20th May By Train to Nice!

In the fast train to Nice, we were pleased to find our seats were upstairs facing backwards - in fast trains your eyes get really tired watching things whizzing past. We passed through Marseilles and stopped at Toulon and Cannes. After St Raphael, the trip was along the coast with some beautiful views of rocky coast, sparkling water in pretty bays and lots of water craft.
We pulled our cases to the Berlioz Hotel, not too far from the station in Nice, only to be told we would be moved to a different hotel the next day, due to painting works.
Not wanting to waste a moment, we walked around town in the early afternoon then took a little tourist train on a sightseeing tour - the commentary was good and it gave us an opportunity to choose where we would like to go later.
21st May
After a complimentary breakfast, our hotel host drove us to the Hotel Med, just one block from La Promenade Anglaise and the beautiful, though stony, beach. After storing our luggage until the room became available, we went off to find a local bus to Eze, a village in the hills where there is a perfume factory and a famous garden "Le Jardin Exotique".
The road climbed up the steep hills after the port and we proceeded towards Monaco. The spectacular views were just as we had seen in photos - incredible mansions, chateaux and huge yachts.
At Eze we followed others towards a winding hill path on the sea side of the road and we continued up towards the medieval village of Eze. It was built then fortified at the top of a rocky mount overlooking the sea and the coast in both directions. The "Jardin" was at the very top, surrounding what's left of fortress ruins; it is unexpectedly, a huge collection of succulents and cacti. As we climbed through the village, every twisting lane and stairway was another photo; there were campanula growing from the rocky walls, huge urns by doorways, heavy timber and iron doors surrounded by flush stonework and staircases of rock polished by centuries of wear.