The crisp autumn days haven’t quite descended upon us in the south (of the US). I am desperately clinging on to every remaining moment and memory of summer; which began with a few glorious weeks in the south of France. I was not expecting to fall in love with Nice or the French Riveria, in fact, I almost decided not to go there for I presumed that the glitz and glamor might overshadow its charm and authenticity. I came to discover (after a lot of convincing to go by my friend Lucinda who spends a month in Villefranche every year) that it’s only a part of the picture. The French Riveria intertwines old-world charm and history with affluence and luxury like no other. It was everything I was scared of expecting and better, much better 🙂
Traveling to France and Italy teaches me to slow down, savor the simple pleasures, and enjoy life a little bit more. For that reason, slow travel is really my cup of tea. I try not to dine and dash, spend a couple of weeks to immerse in the culture, imbibe all of the sunshine, the good food, and wine, the shops, and cafes and more importantly understand the people and their ways of life.
This time, I rented a cozy Airbnb with a balcony on the fifth floor of a building in Rue Bonaparte, Nice for two weeks and planned to stay at my friend’s Lucinda’s apartment for another fortnight. (she offered to let me stay in her apartment the whole time for free, how wonderful is she?!) The best part of setting up camp in Nice was that I could take a train or hop on to a bus and reach a nearby town or village in about an hour, hell even Italy is just a stone’s throw away. Even though at face value, the different towns presented themselves as just another old cobbled town up a hill, each one had its own character if you cared to dig deep enough.
My days there were spent doing exactly that 🙂 I explored and over-indulged in all my favorite things; sunrise strolls in the cobblestone alleys of the Vieux Ville (Old Town) in Nice, day-trips to the other sun-dappled towns dotting the shores of the Mediterranean sea, soaking up the sunshine on the balmy beaches of the Cote d’Azure, (the Azure Coast), hiking to villages and villas perched on cliff tops, warm conversations with locals, and eating one too many flaky croissants, chickpea pancakes (called soccas), and juicy sun-kissed fruits and vegetables. You meet so many amazing people when exploring at your own pace too. For example, some friends of mine recently went on a trip to Marseille and ended up bumping into a group of glamorous marseille escorts while out on a boat. My friends told me that they had a fascinating conversation with the escorts about the adult entertainment industry, the sex-positivity movement, and the importance of safe sex. This just goes to show that you never know who you might meet on your travels! Sometimes it is the element of surprise that can make your trip that little bit more special. For me though, one of the highlights was a day trip to Cannes that ended with watching a movie at the open-air theatre in the water, with my toes in the sand and a view of the pink-hued sunset behind the screen and bolting to get on the last train to Nice, missing it and jumping onto another RER illegally w/o a ticket [the billeterie-machines were not selling any more tickets and FWIW the tickets cost 300Euros, not our fault :P) and getting away with it. So glad Clara and I didn’t end up in a French jail.
I must admit, most of my shenanigans went down with one or two glasses of rosé in each hand (C’mon, when in South of France, do as the French do riggght?) and in the company of Lucinda, her friends, new friends from CouchSurfing, chief amongst them was Clara (we became inseparable), my sweet Airbnb host Fabine, the owner of Brazillia (ironically my favorite restaurant in Nice was a Brazilian cafe) and the several other wonderful French people I met.
Bonus: My French just got soo much better and some of the locals I met exclaimed that I spoke really well. Ofc, they were either exaggerating to be kind or just a bit stunned that a foreigner could speak w/o a strong accent but whatever the motive, I’m not one to shy away from compliments 😛 (haha!)
Here are some photos from the Riviera and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.








































Although I do paint a rather rosy picture of the south, the picture doesn’t come without blemishes. Staying for a couple of weeks made me understand the struggles the common folks go through to make ends meet. France is an awfully expensive place to live. Several organizations had strikes almost every day, it became a running joke between me and Fabine (my Airbnb host); she’d dutifully warn me of “les manifestations” before I stepped out every morning morning, so I began to ask her “Whose turn is it today?”. I had another roommate, a French-Irish boy who worked as an electrician and planned to move to Australia because it became increasingly hard for him to pay his bills. C’est la vie, eh? I hope the government and the people manage to smooth out the kinks in the coming years.
With love from the South of France,
Divya
Articulate, clean & crisp. Just a suggestion – try adding some captions below pics, it ll be easier for us to find the villages when we travel 🙂
Once again, amazing photos! I love your blog!
http://www.sweetfrivolity.com
I’ve been to Nice and also quickly fell in love. Beautiful place, even lovelier people!
