Escaping to the French Riviera

In honor of Bastille Day, the day that is recognized as the kick-off to the French Revolution, I give you a taste of France. The only allusion I found in London to this infamous day was this couple of can-can dancers at a local pastry shop.

However, a couple of weeks ago, we escaped south---to the Côte d'Azur, or the Azure Coast as the French call it. You will thank me for carefully editing out the topless bathers, because believe me, they were not a pretty sight!

The French weren't in a very happy mood as you can tell from the fine print on this sign. In their opinion, France had left the World Cup competition much too early.

The sun was inviting,

and the views from the hills were glorious.

I made sure we did the obligatory cultural visits in between beach time. We visited the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, which is the largest Russian Orthodox church outside Russia.

 It was given to the country on behalf of the many Russians living in the French Riviera, by Tsar Nicholas II shortly before he was executed by his own people.

There is quite a disparity between the architecture of the Old City,

and buildings like these found in the northern part of Nice, in the area where Queen Victoria and other British citizens would often visit.

Plenty of opportunities to dine al fresco, near the water,

and at the foot of a church. The Restaurant du Gesù, Jesus's restaurant...

had some of the most heavenly Italian

food we've eaten in a very long time.

We spent one morning touring the Villa Rothschild, an incredible mansion owned by the European banking family, the Rothschilds...

along with its world renowned gardens.

A quick jaunt over to Monaco to gawk at the casino,

and the views over the harbour, as we each picked out our own yachts. Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and famous. More about that on my daughter-in-law's blog with her point of view.

Stay tuned for more scenes from the south of France. Too much beauty for just one post. Vive la France!