The Beginning...of Our Travels: Villefranche& Cap D'Ail

With so many little towns on the coast, it was hard to choose which to visit. We went off the recommendation of hostel staff and visited Villefranche and Cap D'Ail, fully accessible by train. We had hoped to make ti so St. Tropez as well but the ferry ride was 60 Euro, and the bus, which was a bit cheaper, could take up to 3 hours in traffic. It's a shame -- but at the end of the day I'm still so happy with all the things we were able to do with our time in Nice and Cap D'Ail was probably my favorite place yet because of it's untouched beauty and unique landscape so I can't very well be upset. Villefranche is a town built into a mountain, fairly similar to something you have probably visited in Italy. The market was supposed to be fantastic, but we saw it and overall the city is not something to write home about. That's not to say it isn't beautiful, or interesting, but it is small and there isn't much to do. While there, we visited a war museum that housed some of the uniforms, pictures, and guns from the Second World War. To get into the museum we had to cross a stone drawbridge - so that was kind of cool.

This is taken standing on the sand looking across the mouth of the opening where the water flows into the sandy cove. Rock formations are on both sides. We watched the sunset behind the rocks- then headed home,

Next, we went to Cap D'ail to experience the beach there. The landscape is all rocky cliffs and rocks coming out of the water. They slat down directly to the water from the side of the road, so many locals spread their towels there and were jumping into the water from there. (Of course, we tried too!) There is also a sandy cove beach. A little difficult to access, with stone stairs carved into the edge of a rock formation that are small and steep but it's totally worth the trek. No words, nor pictures can really do the beauty of this place justice. It was simply amazing. Very secluded, it felt private. And there was shallow water for miles, plus little caves you could swim into in the base of the rock. All in all my favorite trip of all!

After all our excursions we spent the last 2 days enjoying Nice - some shopping and one last beach day before heading home to Lyon.

We are here now, but I'm not feeling well I've caught a cold and we started school orientation today - so back to a schedule and being responsible. Pff.

Bisous!
Ale