More of Nice, Lunch at Beaulieu-sur-Mer and the Lovely Town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

View from Castle Hill looking down onto the Port to the east.  The interesting part of this picture is the yacht below with its own swimming pool and helicopter landing pad.

We decided to do some more exploring of Nice.  We climbed up to Castle Hill which is the only hill in an otherwise flat city.  While there is a hill, there is no longer a castle.  Instead you will find a playground, a Café and a Jewish Cemetery.

Part of the climb up to Castle Hill.  A war memorial is on the right.

A church alongside the stairway

Magnificent views of Nice are to be found at the  top of Castle Hill

Jewish cemetery on Castle Hill built in the 1700s

The plots are tightly packed with family members buried together.

The remains of an ancient fort can be viewed on Castle Hill

We found this wonderful falafel hole in the wall restaurant Le Falafel which I liked so much we ate there three times.

They do a good business of sit down (outside) and take away.  All the ingredients are freshly made.

Falafel plate I had one day.

Their pitas were as good as their falafel plates.  We chose all the salads and sauces we wanted inside.  It was a delicious lunch.  Afterwards we went to Glacier Rossetti which is my new favorite ice cream parlor.  No, I didn't eat both pitas.  One was Tom's  

A popular pass time in Nice is to walk the Promenade des Anglais.  This is their four mile seafront promenade designed for strolling, admiring the blue of the Mediterranean, sitting on a blue seat with your feet up on the guard rail, or have a drink or meal on the sand.

Picturesque restaurants and bars are set up along the beach

Their famous blue chair in art form.

View of the promenade des Anglais

Another view of the Promenade des Anglais

Repairing a building

I'm not sure this would be allowed in the USA

Using Villefranche-sur-Mer as our home base enabled us to take long beautiful walks to nearby towns for lunch.  This was our view walking to Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

View walking to Beaulieu-sur-Mer

We walked to La Pignaelle Restaurant where we had an excellent lunch with service to match.

I had the duck confit which was perfectly prepared with delicious sides.

Tom had the duck breast which was exquisite.  

I keep posting pictures of Villefranche-sur-Mer because it is such a picturesque location.  We were fortunate enough to have perfect weather which allowed us to enjoy the atmosphere and views along the quay.

Lunch on the quay is popular with the weather being ideal.

Poster kids for Villefranche-sur-Mer

One day we sat in the sun enjoying an Aperol Spritz.

It doesn't get much better than this.

Biot: The Glass Blowing Capital of France

Biot was given the label of Arts and Crafts village in 1997 for glass blowing.  With 60 years of tradition it has become the capital of contemporary glass blowing in France.  Besides being able to watch glass blowing,  jewelry makers have also chosen Biot as their place to live and work.

Windows always fascinate me.  Particularly when people make the effort to decorate them and show their own personal style.

We explored the narrow side streets of Biot.

Moving away from the commercial main street we found the residential neighborhood.  Here the residents relieve the starkness of the stone buildings with a myriad of potted plants.

The ancient archways create interest.

Here is another narrow residential street.  Imagine having to carry your groceries from the closest parking lot, which could be hundreds of yards away.  We did see motorcycles parked in front of numerous homes.

There are many stairs to navigate throughout the town.

The home owners work hard to create a pleasing atmosphere.

Ancient portal from 1565.

 I think it's mandatory to visit at least one glass blowing factory while in Biot.  We went to La Verrerie de Biot.  Watching the employees working was like viewing a ballet.  Each focused on their individual projects, yet came together when needed for two person jobs.

Part of the factory experience was a museum.  We weren't allowed to take pictures.  Inside were amazing works created by some of the best glass artists in the world.  That alone made the visit worth the drive.

The first step is pulling molten glass out of the oven.

Some pieces require two people.  Here hot glass is added to the pitcher to create a handle.

This is the factory producing items for sale in the gift shop.

Each glass fish is individually made.  It involves many steps and is surprisingly time consuming.  We found ourselves spending more time than anticipated watching the glassblowers at work as we found the whole process fascinating.

Walking around Biot we worked up an appetite.  Lunch was at Auberge Du Vieux Village Creperie where we had an excellent salad and delicious crepe.