Vieux Nice (Old Nice), France: Part 1 - Adjacent Areas and Cours Saleya

The original idea behind this photo gallery had much larger scope. I wanted to create a comprehensive photo guide to Vieux Nice (a.k.a Vieille Ville or Old Town Nice). However, the lack of time and proper organization of my effort resulted in something more modest. Still, I believe with the material I have it is possible to convey the atmosphere and environment of the Vieux Nice - area where the city of Nice (Nicaea) was probably founded around 350 BC by Greeks. See also Vieux Nice (Old Nice), France: Part 2 - The Heart of Old Town Feb. 16, 2010

Vieux Nice (Old Nice), France: Part 2 - The Heart of Old Town

We have just finished the first part of the Vieux Nice (Old Nice) tour at the end of Cours Saleya, a vibrant and touristy area with various markets and numerous restaurants and shops. We were moving from west to east towards a rocky hill with ruins of the castle and, nowadays, Parc du Château. Now, we are turning to the left to follow the labyrinth of narrow streets with terracotta color buildings until we reach place Rossetti, the heart of old Nice. See also Vieux Nice (Old Nice), France: Part 1 - Adjacent Areas and Cours Saleya Feb. 16, 2010

Hôtel de Crillon Paris, France

If you want to find a place to stay in Paris during your vacations and stay there in style, Hotel de Crillon is a perfect place to do it. Located in the very heart of Paris and overlooking Place de la Concorde with Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Rue Saint-Honore and Louvre in a minute walk distance, this hotel is an answer to all tourists dreams. Jan. 19, 2010

Parc du Château, Nice, France - Le Château de Nice (Part II)

As we learned from Part I of the gallery, "Le Chateau" in Nice, France, isn't a chateau. The old castle on top of La colline du Chateau (a rocky hill overlooking Nice old town and the port) was destroyed in 1706. Still it is one of the main attractions in Nice and a great place to visit. Part I of the photo gallery focuses on history and surroundings; Part II is dedicated to the park itself and Château de Nice. Jan. 3, 2010

Parc du Château, Nice, France - History and Surroundings (Part I)

La colline du Chateau (Castle Hill), considered to be the birthplace of the town of Nice, is an old fortified site that was occupied by Celtic Ligurians. During Middle Ages, the whole area became a formidable stronghold, Château de Nice, with mighty walls surrounding the lower part of the town (known now as Vieux Nice or Old Nice). The castle was dismantled in 1706 when, during the war of Spanish Succession, the area was occupied by France. It was converted into a park at the end of 19th century. Visit this photo gallery with brief historic notes, tips and area information. Part I of the photo gallery focuses on history and surroundings; Part II is dedicated to the park itself and Château de Nice. Jan. 3, 2010

Restaurant Don Camillo Creations - A No-nonsense Review by a Layman

Restaurant Don Camillo Creations popped up on my radar screen while we were searching for a perfect restaurant in Nice, France. First, it appeared on the list of places to visit as a result of my Internet research of restaurants in this city - ratings looked promising. Later, when a concierge in our hotel recommended to visit it, we decided to visit it. Here is my brief account (call it review if you want) of our impressions and observations. Jan. 1, 2010

Luc Salsedo - The Best Restaurant in Nice, France

The number of places where to eat in Nice is staggering - something you would expect from the fifth city in France which is also a major tourist center and a leading resort on Côte d'Azur. However, if you are looking for something more than just decent, if you are a gourmand in search of examples of fine Niçois cuisine, you will find that there are surprisingly few restaurants for a city with population of nearly 350 thousand people that may deserve any special attention. Having spent quite some time in search of good restaurants in Nice, here is my recommendation - restaurant Luc Salsedo, which I without hesitation proclaim the best in town. Dec. 31, 2009

Le Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice, France

Le Palais de la Mediterranee was open in 1929 and immediately became Nice architectural monument easily recognizable by the tourists all over the world. After many years in service and almost total demolition in 1978, Le Palais de la Mediterranee was rebuilt in 2004 - a new nine-story hotel was resurrected in a contemporary style and integrated into restored Art Decor facade. If you plan to spend several days in Nice, Le Palais de la Mediterranee offers a good value for the money. Nov. 30, 2009

A day in St. Tropez - Streets and La Citadelle

A day in St. Tropez - walking the town. This part of the article focuses mostly on the center of St. Tropez and its streets as well as La Citadelle.
Part I - Destination Saint-Tropez - Marina
Part II - A day in St. Tropez - Streets and La Citadelle.
Dec. 31, 2007

Destination Saint-Tropez

If you are trying to find information on the Internet about St.Tropez, you will quickly learn that the whole knowledge about this community and town evolves around very few topics: (1) it's a place for rich people (including movie starts, supermodels, etc.) to go and spent money with their multimillion yachts; (2) the place became popular after Brigitte Bardot "put on a bikini" to star in "And God Created Woman" (1960); (3) the name of the town originates from the Torpes - a Nero's centurion who refused to forsake his religion and was beheaded in 1055. I would like to offer a different view of St. Tropez.
Part I - Destination Saint-Tropez - Marina
Part II - A day in St. Tropez - Streets and La Citadelle.
Dec. 2, 2007

