Day 11, Wednesday May 14, 2014
This morning we are heading to Nice, our final destination. At the midpoint of this bus ride, we stop at the hilltop town of Les Baux.
Les Baux was our first stop of the day. Les Baux consists of two parts today. The castle ruins perched on top of a 650 foot hill and the lower town that is packed with shops and cafes. The Lords of Baux were powerful and notorious warriors. In the 11th century, Les Baux was a powerhouse controlling about 80 towns. In 1426, Les Baux was incorporated into the Provence of France. The French king destroyed the castle fortress in 1483 because Les Baux was resisting being controlled by him. After that, Les Baux with 4,000 residents, regained some prominence, but was destroyed again in 1632 by Cardinal Richelieu under King Louis XIII for resisting Rome. Les Baux never regained prominence after that. Here are some pictures of Les Baux below.
Les Baux was our first stop of the day. Les Baux consists of two parts today. The castle ruins perched on top of a 650 foot hill and the lower town that is packed with shops and cafes. The Lords of Baux were powerful and notorious warriors. In the 11th century, Les Baux was a powerhouse controlling about 80 towns. In 1426, Les Baux was incorporated into the Provence of France. The French king destroyed the castle fortress in 1483 because Les Baux was resisting being controlled by him. After that, Les Baux with 4,000 residents, regained some prominence, but was destroyed again in 1632 by Cardinal Richelieu under King Louis XIII for resisting Rome. Les Baux never regained prominence after that. Here are some pictures of Les Baux below.
After visiting Les Baux, we headed to Nice. After our arrival, Rolinka had a surprise for us. She took us to the top of Castle Hill for a great view of Old Town Nice and the beach. We then took a short stroll of the Promenade Des Anglais. Take a look at some of the pictures below.
Day 12, Thursday May 15, 2014
Today we met our local guide for a morning tour of Nice. Then we have a free afternoon. After that, we have our last dinner together as a group.
Here are some pictures during our walking tour with our local guide Agnes.
Here are some pictures during our walking tour with our local guide Agnes.
During our afternoon free time, we visited the Chagall Museum. The Chagall Museum in Nice has the world's largest collection of Marc Chagall's work. After World War II, Chagall returned from the United States to settle in Vence, France. He painted and donated 17 large murals that were designed for this museum. See pictures below.
Tonight we have our last group dinner together at the very Italian restaurant, Le Luna Rossa. But first, on our way to dinner, we stopped at a rooftop bar for a drink and some beautiful views of Nice. Here are some pictures below.
Tomorrow the tour ends and most of us go home, but before that, you must meet the members of the tour family. On all Rick Steves' tours, you have a travel buddy "Buddy". This person can not be your spouse or traveling partner. The purpose of the "Buddy" is to make sure all of the group is accounted for in various situations. For example, when leaving on the bus, the tour guide says "Buddy Check" and if no one says their "Buddy" is missing, the bus can take off. Have a look below at the friends we made during this tour. They were a great bunch to travel with.
What more can we say. It was a great trip! We plan on many more with Rick. We hope this scrapbook will encourage you to join a Rick Steves' tour. They are the best! As Rick says - Keep on traveling!