Nice, France -August 15: A Day for Art

We ate breakfast this morning outside in the hotel garden with flowering vines, fountains, and a pleasant pool. It was a buffet offering French bread, ham, cheese, croissants, fruit, and yogurt. After breakfast, we took a bus to the Matisse Museum. The museum is housed in a 17th century Genoese villa. The museum has paintings, illustrations, and artifacts that inspired Matisse.

Next we went to the Chagall Museum where we saw enormous murals and stained glass. You need to look closely to see all the details. We found that the Rick Steves' tour of the museum in his guide was most helpful because it explained the symbolism in the paintings.

In the afternoon we took a 20 minute bus ride to Eze Village. The view on the way was incredible. As the bus wove up winding roads, you could look straight down into the sea. A big cruise ship was in the harbor. Eze le Village is perched high on a hill overlooking the sea. To get to the summit, you hike up through tiny cobblestone lanes with tiny cafes and boutiques tucked into the walls. A luxury hotel made of stone jutted out from above. As a bear, I thought the restaurant would be a perfect place to eat, but my owners said it was 90 euros each just to eat there.

Tonight as I type my blog a man is playing the trumpet in the street and people are throwing money out the window.

At the risk of jinxing a bear, I just realized that it has been sunny every day since the start of our holiday in Europe. It has also been hot. Thank goodness my owners haven't been too cheap to get air conditioning in the hotel rooms. It has been a welcome relief after a day of sightseeing.

"A Trip to Eze Village"

The bus winds up the steep mountain
Harbors glisten in the sun
A picture of perfection!