Brandee's European Adventure - Part 4

Finally heard from Brandee.   Here's her update:


Sorry I have been so busy with class, going off for the weekend and hanging out with friends. It's been 3 weeks since I last posted anything. I will be sending updates of everything I have been doing here in France.



Thursday morning we left for our road trip to Nice, for Bastille Holiday weekend. After doing a week of bread with Chef Damian we were excited to leave Yssingeaux.  Nicky rented the car, Karin got the hotel room and Kate and I packed our bags for a wonderful four days on the “French Riviera”.   We borrowed a GPS system from one of the assistants here at the chateau, and we set our course on a 5 ½ hour road trip.

As we drove we had the music going and the cameras flashing. I had a bit of an obsession with the bathrooms along the way. Amazing enough the pit stop bathrooms were so clean, and interesting I just had to take a picture of it.

We made it to Nice at about 8:00 pm, checked in at the hotel, and walked down to the shore to watch the fireworks, and see the festival.

Next day we walked through the beautiful town to look at all the shops, we even found an H & M store. We had a nice lunch down by the Harbor and toured a few interesting areas.

The following day we drove to Monaco into Monte Carlo to see the palace and the yachts along the shore. I wish we had time to go in to the casino, but we just passed by. It was a walk to get up the cliffs to see the palace where the royal family lives. I also took some pictures of the church where Prince Phillip and Princess Catherine had just gotten married 2 weeks ago. The decoration and banners of the wedding were still up.

The same night we drove to Cannes to have dinner and see how different the nightlife and people are. Cannes is where the rich come to stay and the shops are open all night. The four day holiday weekend turned out to be a blast and Niki was a trooper for driving. I offered to drive on the way back, but she handled it great. The thing about renting a vehicle in France is they only drive standard, so if you ever want to do a road trip to France make sure you learn how to drive a stick shift. The beaches in the South of France are so beautiful it reminds me of home.


 Bread week on Thursday with Chef Damian


Us on the road - Niki driving, me in the passager seat.


Kate and Karin in the back seat


Pit stop at a road side bathroom. It was very clean.


Scenic drive to the French Riviera.


First day in Nice. The ocean is so beautiful.


Kate and I


The Beach in Nice



"Sex and the shore Girls" Kate (Belarus), Karin (Mexico), Niki (Greece), and Me


A pictureques scene from "Evil Under the Sun"


Our hotel at the "Acropolis"



Lunch on the French Riviera: Kate and Niki


Karin and Me


Enjoying our holiday walking the shores



The next night we enjoyed a dinner at the "Cafe de Turin" . AMAZING FRESH crustacean.

This was the best seafood I have had in France AND it was so so inexpensive. We all shared one raw platter and one cooked platter. It had fresh oysters.

The restaurant "Cafe De Turin" offers their own wine.


Raw platter we all shared with only fresh lemon.


This is the cooked platter  we all shared. It also came with french fries.


Me and Kate


Niki and Karin


Next day we are off to Monte Carlo

Chao,

Brandee