Sun, Fun, and Formula One
But we got there (albeit by the skin of an eyelash), checked into our lovely hotel in Nice, La Perouse, and began to relax. We were joining an Azamara cruise so chose La Perouse for its location on the edge of Nice Old Town, close to the port, and definitely discovered a gem. A beautiful characterful building with friendly efficient staff, a lovely restaurant in a patio area, and a refreshing good sized swimming pool was just what we needed – a little oasis in a busy city.
The following morning, after a swim and one of the best hotel breakfasts (the chef should have a Michelin star for his scrambled eggs alone), we had a wander into the old town then collected our luggage and boarded the Azamara Quest at 2pm. Check in and embarkation went smoothly and our cabin was ready, although our bags didn’t arrive until about 4pm (which is quite normal – so if you are going on a cruise make sure you have everything you need on you for at least a couple of hours after getting on board).
Thursday saw us arriving in Livorno for my second visit of the year to Italy, and subjecting more of my gradually improving Italian on the poor locals! Most people head off to Florence and/or Pisa, but we decided to go to the charming walled town of Lucca. We got a taxi to the station and a train to Pisa where we had to change trains – before we did that though we walked up to the iconic Leaning Tower. Our last visit there had been in November several years ago and it was busy then, but late May was very busy and touristy. On to Lucca which is well worth a visit, and the old amphitheatre which is now a pretty square (circle!) surrounded by little shops and cafes was a lovely place to spend an hour or so with a glass or three of local wine before heading back to Livorno.
Friday was St Tropez – again our second visit here, and as well as visiting the Minuty vineyard (one of our favourite Provence wines) we revisited the harbour area for the great people and yacht watching. We ate lots of Baby Trops (small tartes Tropeziennes - gourmet cream sponge, delicious).
Cannes on Saturday, and the weather was getting warmer and warmer, so we just wandered into town, up the Croisette for lunch at one of the beach restaurants, and then back to the ship.
Sunday was the main reason for our trip – the Monaco Grand Prix. We woke up in Monaco to pouring rain, low clouds and poor visibility - what on earth was going on? Up to then we had hardly seen a cloud, let alone a drop of rain. Luckily we had pre-booked a driver to take us to the Hermitage Hotel where we had booked a hospitality package (price of a small car mind, but worth it not to have to wear one of those plastic ponchos in the open grandstands). We were treated to the most lavish lunch buffet I have ever seen, including foie gras, lobster, caviar - you name it, it was in the buffet - and unlimited champagne and wines all afternoon. And a prime viewing position on the balcony just where Hamilton overtook Rosberg. I’ve never been a huge Formula 1 fan, and it was my first F1 race (one of those bucket list things) and I certainly don’t think it will be my last. The atmosphere was just so electric, and I am hooked! The weather even cleared up in the afternoon and we walked back to the ship’s tender in a buzzing mood.
The Azamara Quest was good – it has recently been in dry dock for a refit and the furnishings all look pretty new and clean, although there are some areas of the ship that are still a bit “tired”, for example the stairs had been overlooked. It was just a five night cruise with most passengers being first time cruisers – there for the Grand Prix. Last time we sailed on Azamara it was on the pretty much identical sister ship the Journey, and board basis was full board – now it is all inclusive of drinks which makes it good value. However, if you like wine you may be disappointed with the choices in the complimentary package as they have one white, one rose, and one red each day (they do change the choice each day though) which they serve by the glass at meals and in the bars. You may well end up paying extra for more palatable wine on a chardonnay day!
Entertainment was typical cruise entertainment – Las Vegas style shows, and an Italian opera singer who was good but somehow turned into X Factor meets Andre Rieu at Las Vegas (not our style)! There was also a “White Party” one night on the pool deck where the crew mingle and everyone is encouraged to wear white – a lot of the cabin bath robes came out that night! All in all a good fun cruise, with so much variety packed into four days.
Farewell to the Quest on Monday morning, and off to Eze for our second visit to the Hotel Chateau de la Chevre d’Or. Another beautiful cloudless sunny day, although it was a bit windy, and being high up in a hill village we really felt it! (See also my blog dated 3rd October 2014 “A Week in Provence”). Two nights relaxing there with beautiful weather and stunning views was the perfect end to a great trip – until the grey skies of England and another horrible journey on the M25 – welcome home!
With my husband learning French (you wouldn’t notice) and me learning Italian (you would notice!) there will hopefully be lots more little trips to France and Italy coming up.
