like monks chanting. Makes the wine better perhaps?

We had a little time to explore the cute town and Julie couldn’t resist this new look. A skirt and high heels in front of the barber shop😂

We arrived in Lisbon for our last night in Portugal and after checking into the hotel I just went out and walked around the central core for a bit. It was a spectacular day and I love the beautiful streets, squares and buildings. Lisbon is called the city of 7 hills so you always get a good workout walking. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of the day.

Avenida da Liberdade - a grand and wonderful boulevard lined with this beautiful tile sidewalk.

Bottom left - the train station which has the prettiest Starbucks ever!

Pasteis de Nata - I might have eaten one more. Why not!

Saw lots of these small groups of students. It’s the start of University so apparently the older students dress in the black suits and take the new students around who must wear funny hats - kind of an orientation I guess? No one seemed to mind so apparently not hazing.

The Portugal portion of our trip was a tour with the Collette tour company. It is my second tour with them and as with the first which was to India I was very pleased. Our tour guide Maria was awesome. Very knowledgeable, organized and fun. The hotels were all good and the included meals better than we expected. The transportation system to get around Portugal is not currently what you find in a country like Italy, although their highways appear to be excellent so renting a car and driving is another option. Taking this tour allowed us to get around and see quite a few of the regions in Portugal, but for the next part of our trip we are on our own.

We met so many great people in the group from not just the US but Canada and Australia. That to me is part of the fun of a tour versus traveling alone. I enjoy both.

Great restaurant! Haddock fillet with shrimp rice and lemon meringue pie.

Our favorite new friends!

Now we are heading to the second part of our trip - flying today from Lisbon to Nice. South of France here we come! Goodbye Portugal - it’s been wonderful😘

Lagos - PS….I 💕You!

Just a mini post with a few pictures from our day in Lagos. Sardines are a specialty in southern Portugal, and my previous experience was just with the canned oily version - not my thing! But I had never seen or tried the fresh grilled sardines until Lagos.

Huge! And delicious! Another local specialty is Piri Piri Chicken. Tried that too. Roasted chicken in a somewhat spicy sauce. Excellent! And all the veggies are so fresh.

The previous day we had seen the cliffs and rocky formations from the water, so decided to do a good hike and see the panoramic views from a high elevation. Spectacular! I could post so many beautiful pictures but will just do a few to give you a sample. Julie and I agreed we don’t think we have seen more beautiful beaches anywhere.

So many gorgeous beaches one after the other along the coastline. Some quite remote and only accessible from the water.

I love this old bridge.. Hundreds of years old.

Top picture is of a place right on the edge of a cliff. We wish we had known about it before so posting it as somewhere you want to go. Can’t attest to the food but totally worth it for the view.!

More beautiful tile. It’s everywhere!

If you like a beach vacation I highly recommend the south of Portugal and specifically Lagos. It’s easy to fly into Lisbon, spend a few days there and then take the train or bus to Lagos and relax. Lots of water activities, biking, hiking, beaches, great food and places to eat. I want to come back already and that’s when I know a place is wonderful.

We have a little more time remaining in Portugal and then on to country number two. Thanks for coming along!😊

Day 5,6 and 7 - Cape St Vincent, Sagres and Lagos in the Algarve

We are spending a few days on the southern coast of Portugal and it is gorgeous! Wow! Portugal has become a must see destination in the past few years but what took so long? Our first stop was Cape St Vincent, the most southwestern tip of not just Portugal but the entire continent of Europe. Back when the world was thought to be flat it was considered to be the end of the earth. Been there! ✅

Cape St Vincent - spectacular!

Me sitting at the end of the earth! Not going to follow my usual advice of jump while you can😊

Lighthouse that sits at the very end, Sagres Fort and bottom left surfers. One of the great places to surf.

As I mentioned in a previous post Portugal is divided into regions each of which has a capital city for governing. The area we are in now which is on the far south is called the Algarve. The Algarve is known for it’s Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. Very crowded in August as many Europeans travel here for holiday, and it’s easy to understand why.

We headed to the resort town of Lagos where we are staying for 3 nights. Suffice to say we have fallen in love with it. And why wouldn’t we? It’s clean, beautiful, lots of outdoor things to do or just head to the pool or beach, great food and wine and lovely people!

Beautiful tile everywhere, pastel businesses, interesting squares with entertainment and flowers.

Let’s have some of that great food! Used a Rick Steves recommendation and as usual it was wonderful. It was Julie’s birthday so a special lunch was a must.

Don Sebastiao was so wonderful we made a reservation for the following night for dinner immediately. Happy Birthday Julie!

The Mediterranean salad for both of us and it was the best we have ever had. Even the capers were phenomenal.

We settled in at our beautiful resort right on the beach and relaxed a bit before dinner.

More birthday celebration. Appetizer that seems to be a local favorite. Half a fresh avocado with shrimp and kind of a thousand island sauce. Sea bass with fresh veggies and a crepe with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. A special meal not just for Julie but for me too!

Morning walk on the beach! Yes please!

Lots of opportunities to get out on the water and see the beautiful rock formations of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic so we picked kayaking. Took a recommendation from the hotel and selected Kayak Adventures. As you would guess there are a number of companies to choose from providing a similar service. Along the coast there are lots of caves and grottoes to enter but I don’t think it’s wise to do it on your own because of the fairly rough waters due to all the ships and boats of various sizes plus the normal ocean currents so we went in a group with a guide. The company had a strong focus on safety so we felt secure and comfortable even though we both said it was the most challenging kayaking we had ever done. The guide asked us not to try and take pictures of all the cool stuff we saw as the chances of dropping your phone or camera were very high, plus it would slow us down so much that we wouldn’t get to see everything he wanted to show us. We had a great group of people - 6 double kayaks - and everyone complied. So lots of my memories will have to be mental pictures, but trust me when I say I won’t forget. We saw rocks in the shapes of camels, elephants, the Titantic, ice bergs etc. All created naturally by wind and water. Going in and out of the caves was challenging due to the waves but we made it and no one capsized - at least not in our group.

Getting instructions.

We stopped for a break on one of the beaches only accessible by kayak or climbing down a treacherous waterfall which the guide said was very dangerous.

The waterfall climb which if you look closely you will see two people attempting. No thanks!

Back to Don Sebastiao for dinner - this time trying the inside dining room which is quaint and fancier. Grilled shrimp for Julie and seafood stew for me. I wouldn’t mind going back again!

Our original plan was to take a day trip to Faro which is the capital city of the Algarve, but we decided that we really just wanted to spend another day in Lagos so that’s what we’re doing. Hiking, beach and pool in that order. And more great food! Can you blame us?

Still more to see and do so check back again soon. Portugal💕💕💕💕