The pictures are absolutely amazing. It’s an absolutely beautiful place and anyone would love to have a nice vacation here. Thank you for sharing!
Such a beautiful article, I felt like I was there while reading it. You have amazing photography!
I like you love slow travel! How beautiful are those coast lines and beaches! I would love to just sit and relax there.
Please tell you that you watched some awesome old Audrey Hepburn Movie at that outdoor movie theater!?!?
I notices that no one was swimming. Is the water freezing?
Yes! Isn’t the French Riviera just spectacular! The Italian Riviera is pretty nice too. It’s such a gorgeous part of the world. Your photos are so gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing.
How could you not do as the French do in Nice? I’ve only been there once for a couple of days, but the beaches are to die for! They’re my second favourite in the world (behind Maui). I do love the Mediterranean lifestyle so much though – it’s exactly as you described it – laid back, long lunches and dinners with a few glasses of wine, strolling through the streets instead of power walking to your intended destination and just generally enjoying life!
This brings back memories! French Riviera is a heaven on earth and you captured it beautifully through this post. 🙂
The French Reviera is high on my wanderlist. Your photos made me want to pack my bag and book flight right away.
Well articulated and crisp writing giving way to amazing pictures. I feel like I want to see more..
It looks like you had a lovely time! Getting to know locals and seeing a place from their eyes is always the best!
So pretty. Haven’t been here, but have visited Provence and another small town in Southern France. Delightful part of the country.
Such lovely photos! I can’t wait to go to France someday, specially to Cannes (when the film festival is not happening)
Your pictures are stunning! I might be visiting there this fall, so I’ll keep this post in mind.
I visited the French Riviera last year but my pictures are no where near as colorful and detailed as yours! You make me want to visit again and take better pictures!
Yes, yes, yes! This looks all so dreamy and wonderful. I can see myself getting lost in the narrow pathways and winding my way around the streets.
There’s sooo much I loved about this post – firstly, the photos are STUNNING. I want to keep looking at them. Could probably just keep scrolling for hours. Secondly, I love your writing style. And third, I love how the cursor leaves a trail of stars or confetti when you move it around. In love with this blog!
Your photos are absolutely STUNNING! I’m falling harder for the French Riviera from your photos than I did with a proper visit there LOL. I love how you captured a little bit of everything from the colorful boats and ports to the narrow and exciting alley ways to even some pretty perfect grape tomatoes and THAT GELATO (instant cravings). Wonderful post, doll!
So neat how much we learn about ourselves while traveling, also your pictures are beautiful!
This place looks so beautiful. I’ve been to France but never that part of France. The view in some of the pictures are really stunning. Would definitely visit it next time I go to France
Oh my gosh, your photos are gorgeous! What a wonderful trip! The French Riviera is such a beautiful place!
Ellie | http://www.scotchandstilettos.com
Love all your photos, it looks like it was so pretty!
– Kristen
http://www.sophisticatedgal.com
The French Riveria is beautiful. We were in Cannes in 2016 right after the flash flood so we could not get in the water it was contaminated. Then we went to Monaco for a day. Great photos. Love the post.
Those photos are amazing! There are so many places that I want to go and the French Riviera is definitely on the list.
This is my kind of holiday! Over indulging with a glass of cold rose in each hand! I’ve fallen in love with it from a computer screen! Xx Sophia http://sophiawhitham.co.uk
Oh my gosh the colors! Absolutely Beautiful.
xox, Christie
http://icanstyleu.com/blog/
Each pic you took looks absolutely beautiful! It looks like you had so much fun! I would love to go there one day!
Lots of awesome shots! I love the ones of the building in the narrow paths. and one particular with the archway. the one with the colorful boats is cool too!
Lots of awesome shots! I love the ones of the building in the narrow paths. and one particular with the archway. the one with the colorful boats is cool too!
This was a wonderful post, now I must add the French Riviera on my bucket list of places I must see!
Such great photographs! You make me want to book a ticket NOW!
Your pictures are stunning! What a gorgeous place to be! Really enjoyed your post!
Oh my gosh, this place could not look more beautiful! I am going here in a month and a half and I cannot wait. These pictures just got me ten million times more excited! I hope you are having the most amazing trip!
Much love,
Ashley from Dear Ash
These pictures are just stunning!
I totally love your pictures, they look amazing! And the French Riviera is really wonderful!
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Very vivid account of French Riviera with awesome pictures. Loved it.
Thank you so much Sapna 🙂 You made my day.