Day 10, Vence and St Paul de Vence, France, 5-20-22

It's Day #10 and we are up and packing before heading out for a brisk final walk around Juan Les Pins.

We drive to the hills Vence this morning (about 20 minutes away).  We'll check into our hotel, and then head to lunch at 1pm at La Colombe d'Or in nearby St Paul de Vence.

People say that Vence is one of the most beautiful towns in the French Riviera.  It's a medieval town that sits up in the mountains and is much quieter and peaceful than where we've spent the last 4 days. It overlooks most of where we've been (Antibes, Cannes, Nice) all the way to the Med.

As we drove from Antibes to Vence we saw the Swiss Alps in the distance (snow capped) and the stunningly blue waters of the Med behind us = GORGEOUS!

We arrived at our beautiful hotel and were greeted warmly and given a tour.  The hotel is gorgeous with artwork everywhere. So we checked in and then drove to lunch.

View inside the lobby:

The view from our room:

St Paul de Vence is close and was established in 400 BC.  Both are supposed to be very well manicured and pedestrian, so no hustle and bustle of people, cars, scooters etc.

From Lifeonthemediterranean.com:

It wasn’t until the 1920’s, when some impressionist painters rediscovered St Paul that it developed into a magnet for artists. The first to arrive were Paul Signac, Raoul Dufy and Chaïm Soutine. They set up their easels, and painted with the delicious lights of Provence.

The artists befriended Paul Roux who was a painter, art collector and inn owner. Roux used to trade art for meals and stays at his modest 3-bed inn. Now, his famous 5* Colombe d’Or restaurant and hotel displays million dollar artwork on the walls for guests to admire. 

In the 1950s Picasso, Mattise and Marc Chagall all came to St Paul de Vence and painted.  It was their arrival on the scene that put the town on the map.

UPDATE:

It'e 4:15pm and we are at our fabulous hotel in Vence (Chateau Saint Martin).  We may never leave...

It's perched high in the mountains and has views of all of southern France.  Amazing.

Our lunch did not disappoint.  

Always fresh olives to start:

Sole meunière

Dining al fresco at La Colombe d'Or:

Part of the Colombe d'Or's hors d'oeuvres charcuterie:

le jambon avec melon:

After lunch we walked all over the town.

The view of the hillside village from our car:

 

Fountain in St Paul de Vence - note the red umbrella on the terrace of the Hostellerie de la Fontaine.  The water is pure and drinkable.
:

There is artwork everywhere:

Watching people play pétanque (bocce).

View from above:

Container holding the balls used:

So many cool art galleries, shops and boutiques:

Our "room" is unbelievable:

But the view is priceless:

Now are trying to figure out the Covid test required before re-entering the US.  We have to have a negative test result 24 hours prior to leaving France.  Huge pain and no one really understands the process.  No other country is requiring this process.  So that's got to be done tomorrow.

Tonight we are chilling out at the hotel - gorgeous, serene, and calm...