Summer in Europe - Portugal, Spain, France

[biba]

Left Gordes and drove to Seillans, a 2.5 hour drive east. Seillans is an ancient village built on the side of hill with a maze of narrow cobbled streets. Quiet village with very few tourists. One of its claims to fame is the surrealist painter Max Ernst lived here for some years. Checked into Hôtel des Deux Rocs, formerly an old mansion built in the 17th century. The hotel is full of character with some intriguing period fixtures and decoration. Excellent restaurant in the hotel.

 

[biba]

Drive to Grasse. A large town, not very attractive, but it is the perfume capital. Took a tour of the Fragonard factory which naturally leads you to their gift shop where too many euros were spent.

 

[biba]

Next stop Cannes. Check in to Chateau de la Tour, a upscale hotel in an 18th century building. Located in a residential area about 3km from Cannes city centre. Short walk to the beach then you can walk all the way into the city centre along the beach front. Nice outdoor swimming pool and terrace. The hotel seems to be frequented by northern Europeans who spend all day sunning by the pool. No, this is not my Hertz rental parked outside.

 

[biba]

Took a trip to St Tropez to mingle with the rich and famous. After looking into the options, decided to drive the Ste Maxime then take the shuttle ferry across to St Tropez. The ferry runs every 20 minutes or so and beats the heavy traffic which leads into St Tropez. Walked around the open air market selling a range of over-priced clothing and souvenirs. This place is just so superficial but still worth a visit. The obscene amount of money tied up in the yachts moored here is breathtaking.

 

[biba]

Left Cannes for St Paul de Vence, about one hour drive up into the hills. St Paul de Vence is another hilltop town, very historic with plenty of galleries and interesting art work.


Stayed at La Grande Bastide, about 1km out of town, an easier walk or the hotel provides a complimentary taxi service in the old 2CV.

 

[biba]

From St Paul de Vence to Nice is only a 30 minute drive. Dropped off the rental car and checked into an Airbnb. This apartment is centrally located, two blocks from the beach and close to everything including shops and restaurants. No sand on the beach at Nice, only large pebbles which makes it hard on the feet just walking to the water for a swim. A lot of construction work going on along the Promenade des Anglais installing security fencing and bollards after the 2016 attack. A busy city with many tourists.

 

[biba]

Train trip from Nice to Monaco. Only 30 minutes and €3 each way. The Monaco railway station is built into the side of the hill and completely underground. Walked around Monaco to see the usual sites, the Casino, the harbour, then up the hill to the palace and oceanographic museum - well worth a visit.

 

[biba]

Time to leave Nice for Paris. Caught the TGV which takes around 5.5 hours. Booked online and managed to find first class tickets for only €10 more than 2nd class. The train is quite empty leaving Nice, the first stop, but started to fill up from Cannes onwards. The train follows the coast from Nice to St Raphael, a very scenic trip. Slow start as the train winds around the coast but it picks up speed after Aviognon - up to 300 km/h. Despite the speed, the train arrived in Paris 40 minutes late. Staying in Airbnb accommodation located close to Opera in central Paris.

 

[Cossie]

Train trip from Nice to Monaco. Only 30 minutes and €3 each way. The Monaco railway station is built into the side of the hill and completely underground. Walked around Monaco to see the usual sites, the Casino, the harbour, then up the hill to the palace and oceanographic museum - well worth a visit.

Did you walk around the F1 track?

 

[biba]

Did you walk around the F1 track?

Only parts of it. From the yacht club around past the swimming pool and harbour, then a section around past the casino. Part of the circuit goes through a tunnel and I am not sure if you can walk it.

 

[RB]

Only parts of it. From the yacht club around past the swimming pool and harbour, then a section around past the casino. Part of the circuit goes through a tunnel and I am not sure if you can walk it.

A mate got pickpocketed at the F1 there this year-guess there are risks everywhere.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Only parts of it. From the yacht club around past the swimming pool and harbour, then a section around past the casino. Part of the circuit goes through a tunnel and I am not sure if you can walk it.

Yes we can.

 

[biba]

Its sale time in Paris - SOLDES - so the shops of full of bargain hunters. Heightened security around town with armed soldiers and police patrolling the streets and riding the metro.


The Airbnb is very well appointed and located close to plenty of restaurants, the grand magasins, and short walk to Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Garden, Opera House, Place Vendôme and the river.

 

[biba]

Departed Paris by German ICE train. Second class but still a comfortable trip. Fast trip with speeds up to 320 km/h and the trip takes just over 4 hours. Arrive Frankfurt on time.


Staying with friends for a few days. Frankfurt is the commercial centre and I find it not that interesting for the tourists. A few good museums though. The Museum für Moderne Kunst (modern art) is well worth a visit. Otherwise catch the train to Mainz (a little over 30 minutes) to the River Rhine and take a day cruise on the river.

 

[biba]

Time to leave Europe. CX288 to HKG. This flight leaves from FRA terminal 2, together with other OW airlines + Emirates. This termimal is quiet and not crowded unlike T1 (the LH terminal). Easy checkin and headed for CX "Business and First" lounge. Very ordinary lounge by CX standards, basic food (sandwiches and noodles) and small selection of drinks. Security is after you leave the lounge.


Selected front row in J on this 777, just behind 1st class. This is a small cabin with only two rows. Service and food was excellent. I find the CX J product to be consistently good. Early morning arrival into HKG, a quick stop at the arrivals lounge then the airport express train. Checked into Intercontinental Grand Stanford for one night. Nice waterfront room with a great view over the harbour.

 

[Megajeda]

Thanks for the tips-will be in Barcelona in September.

 

[biba]

Might be a bit cooler in September. 30+ degrees each day we were there.

Thanks for the tips-will be in Barcelona in September.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Thanks for the tips-will be in Barcelona in September.

We will be in La Rioja! Hope it cools down!

 

[biba]

Hong Kong is hot, humid and very wet. Rain squalls rolling in all day. An umbrella is a must for walking around town.


Departed HKG for SYD and home. Visited the impressive Qantas lounge and first stop was the Spice Temple BBQ Bar for a plate of their famous barbecued pork. Lounge was busy with four flights to Australia leaving in the evening. Our flight, QF118, was the last to leave. The A330 is configured with the new A330 business suites. Chose this flight over the earlier QF128 which could be a A388 or B744 with an inferior product. Delayed departure due to late arrival of the incoming flight however we arrived on time. Good service all the way.

 

[biba]

The verdict

Airlines. For me CX always provides good service and an excellent J product. The QF flight with the business suites is also great. The problem with Qantas is the inconsistency with their product. On the HKG flights you could end up on A380, B747 or A330, all with a different product and configuration. I have become used to the 1-2-1 configuration in business and wouldn't be too impressed if I had to fly on the B747 again.

Accommodation. I was really impressed with the Airbnb accommodation we selected in Gordes, Nice and Paris. Its great to have your own space in a well appointed apartment. Couple of things to remember though. Early check in and late check out may not be available, also not possible to leave luggage after check out. The most expensive hotel, Intercontinental Marseilles, did not live up to the hype and service was definitely not 5 star.

Summer in Europe, at least in southern Europe was hot, very hot. Most days were over 30 degrees and Portugal was 40 plus. This may be OK if you are staying in a resort or on the beach but travelling around large cities on public transport visiting the sites is just too hot. Maybe next time we can spend summer in Northern Europe.