Hotel Residence de la Pinede

We stayed in the Residence de la Pinede in mid September 2007, and our experience was very good. There are few hotels in the world that can compare to this small luxury property less than 10 minutes walk from St. Tropez center with everything this opulent French Riviera resort can offer: from sea excursions and helicopter rides to luxurious hotels and gourmet restaurants. Nov. 23, 2007

D'chez eux, Restaurant in Paris

It's hard to believe, but this classic French bistrot in Paris is not mentioned frequently in travel guides and reviews. However, if you have not had a chance to visit this restaurant, do yourself a favor - you will not regret it - go there! Nov. 17, 2007

Les Chalets de Philippe

Les Chalets de Philippe is a cluster (a hamlet) of seven dwellings located in Chamonix, a small town and commune in Eastern France, in Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. And, as the name implies, these chalets are owned and operated by Philippe (Philippe Courtines, to be precise). But to say just this, is to say nothing about this unique and extraordinary place. I wanted to find a word or phrase that would explain vividly the essence of this place instead of giving you a dry account of room sizes, sleeping capacity and services available at Les Chalets de Philippe. Oct. 19, 2007

Service-Compris - Individual Catering Service in Chamonix Valley (France)

When you are traveling and staying in big cities in hotels, your options for getting food are usually limited to restaurants, cafes and similar places. It is fast and convenient; it is possible to find places offering food in different prices ranges and offering different cuisines. Often, restaurant experiences are part of your traveling adventures and often are a source of great enjoyment (or disappointment). But we forget that there are alternatives - one of them is an individual catering service, and it can be as exciting as any great restaurant. Oct. 1, 2007

Ritz Paris - Another side of the Hotel

Ritz Paris hotel is often considered as one of the best hotels in Paris. That's what you can find in Frommer's traveler guide about this hotel: "The Ritz is Europe's greatest hotel, an enduring symbol of elegance on one of Paris's most beautiful and historic squares." A bit below, the guide continues saying that "each guest room is uniquely decorated, most with Louis XIV or XV reproductions; all have fine rugs, marble fireplaces, tapestries, brass beds, and more." Well, our recent experience showed that this is not entirely true. Sept. 28, 2007

Paris Vacations: Part 5 - Day Four: City of Paris - Right Bank

Museums are good if, as everything else, are taken in moderation. Indeed, we felt that after two days of immersion into French history and culture, it was the time to look at the city itself, its people and everyday life. How do you do this? You just walk, mix with crowds and watch. So, our next day we decided to explore the right bank (La Rive Droite in French) of the city. Sept. 14, 2007

Paris Vacations: Part 6 - Day Five: City of Paris - Left Bank

While visiting Notre Dame de Paris and La Conciergerie we already had a chance to see a small piece of the left bank. But that was just to wake up our appetite for more exploration. Our next day in Paris we devoted entirely to this area. Sept. 14, 2007

Paris Vacations: Part 4 - Day Three: Versailles and Musee d'Orsay

While planning your visit to the Château decide on how much time you want to spend there - this place is big, both literally and figuratively. It occupies 2,000 acres of grounds with 12 miles of roads and more than 200,000 trees. There are 50 fountains; the total area covered by roofs is 26 acres! The palace has more than 550,000 square feet with more than 700 rooms decorated with 22,500 paintings, drawing and engravings and 2,100 sculptures. Art collections at the Musée d'Orsay are extensive, but of course it's not as big as Louvre or Versailles. According to the official data, the museum has 680 paintings on its floor with the total of 5,026 art objects cataloged. Well, 680 paintings only - but what kind of paintings! Sept. 11, 2007

Paris Vacations: One Week of Fulfilling Dreams

What can I possibly write about Paris? List of places to visit with brief description of each of them? Or, some blurb about restaurants and bistros that are allegedly better than others? Hardly, there is any motivation for doing this - so much reference material has been published - just choose from a variety of colorful guides the one that appeals to you more and buy it and find in one place enough information not for one trip to Paris but for a dozen. Read this account of a personal experience in planning and visiting Paris.

Part I - Coming to Paris
Part 2 - Our Hotel: First Steps
Part 3 - Day Two: Musée du Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris and La Conciergerie
Part 4 - Day Three: Versailles and Musée d'Orsay
Part 5 - Day Four: City of Paris - Right Bank
Part 6 - Day Five: City of Paris - Left Bank

Sept. 1, 2007

Traditional Dining Places in Paris

Here is the list of several off the beaten track, mostly inexpensive restaurants with main courses prices from 10&ero; to 35€. The list is a result of a research based on personal experiences. Many of these places do not appear in travel guides. In fact, if they do, that would be a very strong factor for not including one or another restaurant into the list. We have tried to select places visited by locals.

Aug. 11, 2007