France is deeply rooted in my history, having studied the language in college and then interning at City Hall in Paris. Even though there were a lot of linguistic cobwebs in my brain 40+ years later, I could at least navigate daily life and connect with the locals. Of all the places we stopped, the famous Cote d’Azur was certainly a favorite.

After a 14-hour passage from Corsica, we pulled into a small, quiet anchorage of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and toasted to a safe journey and…23 years of being cancer free.🥰  Not surprising in this bay surrounded by Billionaire’s Peninsula, the water and beach were pristine. Later, we would see a small boat equipped with large nets scooping trash from the water. Onshore, there were trash cans and no litter in sight. We’re always pleasantly surprised to find this infrastructure and local pride. Speaking of which, we loved how all the passengers on the city busses say thank you to the bus driver as they exit.

My sister and 13-year-old niece boarded Gémeaux, flooding us with stories of exploring lavender fields and making perfume before our arrival. Immediately, we got to work creating more adventures. After bidding the bus driver merci at the end of our 50-minute ride, we walked and walked Old Nice until our feet nearly fell off. My niece giggled as we learned why residents wake up to sunshine on Apollo’s butt cheeks and how you can have the perfect residential view over this famous statue, but you’re not allowed to hang colored curtains or appear nude in your windows.

We strolled the Promenade des Anglais, fell in love with the story of a wealthy women who left her fortune to a cat rescue group, and then climbed the 1000 steps to the Colline du Château for panoramic views of harbors filled with superyachts in every direction. The next day we got up and did it all over again…this time a little earlier so we could check out the seasonal produce and flowers at the Marché aux Fleurs Cours Saleya.

Now regulars on Bus #15, we returned to Vieux Nice for my birthday present—a French cooking class. Our chef extraordinaire took us first to the market, where we tasted the local socca chickpea pancake and then followed along picking out vegetables, fruit, cheese, and fish. We learned to buy male squash blossoms with their long stem for deep frying, eggplant is often round and doesn’t always need to be salted, very ripe tomatoes are best for making ratatouille (and are often hidden under the vendor tables), fish should be shiny and if the white side is face up then ask to turn it over to make sure the brown side is shiny too.

 

With groceries in hand, we headed to the well-appointed cooking studio at Les Petits Farcis, where each of us had our own work station, complete with apron, towel, and cutting board. For the next several hours, we chopped, stirred, pitted cherries, and learned to filet fish and fry those macho squash blossoms. Then, we all sat down to enjoy our meal of tempura squash blossoms, ratatouille, pan-fried fish with Provençal pistou, cherry clafoutis, and finally a cheese platter to help with the digestion. If you can’t make it to Nice for Rosa’s cooking class, I highly recommend buying her cookbook Niçoise with delicious recipes and gorgeous photos. Bon appétit!

Île Sainte-Marguerite is just 15 miles from Nice and a local favorite on these hot July days. After the obligatory tour of the 16th-century monastery, we spent the weekend people watching in between swimming and games of Mexican Train. Commercial dinghies sped around the anchorage serving ice cream, cafés, mojitos, spritzs and everything in between. Forgot your bottle of wine? Ran out of Orangina? We delighted in ordering ice cream and a frozen lemon filled with lemon gelato—complete with a French language lesson for my niece.

Most of the anchorage cleared out by sunset…at 9:30pm! Recalling memories of ordering pizza from a boat in the anchorage when we were in Martinique, we decided to try out France’s version of pizza from a catamaran—only to learn that it was the same operation! The owner delivers pizzas in Martinique in the winter and then returns to the south of France for the summers! Loads of fun to have pizza cooked on a nearby catamaran and delivered directly to Gémeaux!

The following day, our Yelp rating got a big boost when a large pod of dolphins escorted us to Menton. Just a few miles from the Italian border, this Pearl of France averages 316 days of sunshine each year, making it the best weather on the French Mediterranean and the ideal location for growing the perfect lemon. Naturally, we bought lemon soap and lemon oil and stopped for fresh lemonade and limoncello tastings. Residential streets were tidy and thriving plants and flowers decorated every porch as we climbed to the Cimetière du Vieux Château set high above the town. Why is it that the nicest views are awarded to people in caskets?

We stayed just long enough to experience one of those 49 days when the sun doesn’t shine but we remained nearly dry under the lush garden canopy at the exotic Jardin Botanique Val Rahmeh. The real highlight for us cruisers, however, was a well-stocked supermarket just steps from the marina and an outdoor laundromat vending machine.😄

I started my 62nd birthday with a taste of the Monegasque Fougasse cookies—if they’re good enough for the prince’s birthday, they’re good enough for me.😄 What this country lacks in square miles, it makes up for in wealth, and it’s a prominent stage for prestigious international events. With the Monaco Grand Prix complete, Port Hercule was now hosting its annual international equestrian show jumping. Row after row of horse paddocks lined the harbor, flanked by some of the world’s most opulent mega yachts…that’s redundant, isn’t it?

Around the corner, the annual Energy Boat Challenge was underway to find the most sustainable boat of the future. You can’t come to Monaco without seeing the famous Casino, so we joined throngs of tourists for a quick look inside since we had left our passports and tuxedos behind—two requirements to participate in the gambling. The audio tour of the Palace on the rock was our favorite, made even more memorable by our friend’s personal tour of a room she and her team had just finished restoring the day before—a 3-year project! It was at the Oceanographic Museum where I learned its founder, Prince Albert, isn’t just another royal, but an active environmentalist and advocate of ocean conservation. Fortunately, he has a fortune to not just refurbish his home, but also to tackle climate change.

We finished this perfect day in the lovely Villefranche-sur-Mer, where the French so hospitably entertained us with local fireworks to celebrate this July 4th holiday while I sipped une coupe de champagne with much joy and gratitude.