Eze

A few weeks before we arrived, Maya had taken the kids up to the small town of Eze for the day.  She insisted we visit again.

We had nothing better to do, so why not?

The drive out to Eze from Biot was a scenic journey that took us on a highway that overlooked all of Nice.  Part of the highway was raised significantly over the rest of the city and went straight through the middle of the city.  The views were stunning and the city of Nice really is incredible.  It's one of the cities blessed with lovely old architecture as well as the natural beauty of the ocean.  After we drove past Nice, we hit the mountainous roads which I love driving on.  We started climbing quickly and the road began to hug the coast.  Some of the drives we had done on this trip were some of the best I have ever done.  If anyone loves driving and scenery, I think they would be hard pressed to find a better spot than on the Cote d'Azur.

As we got closer to Eze, we could see it in the distance.

It was another lovely little French town on the top of a hill.  This time it was on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  We were bound to get some pretty incredible views.  We stopped by the side of the road so that we could get out and admire the view.  

The old town of Eze is incredibly small.  Probably even smaller than Gourdon was.  However, unlike the town of Gourdon which is mostly all on the same level, the town of Eze feels almost like a medieval apartment building.  The houses and shops are built up on top of each other and the town continues up several levels.  You need to have good leg strength to climb all the stairs when you visit Eze.

At the very top of Eze is the "Jardin Exotique d'Eze" or the "Exotic Garden of Eze".  Apparently after the Second World War, a couple of the residents decided to create the garden in the ruins of the old castle.  The garden is full of succulents and has a very strong "Mediterranean" styling which isn't surprising. They did a good job and the garden at the top of Eze is now the best place to view the city and the incredible view of the surrounding areas.  There were visitors from all over the world walking around the garden taking pictures and the instagram girls were out in force on that bright and sunny day.

From the top of Eze, you could see all the way across to Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and even parts of Nice itself.  Off in the far distance towards the horizon, you could just make out Nice airport and some planes taking off and landing.

We stood around and soaked in the fresh air and the sweeping views.  Maya was sitting "downstairs" (I'm not sure if that's the correct description, but she was several levels below us) at a cafe waiting for us.  Since she had been up to the garden only a few weeks before, she couldn't be bothered to do the climb again.  As Todd and I walked around chatting about nothing and making random quips at each other, a girl who was probably in her late teens or early 20s asked us if we wanted her to help us take a picture of us.  It was better than trying to take a selfie, so we agreed and thanked her, noticing she seemed a bit weary.  She started chatting to us and as she got ready to take the picture, her parents appeared and started instructing her on how to take the shot.

Todd and I both laughed a little and talked about it later.  The poor girl seemed to be German and was clearly being dragged on a French holiday with her parents.  We guessed that she was probably desperate for any interaction with people who weren't her parents.  We both thought back to when our parents used to drag us out on holidays and the torture that it was to have to slowly follow them around.  At least Todd and I both had younger brothers who could keep us company...