Welcome to Daniel's "Bonjour Provence Tour", where you get to enjoy mouth watering foods, exquisite regional wines and enchanting settings like this ...
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| The perfect Provence Picnic Setting |
The Bonjour Provence Tour is an eight-day/seven-night fully accompanied tour which has been specially designed to make you discover all the wonderful destinations that this famous region of France has to offer.
The Tour begins on a Thursday afternoon at the Hotel Vendome where the guests have been booked for the night. The Vendome is located in the centre of Nice, and only about 500 metres from the beach and the Old Nice. This ancient
private hotel of the nineteenth century has been completely renovated and
air-conditioned; combining ancient charm with modern comfort.
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| The Hotel Vendome |
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| The Hotel Vendome staircase |
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| The Hotel Vendome ceiling and chandelier |
Once settled in your room, Daniel; your personal Tour Companion will meet you at the hotel Lobby and take you on a visit of the "Vieux Nice" (Old Nice) where you will discover the charms of the original part of that wonderful city. You will walk in its narrow streets lined with cafes, souvenir & food shops of all kinds.
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| Entering the Old Nice |
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| The narrow streets of the Old Nice |
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| Checking the many restaurants on offer |
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| Anyone for fresh oysters just out of the sea? |
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| Or maybe some sea urchins; sometimes referred to as Poor Man's caviar |
You will see the
Nice Opera; enter the
Maison Auer; famous for its mouth-watering home-made chocolates and crystallised fruits. To see more of the
Maison Auer,
click HERE
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| The Nice Opera - Image Courtesy Google Images |
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| Inside La Maison Auer |
Our walk will also take us past the building where the renowned painter Matisse lived for a while and painted some of his timeless creations.
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| The house where the famous French painter Matisse lived and worked | | | |
The old part of Nice is also famous for its "Hotels Particuliers" (Private Residences) such as La Maison d'Adam et Eve where the well-to-do aristocrats and Nobility lived and entertained their entourages.
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| La maison d'Adam et Eve |
It will soon be time for an Aperitif before dinner. On the menu; a traditional Pastis, a Rosé wine or your favourite drink accompanied with the Nice specialty the "Socca" - a chick-pea-based snack that the locals just can't get enough of or maybe some Porchetta or a slice of Pissaladiere; the traditional caramelised onion tart with black olives.
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| Socca cooking in a wood-fired oven |
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| Who could resist a slice of delicious Porchetta!!! |
Having teased the appetite, dinner is on the agenda. the only problem with this task is where to go !!! Dozens of restaurants are on the offer all with the local specialties. This is where local knowledge comes in handy to find the best place at the most reasonable rates.
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| Outside dining; a favourite occupation in France |
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| Friends enjoying dinner |
After dinner, a gentle walk through the Place Massena back to the hotel and maybe a stop at a "Gelati" place on the way for the all the Sweet Tooths of the group.
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| Place Massena - Nice |
Off to bed now for a good rest in preparation of what will be a very exciting day tomorrow.
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| Hotel Vendome bedroom |
Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading what the first day of the Tour has to offer and made you want to find out some more about this great culinary adventure.
It's goodbye for now and I look forward to your company on Day 2 of the Tour in this Blog.
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