| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
16-26 June 2003
Trip Diary by Francesca Sin
You always learn a lesson during travel. Some learn how to appreciate after visiting a third world country; some learn the importance of cooperation and consideration having been travelling with a big group; and some learn to cherish their family and friends more after an extended trip from home. This trip to Provence made me realise how different people's thinking could be. We all have different tastes, different preferences, difference priorities, different expectations, different goals, different objectives, different views towards the same situation ... ... because we are all unique. I have learnt to respect the differences, yet not to fully take one's word until I see it, feel it or try it out myself.
16th June 2003 (Monday)
We arrived in Lyon airport in the morning. All of us were delighted to see the sun shining bright, as though it would kill the entire SARS virus which had already damaged hundreds of families all over the world.
Twenty minutes drive from the airport, perched on the hillside of Fourviere, Villa Florentine was where we stayed. All rooms had a magnificent view overlooking the city, and a Michelin one-star restaurant next to the pool. All amenities were expected for a luxurious Relais & Chateaux hotel, except concierge manager Monsieur M. Boisjoly, who made Villa Florentine stood out amongst the rest. Mr Boisjoly is knowledgeable, well- travelled, polite, responsive and confident. He did not just recommend what he thought was good, he told us all the fact instead, added a bit of his personal view and let us decide whether we liked it. His driving direction was always clear and articulate. In my heart, I would nominate him to be “The Best Concierge of the Year”.
While exploring the city of Lyon, mum got pick-pocketed in the renowned Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere. The thieves were a gang of three, all in their teens. They acted so quickly that you could not have time to think about the whole incident. We all took the same stance of thinking positive, from that we learnt to be more alert. It was lucky it did not spoil our excitement in discovering the remaining France.
17th June 2003 (Tuesday)
140km east of Lyon lies the most charming and attractive town in the Alps – Annecy. Its small medieval quarter was laced with canals, flower-covered bridges and arcaded streets. Annecy has the most beautiful scenery, surrounded by lakes and mountains. We spent hours just walking through small streets, checking out the little specialty shops and eateries.
For dinner we went to the Michelin three-starred Paul Bocuse back in Lyon. It was quite disappointing. Maybe we had too much expectations but it's definitely overrated. The pan-fried foie gras was nicely burnt outside with a soft centre, yet too salty in taste and too much in quantity. Dad ordered the escargots which were frozen and were only baked in pesto sauce, didn't bring us any surprise. He also shared Bocuse's signature dish sea bass with mum for entrée, baked in a puff pastry of a fish shape. The presentation was attractive but the fish was a bit overcooked. Service was excellent though, the waiters were attentive and patient, they had to translate the entire French menu in English, item by item. They also had to dish out all the desserts for selecting, since there was no printed dessert menu. Perhaps it wasn't necessary that all three-stars restaurants were flawless.
18th June 2003 (Wednesday)
Moving South to Avignon, we passed by Chateauneuf-du-Pape for lunch. Chateauneuf-du-Pape had been around for over 18 centuries and it was chosen by Pope John XXII in the early 14th Century as a tranquil summer escape from Avignon. It was very windy on the mountain top the day we visited, could still manage to snap a few shots of the superb scenery. No wonder Pope John picked this place for his summer break.
We stayed at Hotel La Mirande in Avignon. Located right at the back of Palais de Papes, La Mirande had been converted from a party house for Pope Clement V in the 14th Century. Keeping the major architecture, it was then renovated and inaugurated in 1990 with rooms, restaurant and a cooking school. The rooms were classic and cozy, and the services were appropriate and warm.
We tried their Michelin one star restaurant, and our reviews were mixed. Mum shared the lamb shoulder with Caz and they raved about the tenderness and the savour. Dad had the tuna, who was so disappointed that he had to look for Vietnamese pho nearby for supper (which turned out to be even worse). The rest of us were all quite happy with our order. The foie gras was done much better than Bocuse's, and the rabbit was nicely cooked too.
19th June 2003 (Thursday)
Still staying in Avignon, we decided to go on an excursion either to Arles or the lavender field. The majority picked Arles, the city of Van Gogh, having examined all the pros and cons.
On the way to Arles on N570, we were stunned by large patches of sunflowers. They were all facing the same direction, where the sun shone, and were looking happy and bright. Just by watching the sunflowers grow, already made the Provence trip worthwhile.
20th June 2003 (Friday)
Before heading further south to Marseille, we stopped by Hotel Le Moulin de Vernegues for lunch. Their restaurant wasn't fancy but the quality was definitely terrific. Their roast milk-fed chicken was nicely done, even the breast meat could retain the juicy texture.
We arrived in the city of Marseille in late afternoon. Some of us were sceptical about getting out of the car and walking on the streets. Apparently Marseille had a reputation for corruption and drug trafficking. The theft and robbery were also common on touristy spots. Frankly, I was there last year and I checked out every single streets. I loved the old ports, I didn't see one crime. Was I too innocent and lack the sense of crisis? Or were they just too cautious and being paranoid?
