bye bye france, thank you for being so nice

Tomorrow morning I get on the train back to Paris, and then I get on my flight back to SA. This is me looking sad because I swore not to eat McDonald's on this trip.

the spoils of yesterday

Okay... So. I have never actually owned a proper pair of Converse sneakers. Done laughing? I've always had knock-offs (Pep 'gold star', Soviet, etc.). Shocking, hey? Well, I was happy to find this pair, which I really love. I also found this great bowl. Got the shoes in Grasse, and the bowl in Vence.

...and this is the town of grasse

Grasse, according to many proud French people, is the perfume capital of the world, and is apparently known for its lavender fields (which, we discovered, are a total myth). It was a really pretty town nonetheless. Last time I was here, in 2005, I bought a perfume called Ile d'Amour at the perfumery Fragonard. It's my favourite perfume, so I was happy to be able to buy some more. Here are some pictures of the pretty village.

this is the town of vence

I have been a busy busy bee the past few days. On Monday we hired a car and have been driving around since, just seeing the area and enjoying the laid-back coastal life (which for me, consists of slushies, ice cream and awkward tan lines). On Tuesday I went to a tiiiiny little village called Eze, which is perched precariously on a mountain above the sea. The streets are so steep and narrow that you can't even ride a bicycle into the town, which is unfortunate for luggage porters who have to carry big bags to the hotel at the top of the hill. We saw one poor guy struggling under the bags of a humongous African-American woman. Shame.

Then on Wednesday, we went to another village called Vence and then Grasse, which is the world's perfume capital (post to follow). Here are some photos of Vence. Spot the giant pigeon statue.

round and round and round you go

Last night I was walking around the Old Town of Antibes, and I came across this carousel. I saw it last time I was here, four years ago, but it wasn't operational back then. I'm so happy that they got it going - it's so pretty. Can I please be four years old again?

I love leather handbags

Here are three leather bags that I have gotten on this trip. The first is one that I bought at a shop called Cuirs et Compagnie, that I got in the village of Eze today. The second is one that I bought at the Vintage Gallery in Antibes, where they sell tons and tons of gorgeous old vintage bags (the crocodile skin ones were around 250 euros!). The third bag is one that Sadie's mom gave me because she doesn't use it anymore. Score.

the best thing about being on holiday at the med is being on holiday at the med

Yesterday we took the train all the way from Dijon to Antibes, a Mediterranean coastal town very close to Cannes and Nice. I have found my spot next to the pool and doubt that I will be leaving it any time soon.

boating in france is not as easy or as fun as it looks

As I suspected, boating in France isn't very fun. It's like staying in a caravan yet you have to navigate treacherous waters and can't go faster than 15km/h. There are lots of sunburnt Swiss people on other boats though it rains most of the time. At least the scenery along the way is pretty.

bye bye paris

I had such a good time in Paris, so I'm very sad to leave. I'm spending the night in an old manor house in a town called Epinal, and tomorrow we start our journey on the barge. I don't know how much internet access I'll have, but we'll see. Bye bye Paris. Thank you for such a nice time.

the louvre

Yesterday I went to the Louvre. It was really beautiful and it was nice to see just how big a lot of these famous paintings actually are. My favourite part of the museum ended up being the section about ancient Mesopotamia, and the sculptures of lions from Yemen. People were pretty cool two and a half thousand years ago.