The Canadian Tulip Festival ran May 10 - 20 this year, but Mother Nature arrived a little late to the party! Still, there were sufficient blooms to appease the 700,000 visitors who came to Ottawa from far and wide.
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Friday, 24 May 2019
Nice to Montreal to Ottawa
Our last full day in Nice was May 9 and it began with a glorious sunny morning at the port.
Phare du Cap Ferrat
On May 7th we took bus 81 to the port of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and from there, walked along the coastline trail to the lighthouse (phare).
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Peille
I checked and double-checked the weather report and was assured it would not rain in Peille on May 4, so we took the 10:45 bus up into the mountains to explore the village. And as luck would have it...it rained!
Villefranche-sur-Mer & Vence Revisited
This year we did a little more walking than on previous occasions and on April 25 we walked from the port to Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Parc Phoenix
Not far from the Nice Cote d'Azur airport, yet very much within the city proper, is a lush green space known as Parc Phoenix. For whatever reason we'd not bothered to check it out during our last three visits, but decided this year it was time. Guess what? It's now one of my top favourite places in Nice!
Four for Four in Nice
We checked out of our Paris Airbnb flat at noon on April 9 to take a city bus to Gare de Lyon. Our train departed at 3:07 PM and six hours later we arrived in Nice. This is our fourth visit to this Cote d'Azur destination and we could not be happier - especially as we had four glorious and memorable weeks there.
Atelier des Lumières - Van Gogh
The Atelier des Lumieres or Workshop of Light is a magical Paris experience that combines artists, their paintings and fuses both with the wonders of 21st century computers and technology.
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| Photo courtesy of Google |
Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Louvre Museum
On April 8 we returned for a second visit to the Louvre Museum. (To read about our first visit in April 2018 click HERE.) At 782,910 square feet it is the largest museum in the world and while it is next to impossible to ever do it justice in a few hours or even days we felt we had to at least give it a try!
Sunday, 12 May 2019
Saint Germain District
A few blocks from our flat is the Saint Germain district. A mecca for tourists with its shops, galleries and sidewalk cafes and restaurants, it was highly recommended by our Airbnb host so how could we not take a look on day three of our Paris adventure?!
Rodin & La Bonne Excuse
We returned to Paris April 3rd and stayed in the same Airbnb flat as last year. Its location in the 7th Arrondissement off Rue de Bac is the perfect base from which to explore the city on foot and an additional bonus is how quiet it is. Our first stop on April 4 was the Rodin Museum, one of John's favourite sculptors.
Two lovely days that were a great start to our weeklong adventure in Paris!
Rodin lived in this serene Paris location the final few years of his life. The progressional exhibits cover his entire career and fill two entire floors of this glorious building. His sculptures also grace the gardens. An audio guide greatly ehanced our visit and we highly recommend it. His most recognized sculptures include The Thinker, The Gates of Hell doorway and the Six Calais martyrs.
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| The Thinker |
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| Gates of Hell doorway |
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| Six Calais martyrs |
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| Gardens |
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| Springtime blossoms |
To celebrate John's birthday I booked a table at La Bonne Excuse (before we left Canada). This restaurant is owned and run by a husband and wife team. He's the chef (far left) while she (standing in doorway) takes great care to ensure their customers have a memorable and delicious experience.
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| Birthday Boy |
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| Shrimp starter |
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| Fish and white asparagus |
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| Roast pork on potato puree |
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| Apple tart with salty caramel sauce |
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