We had an amazing time on our vacation to the south of France. Our first stop on our trip was in Aix-en-Provence where we started with lunch at a restaurant called Le Jardin D’Amalula. We were shocked when they brought out a children’s place setting along with paper and crayons for Makenna. Most restaurants in France are not kid-friendly at all and you’re lucky if they have a high chair, so Makenna was so excited. The restaurant specialized in tartines (open-faced sandwiches) and I had one made with soft cheese, red fruit jam, dried figs, sun dried tomatoes and ham….it was so good! While Ryan enjoyed the local Rosé, I was happy to order an unsweet iced tea since you can’t get that at most restaurants (usually they just have the Lipton flavored tea in a bottle). After lunch we browsed the local market that was wrapping up and I got a straw beach tote, and the vendor gave Makenna a small tote. We walked down Cours Mirabeau where there was a large market that morning, and there are several pretty fountains along the street. Our last stop was at La Chocolaterie de Puyricard where we bought Calisson which is a traditional French candy that originated in this city.
Next we headed to Cassis which was one of our favorite cities we visited. It was fairly small but so beautiful. We walked around the picturesque port which was full of sailboats, small fishing boats, restaurants and cafes, and pretty buildings. There is a tall cliff with a medieval chateau at the top called Chateau de Cassis. We quickly visited the beach and then spent some time at the hotel pool. The next morning we went to the local market and then took a 45 minute boat tour of 3 of the Calanques. The water and views were so beautiful and unlike anything we’ve seen. In one of the Calanques, the tour guide dropped some food into the water so we could see some tropical fish.
We then headed to Nice where we checked into our hotel along Promenades des Anglais, the long road/boardwalk along the water. We went to Place Massena where there were a ton of splash fountains for kids to run and play in. Makenna absolutely LOVED it, so we wound up going back there a few times during our stay. Then we walked along Promenade du Paillon where there were many play areas in the center. We also explored vieux Nice (the old part of the city) and tried the local dishes Socca (a crêpe made from chickpea flour) and Pissaladiere (a savory tart made with caramelized onions, garlic, olives and anchovies).
The next day we took a ride to Èze which is a beautiful small hilltop town on the coast. It had beautiful views of the Mediterranean and was full of small cobblestone streets. After having lunch there, we stopped in Monaco to see the famous casino. We walked along the port and there was a horse jumping competition going on so we were able to see a lot of horses walking around and being prepped. Ryan was excited to see the starting lines on the street for the famous F1 race that is held there. We went back to Nice where we visited the Marché aux Fleurs and Colline de Chateau, a hilltop with amazing views of the coastline. Makenna had ice cream every day of vacation and we had to stop at Fenocchio which is supposed to have the best ice cream in Nice. The Euro 2016 soccer tournament was taking place during this time, and there was a fan zone set up for an upcoming game that was being held in Nice. The fan zone was full that day of fans watching France play on a large screen. Makenna had so much fun waving French flags and dancing.
Our next destination was Corsica, which we had to take a ferry to (and you could bring your car along). We were shocked that all you had to do was pull up to the port and they checked that you had a ticket to get on the boat and then you drove on to the boat. They didn’t check IDs or look to see what you had in your car. Once you parked your car there wasn’t anyone around to tell you where to go, so you just had to figure out where your cabin was and then there was someone in the hallway to let you into your room. There were no safety drills like you have to do on a cruise ship. The cabin and the ship were fairly nice compared to what our expectations were. There was a small pool for the day trips (some of the trips go during the day while some are overnight and we did the overnight trip). They had a restaurant and a children’s play area and gift shop, as well as an outdoor bar/cafe.
We arrived in Porto Vecchio, Corsica at 7am and headed to the town of Bonifacio. It is a hilltop village with a nice marina (where we saw a very big, very expensive yacht). We rode a small train up to the village because 1. there was no way I was walking all the way up there and 2. Makenna had been wanting to ride the small train that we’ve seen in every city. Of course there were amazing views of the Mediterranean as well as some cute shops and restaurants. Then we headed back to Porto Vecchio where we had lunch at the port and went to the Santa Guillia beach. Our jaws dropped at how beautiful it was….the water was so clear with pretty shades of blue and turquoise, and the sand barely had any rocks or shells so you could easily walk on the beach and in the water without stepping on anything. We then checked into our villa which overlooked the beach and had an outdoor patio where Ryan grilled our dinner.
The next day we spent enjoying the beach. Makenna really loved the water and building sand castles. She didn’t want to leave! Later in the day we went to the pool at the resort and then grilled dinner on the patio again. For dessert we had Fiadone which is a Corsican cheesecake made with local cheese and lemon zest.
Our last day in Corsica we spent some time walking around the town of Porto Vecchio and then driving around part of the island. We then got back on the ferry and headed back to the mainland.
We made a quick stop in L’Isle Sur La Sorgue, which is a cute little town with canals and water wheels. After exploring a little and checking out the local morning market, we drove to Avignon. We walked around a little and saw Palais des Papes (the Pope’s Palace), where 7 popes have lived dating back to the 14th century, and then took Makenna to a playground. We had lunch along the Rhône river with a view of Pont d’Avignon. We did a little shopping (I had to get some lavender honey and lavender oil while in Provence!) and we walked on Pont d’Avignon. Then we headed to a beautiful bed and breakfast about 15 minutes outside of the city and swam in the pool for a little while. The cicadas, which are a symbol of the summer in Provence, were quite noisy! We actually saw many shops selling wooden cicadas that made noise when you walk past them and we thought someone would be crazy to buy something that made that noise!
The next day was our last day of our vacation and we stopped in the town of Gordes before driving home. It’s another beautiful hilltop village with winding, narrow streets. This was a must-see in Provence because it is known for lavender fields, with a picturesque view at Sénanque Abbey. The lavender was not in full bloom yet but we were able to take some nice pictures of the abbey and lavender.
We really loved each place we visited, we saw some beautiful sights and we really enjoyed our time at the beach and exploring small French towns. It was one of our favorite vacations!
The Pawlowski's Go To France 