Not soon after we arrived in the hotel – Le Petit Nice Passedat, we had to make another decision. Chrissy didn't feel comfortable with the hotel. She was doubtful about the working staff and the set up of the building. Our rooms were located in a separate building detached from the main one and you had to cross a small lane to get in. The carpark entrance was extremely narrow as well. Dad was quite worried about the security. There was no eyehole nor was there a security chain to lock the door. Mum insisted to stay as she thought we would be out whole day. The rest of us quite liked the hotel as it had an unbeatable 270 view. Our room also had a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
21st June 2003 (Saturday)
We had a consecutive week of sunny weather. So we decided to take a boat trip in Cassis. The town of Cassis was tiny, comparing to those we visited before. It was mainly the area around the port, packed with restaurants and souvenir shops.
After lunch, we went for a boat trip. Before we paid 10 Euros for a 45 minutes boat ride to see 3 calanques along the Cassis coast, we thought it must be touristy and a rip-off. It turned out to be one of the highlights. The calanques were amazingly beautiful which could not be seen other than taking a boat. Young people were diving off the cliff in their perfect Olympian style. The Mediterranean Sea was as clear and cool as always. Boats depart every half an hour or 45 minutes, depending on the tour you are joining.
We ended the day strolling along Corniche Kennedy back to the hotel. The sun didn't set until 9:30pm, the sky was beautiful and the water was like crystal. The sea breeze was so cool and fresh that it had blown away all the anxious feelings we had the night before.
22nd June 2003 (Sunday)
We went to Notre Dame de Fourviere for Sunday mass in the morning. Situated more than 500m above the city, Notre Dame had an all round view of Marseille. This would top the list of must go places for tourists.
Moving away from Marseille, we really looked forward to our next destination. We stayed at one of the most prestigious hotels in Saint Tropez – The Byblos, a very Greek style hotel. We decided to relax in the hotel with long lunch by the pool rather than driving around.
The standard rooms were probably designed for honeymooners. They had a bathtub in the middle of the bedroom and the shower door was glass-made. The entire property was painted in different colour, bright and lively, perfectly matched the weather in the South of France. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't think it worth Euro 450 a night.
Dinner was at their Spoon by Alain Ducasse. The menu was in Mediterranean cuisine with some French influence. Casually we sat on the big sofa on the terrace, watching the sun set at desserts. You had all the time in France with 16 hours of daylight.
23rd June 2003 (Monday)
We moved again to our final destination of Provence. On the way to Nice, we had lunch at Le Club 55 on the Ramatuelle private beach, one of the restaurants I would return every time I visit near the area. Le Club 55 only open for lunch. They had the best ambience. People would spend hours there drinking, munching, sunbathing and chatting, as if there were nothing more vital than the sun and wine.
All the way we followed N98 along the coast. Saint Maxime, Frejus, Saint Raphael, Cannes, Antibes, and there it came Nice. We stayed at the Hotel La Perouse along the end of the Promenade des Anglais near the old city. Again, we got a huge terrace in our rooms facing the beach. The room was decent and the location was perfect. The hotel didn't have its own carpark though, this could be a disadvantage.
24th June 2003 (Tuesday)
After a morning walk around the marketplace and Colline du Chateau, we set off for Menton and Monaco.
Menton was a small city on the border of France and Italy. It was so quiet that you could hardly see any traffic, even in the tourity season of summer. Quickly after lunch, we went to Monaco. We visited the Grand Prix track and the residence of the King of Monaco. We also checked out a couple of their luxurious hotels and the casinos. With all the lightings on when the sky got dark, Monte Carlo was absolutely striking and lively. It was a huge difference from Menton, although only a few miles away.
25th June 2003 (Wednesday)
Since it was our last day in Provence, we had to pick very carefully where we wanted to visit. We had planned to explore Grasse, the city of perfume. The concierge told us he didn't like the town and would prefer Eze village, which was also famous for making perfume. We read a couple of pamphlets and travel guides about these two places and we decided to stick with our original plan.
Grasse was only half an hour drive from Nice and you could already smell the perfume when entering the city. The international perfume museum displayed all the gadgets and herbs used for making perfume, lacking of a guide to explain the details, we became a bit lost and bored. We then moved over to the Fragonard perfume factory where we were being escorted along the production line and educated with how a bottle of perfume came about. It was fairly interesting. We had fun and were glad that we didn't fully believe what the concierge told us, because we knew people had different preferences.
The 10 days in Provence had quickly passed by. We had the perfect weather with no more than 1 hour of rain all through the trip. We also picked the right timing as the traffic wasn't too bad. We got lost a few times, but that was exactly what we wanted, because we discovered a lot through the unplanned roads. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
