Norwegian Epic: Eze and Saint Paul de Vence

Our tour from the port of Cannes on the Norwegian Epic cruise continues. Everyone was at the Nice meeting stop on time and we took off for Eze.

Cryil stopped once outside the city so we could take a photo looking down at Nice.

Eze

Cyril drove us as close to the medieval village as he could and then parked before joining us for a brief tour.

We then had free time to explore and/or grab a bite to eat and then were to walk down to the parking area and meet Cyril at 12:15.

Eze has even smaller passageways than San Gimignano. There’s a high end hotel, La Chèvre d’Or, with just 40 rooms and suites which was created from what were originally village homes.

It was so scenic. It would be incredible to stay at the hotel here.

You know I love fountains so I had to take a snap of this one.

Here’s a look at its surroundings.

I’m not sure who or what this mounted warrior represents but his golden sword and shield are impressive.

The city is in such good condition you forget how old it is until you see tiny doorways and windows.

I didn’t buy anything from the shops or restaurants in the medieval village. Instead I perused less expensive offerings on the way to the parking area where we were to all meet. I found lavender embroidered tea towels and bought several for gifts. I ran into one of my sisters (we had all got separated) who found a ham and cheese baguette for less than 4 euros and the other had a waffle.

A photo of Eze on our way to the next stop.

Monaco

When we booked the Best of the French Riveria a stop at Monaco was on the itinerary. Before our trip we were notified it was no longer on the schedule due to it being Grand Prix week . So instead St. Paul de Vence was added and we did an overlook stop for Monaco.

First up was a view of La Turbie and Le Trophee D’Auguste.

The Trophy of Augustus (translated) is a monument to the Roman Emperor Augustus victory and was built in 6 BC. Yes, Roman. The French Riviera has belonged to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans over the centuries.

The monument is in the city of La Turbie. We did get a closer shot from the van.

Our attention turned to Monaco where we could see the casino and royal palace from the overlook.

It was gorgeous no matter what direction you looked.

I’m not sure what this commemorates but it was something to do with Prince Ranier and La Turbie.

St. Paul De Vence

A visit to St. Paul De Vence was added in place of Monaco. This is a community of 200 artisans (according to Cyril) and there were lots of galleries with interesting art. It’s also one of the oldest medieval cities on the French Riviera.

It was also very scenic and had many more restaurants and shops than Eze.

Even the street (for lack of a better word) is artistic.

I found fountains to photograph.

Behind the arches was an area to fill your water bottles

Notice the restaurant on top of the arches and galleries to the right walkway.

Cyril walked us to the back of the village and up the stairs where there was a scenic overlook of the valley and cemetery. Along the way he pointed out particular shops of interest (best place to get a crepe etc.).

Gate out to cemetary or walk on top of wall for view

The artist Marc Chagall is buried here.

We then had 90 minutes or so of free time. I wandered and took pictures before shopping and lunch.

An interesting door to a residence…

I found a shop where I bought chocolate filled “biscuits” and bought a tin for my husband.

I also had free sample and they were delicious! She said in the tin they would last a month.

By this time I was getting hungry and didn’t want to spend the money being charged at the restaurants (plus they were pretty crowded) so I found a takeaway stand selling sandwiches, crepes and quiches. I bought a small can of coke and a quiche Lorraine.

It was delicious and I felt like I had a “french” lunch. I found my sisters and brother at the cafe by the meeting point where they had ordered lunch and sat with them chatting.

The group met at 3:15 to head back to the ship. We were concerned about traffic given the Cannes Film Festival was also going on! We got back shortly after 4 pm and said good bye to Cyril after tipping him for a great day.

It was very short line to board the tender and organized. We had to go through X-ray scanners at the port and then again getting on ship. They had cold towels and drinks onshore for passengers.

This is the Black Watch from the British Fred Olsen cruise line. It was in port with us today.

Our tender made it almost to the ship where we had to wait about 10 minutes bobbing around before docking at the ship (not sure why). The tender ride back was also my only experience with rudeness from other passengers that were cutting lines, shoving,etc.

Here are maps for Eze and St. Paul De Vence. Click to enlarge and save.