Bonjour,

These are just some odds and ends photos from along the Cote d’Azur that I found interesting.

1. This is the old village of Eze. It has had people living here since perhaps 2000 BC. It’s got great views and is popular with tourists, honeymooners, and Walt Disney. It is similar to many places we saw along the coast, even including Nice. It sits at about 1400 feet up. I suppose in ancient times, people had to be on top of the mountain for protection from their enemies. But how much trouble was it getting water for daily use. How hard was it to go up and down every time you needed anything…

2. We passed this house (right side on hill top) between Villefranche and Eze. Our local guide said that this was the second most expensive house in the world. I don’t know how he knew that or how much it cost but he said it sits in the middle of 20 acres. He said the guy that owns it is the guy behind MasterCard. It has a beautiful view though this was not the day to show off the house or view as it was rather hazy.

3. We never passed the Mediterranean Sea or a very long stretch of river that I didn’t see someone fishing. In Nice, they covered over the river and put a park on top of it. One day, I told Vicky that we should walk to the end of the structure and see what the river looks like when it reaches the sea. We did that. Standing atop the bridge as the river flowed out and into the sea in Nice, I looked down and took this photo. No wonder there were always people fishing.

4. I took this photo from Villa de Rothschild. According to our local guide, this villa, which is just up the coast, is where the Rolling Stones recorded the Sticky Fingers album. The guide said that they were here because at the time, they were trying to dodge taxes in England. Villefranche, an ancient town, is in the background.

5. The coastal roads and the mountain roads in this part of France were winding and often times steep as well. We kept seeing this road sign and wondering exactly what it meant. QUIZ: what does this road sign indicate?

Answer: In the curve section of road up ahead, the car on the right (Black car) has the right of way – and the car oncoming (Red car) must give way. Often times, the oncoming car would be black and the car on our side would be red.

Voila,

Bill