Journey to the Côte d'Azur

Côte d'Azur is located in France, in the south-eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The name was a French writer Stefan Lezhar, which in 1870 came to mind these words when he saw the "amazingly beautiful" bay of Hyères.

The Principality of Monaco, St Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo ... Côte d'Azur is considered one of the world's best places to stay, and hotels and real estate is one of the most expensive in the world.

Cannes

Evening Cannes - one of my favorite scenes in the photos:

La Croisette at night is very nicely illuminated and attracts both tourists a lot of locals. They sit on the many chairs (on the waterfront or on the beach) and look at the sea and the stars:

In the afternoon it all looks good, too. Unless people much more! Yes, and for the beach have to pay. Night free!

In Cannes, a beautiful marina (they are there already 2 pieces, but I like it the old port). There is no pathos 100-meter yacht in Monaco, but full of Papilio!

A view of the city from the castle Castres:

Here it is, really infill development! 18th-century buildings here adjoin wall to wall with modern condominiums:

In Cannes fundamentally solve the problem of parking - they simply do not have (free and natural)! All paid parking and very expensive. I put his Fiat 500 to the station car park and is worth 25 euros per night.

The Cannes swim on cruise ships excursions. But there is a deep-water port here, and they are on the raid about a kilometer from the shore:

While vacationing in Cannes, you can not get around to their attention the Lérins Islands:

The Barracks of Fort Royal, where he was held "The Man in the Iron Mask", now used as a dormitory for French youth. Interestingly, perhaps, to live in such surroundings:

Nice

But in the meantime we are moving to Nice. The first frame - the famous Negresco. The most famous hotel, the Riviera, built by Henri Negresco, a Frenchman of Romanian origin. Pink dome was designed and produced in the workshops of Gustave Eiffel, the author of the Eiffel Tower. In the lobby there is a wonderful coffee shop with a completely nechudnymi coffee and desserts prices:

Nice for more than 25 centuries, the city of great beauty and power.

True pebble beaches here. Widely exhibited reproductions of paintings, which depicted these places in the past century. It is interesting to observe the difference:

"Old Nice" - quarter of the 13th century with the ruins of the castle on the hill:

The deeper goes deep into the quarter - the older buildings around you:

Classical street in the heart of "Old Nice". The only possible transport - scooter. Nothing else here, and will not pass.

In the old quarter and the marina is a huge flea market. Antique cutlery and furniture are combined with vintage accessories from Dior and Louis Vuitton:

In Nice, the beautiful Cathedral of St. Nicholas, built in 1868. Nearby is the "Russian store" where you can find the alleged Russian products (90% of them are from Germany), books, and movies:

Since the parking is too expensive (like gasoline), most of the inhabitants moved to the French Riviera scooters and motorcycles. Park their fences and chained to the poles. This does not prevent them pioneers, leaving only chained wheels:

A view of the old port:

It seems that owning a boat (even if small) - a prerequisite to obtain registration in Nice ...

It is understandable why this place is called the "Riviera":

But what I was really disappointed because it dramatically "Russification" of Nice and the surrounding area. Now here everywhere heard Russian speech, half of restaurants serving Russian menu and nesting dolls and scarves "Russia" became an ornament of the local beaches.

Not far from Nice is the medieval town of Vence and Saint-Paul. Both cities are in the mountains away from the road, so the modern buildings they are not spoiled:

Both the city was chosen by artists, writers and sculptors of all stripes. And I understand them well ...

Walking through Vance and St. Paul, all runs into a work of art:

The house in Vence. Compared with the rest of the city is a modern building:

Just 10 kilometers from Cannes in the direction of Saint-Tropez is Napoule castle. It was destroyed, but recently completely renovated. In the evenings the castle pass under the corporate celebrations, and in the afternoon there is a museum:

The night sky over the castle:

Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez - my old love! And there lives a huge number of stars of different sizes:

Sailboat - the main thing in Saint-Tropez. Live here and do not have a yacht - indecent

the city itself has more than 2 thousand years, until the First World War he was one of the main French ports.

It is amazing how deep the color reaches the sea in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez:

Monaco

We are moving to Monaco.

It looks like Cannes, but the boat is much more expensive, and building on the most expensive have to build much higher than the world's land.

The average person takes only 56 minutes to cross the entire state of Monaco on foot. But to do it so quickly will not work - there always want to stop and consider the views:

No doubt, there is the most beautiful and eclectic architecture on the coast:

In this population density (18,285 people per square kilometer) for housing here is used every inch of land, whether it is beaches or mountain slope:

Unlike other cities, where we were, Monaco easily combines a resort and a full-fledged business city. This Prince of Monaco residence is situated on a high rocky promontory, reachable on foot or by bus:

Sports Ferrari and Lamborghini side by side on the streets with the vintage cars of the early 20th century:

Monaco View from the hill:

Evening Monaco - another story. An unusual look at the Casino of Monte Carlo:

Fountain on the square in front of the casino a few, and all very picturesque:

Night view of Monte Carlo, the most expensive and fashionable district of Monaco:

Marina Monaco by night. Port with yachts worth several billion dollars:

The area in front of the palace - the only empty seat in the country!

And here is the palace itself. Inside allowed on the tour, but taking pictures is strictly forbidden:

I stood and looked at the cruise ship standing in the port of Monaco, trying in vain to imagine the number of passengers, restaurants, swimming pools and so on. D. It is huge!

Monaktsy (or Monegasque) have long ceased to fit in their notorious Q2. km., so vengeance win back the new territories in the Mediterranean. This district of Fontvieille - a vivid example. Poured dam - built another area of the country. It got even a real stadium (on all sides by the surrounding houses, so to see it from the side it is almost impossible)

On the square in front of the Casino de Paris, you can explore the full range of modern luxury cars

And what is beauty of the water!

and antique collectible cars. I would have stayed there if the state owned multi-million ...

On the way from Monaco to Nice definitely need to call in the medieval town of Eze. It stands on a high hill and fully preserved all the things for which we so appreciate the old town. Narrow cobbled stone streets, stone houses, and so on. D. A beautiful observation deck and a garden of exotic plants. Stunning view from there: