Èze

The small town of Èze is perched on top of a mountain peak, several miles up from coastal Èze-Bord- de-Mer.  We got there today by taking a bus to Èze-Bord-de-Mer and then switching to a second bus that took us up a narrow twisting road.  When we arrived at Èze Village, we had a little more climbing to do to get to the chief attraction, the chateau.  It was extremely picturesque, but also extremely commercialized.  The chateau has been taken over by hotels, restaurants, galleries, and gift shops.  Sometimes it was difficult to take a photograph that didn't have a sign in it.

We had lunch at Le Troubadour, one of the restaurants in the chateau.  I had stuffed squash flowers, which turned out to be squash flowers with some zucchini still attached, finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery, and several pieces of black truffle in a delicious broth.  I probably would have called it a soup.  Bill had a salad followed by a dish with scallops and mussels in a very good creamy sauce.  That leaf sticking out of his bowl is a celery leaf.

Our choices for returning to Èze-Bord-de-Mer were to take the bus or walk down the Nietzsche Path.  Nietzsche spent some time in this area and hiked extensively in the mountains.  I asked a couple of valet parkers if the Nietzsche Path was difficult and they said it was a very steep descent.  So, we chose the bus.  However, when we got down to the bus stop transfer point, we met a couple, perhaps a little younger than us, from New Zealand who made the walk even though the wife had sprained her ankle yesterday and was wearing sandals.  We were a little disappointed that we hadn't braved it.

Tomorrow we return to Paris.