Villefranche, France

April 11, 2023

Our port today, Villefranche, was the jumping off point of our tour of the French Riviera. We were on an independent tour with two other couples to travel to Nice, the Principality of Monaco, and the mountain village of Eze.

Gregory, our handsome French guide met us just outside the cruise port. He had a luxurious van with a built in speaker system which meant we could hear his explanations wherever we sat. We loaded in and headed off to Nice located right next door to Villefranche. The drive was not long at all, and I enjoyed the scenery along the way.

After we arrived and parked in an underground parking garage, Gregory led us into the town square, pointed out some sights of interest, and set us free to wander on our own for a short while. Brian and I wandered through the square, down some streets and explored the flower market. The market operates six days a week and, in addition to flowers, you can find meats, cheeses, desserts and crafts.

It was time to meet up with our guide. Unfortunately, none of the six of us understood/remembered where we were supposed to meet Gregory. I think it was a combination of his accent and our lack of attention. Fortunately, soon we saw him patiently waiting for us where he said he would be and we were ready to continue on our way to Monaco.

Gregory stopped at a couple of scenic viewpoints from which we could see the entire French Riviera. One of the stops came complete with ruins.

Our drive into Monaco became quite problematic. There was bumper to bumper traffic starting a few kilometers before we got there. Gregory knew a shortcut, so we were able to make up some time. All we could figure out, was that there was a large professional tennis tournament in Monte Carlo and lots of people wanted to go. Of course, there are also just a couple of ways into the city and I imagine that was a factor, too.

As we drove into Monaco, Gregory explained some of the sights we could see and this time, when he dropped us off, he had very clear instructions. We were to meet at a specific time at the Oceanographic Museum by the yellow submarine.

We all headed out in separate ways to explore. Brian and I wandered down by Princess Grace Park, walked up and down the narrow streets, saw the Palace, and shared a panini as we explored.

Even the trash cans by the public toilets were pretty.

The yellow submarine was the perfect meeting point and, from there, Gregory led us way underground to where the van was parked. I guess that, in towns built on cliffs, there is no other place to put a parking garage.

Before we left Monaco, Gregory drove us on the Grand Prix racecourse which was already being prepared for the race next month. Of course, we didn’t go nearly as fast as the Forumla 1 race cars do. Leaving the country, we reflected that in the last two days we been in the two smallest countries on the planet. Vatican City is the smallest and Monaco the second smallest.

The final part of our tour was a trip up into the mountains to visit the medieval city of Eze. The city is perched on the top of a mountain and there is a steep path to the top. My cough had been bothering me again and I knew that the climb was something I’d not be able to do. So, I sent Brian on his way and I found a cafe a the base of the city where I could sit on the patio, enjoy a glass of good French wine, and people watch.

Brian thoroughly enjoyed his hike up the mountain. He brought back a lot of pictures and, from them, I could really get an idea of what Eze was like.

Our tour ended back where it started—at the cruise port. Brian and I weren’t ready to head back onto the ship so, after finding an ATM to get much needed euros, we went to explore the harbor front of Villefranche. We enjoyed a gelato and did a little walking around. Villefranche looks like a wonderful place to spend time.

Back in our cabin, I decided that I should go see the ship’s doctor again about my cough. It was not getting better and I’d started wheezing again. I called hoping I could get an appointment the next afternoon. We were going to be docked in Marseilles, and we had an excursion planned to Aix en Provence in the morning. Unfortunately, the only appointment to be had was at 9:15 in the morning. Reluctantly, we cancelled that trip. Brian stayed behind with me to rest. We had many more excursions coming up and we were tired.