Wild camping along the Côte d’Azur looked pretty hit-and-miss after we did some research so we parked Big Karl up just out of Antibes (pronounced ‘On-teeb’) so that we could take day trips along the coast to the hot spots. Driving down from the toll road we saw our first glimpse of what we thought were several warships at anchor, however on closer inspection, they appeared to be extremely large, luxury apartment buildings – otherwise known as ‘big boys toys’.
We used some pedal-power to get into Antibes and spent the afternoon literally gawking at the yachts and launches in the marina and surrounding bays. A quaint town with a charming old city, Antibes was humming due to the number of yachties celebrating the end of the sailing season. New Zealand and Australian accents were in abundance and it didn’t take us long to bump into a few at cafes and along the waterfront.
The following day after a quick jog along the beach, we travelled to Nice via a short train trip. In France, a morning coffee is a must and it’s something we do almost religiously! Find a local cafe and do our best to order in french (long black for Damien and an espresso macchiato for me). Nice was filled with flower markets, food stalls and plenty of perfume products from Provence – we wondered through taking in the sights of the Old Port and the city views from Castle Hill.
Our third day was reserved for a must-do visit to Monaco. If we thought Antibes and Nice were a little flash – they had nothing on Monte-Carlo! A fantastic day walking around Fontvielle Harbour, Le Rocher (the old town where the Prince of Monaco lives), Hercule Harbour and of course, the famous Formula 1 street circuit.
A highlight of the day was people-watching from Cafe de Paris which is situated on the square next to the Monte-Carlo Casino…any car enthusiast would love to spend an hour here just watching the money go by. After spending $40 NZD on two drinks we decided it was probably best we headed back to Big Karl to make our standard pasta and salad dinner (with some french wine of course).
Our final day in Côte d’Azur was game day. The first game for the All Blacks at the World Cup and for those that know us well, this was not going to be missed (we had actually planned to be in France for this weeks ago!). Clad in our black jersey’s, we headed to Cannes and watched the game with other kiwis in an Irish Bar called Ma Nolan’s. Safe to say it was good morning that led into the afternoon and it was an early night for both of us back in the campsite.
With mixed feelings we left France for the final time, the food, the people, the roads, the scenery have all been mind-blowing and I am sure we will be back. Exciting times ahead as we head into Italy! I can hear that pizza calling my name already…
C x
Damien + Caitlin 