The time has come for us to leave Antibes. It’s a short drive from Antibes to Nice, so why not take a detour to St. Paul de Vence for lunch? Sounds good to me!
After leaving Antibes, it doesn’t take long before you’re in rocky, rugged terrain – the perfect location for a medieval hilltop town.
The Perfect Medieval Hilltop Town
Just like Antibes, St. Paul de Vence was a defensive outpost on what was once the French border. The French king ordered a fortified wall to be built around the city. That wall was built to last. It’s still there.
Thirty minutes after leaving Antibes, we could see St. Paul de Vence in the distance. Our view would have made a great picture, but there was no place to pull over on the narrow, winding road.
St. Paul de Vence is a popular tourist destination, and for good reason. Even though it has been invaded by famous artists, movie stars, and throngs of tourists, it has managed to retain its medieval charm.
Let’s Park the Car
The little town is easily walkable, so we parked in a public lot just outside the city walls. It was an unattended pay lot, but exactly how to pay wasn’t clear. Not even close.
The pay station was a rectangular post with a screen, a large array of buttons, a keypad, a place to insert a credit card, and a place to get coins. A sticker advises one to, “Appuyez sur le bouton et laissez-nous vous guider.” (Press on the button and let us guide you”). OK. Maybe this won’t be so bad.
It was bad. The instructions – even in english – made no sense to me. I stood by and watched while a group of three French people tried to pay. It took them 10 minutes or so, but they succeeded. I asked them to help me out.
They were friendly, and they were glad to help. One of them now had an air of confidence. After all, they had just figured out how to pay. Doing it again should be a piece of gateau.
Mais non. Ten minutes later, the three of them were still working on it. They started arguing, raising their voices. I wanted to say, “That’s OK. Nevermind.” But I also wanted to park without getting a Provençal parking ticket.
Finally, a parking receipt popped out. Phew! We all had a laugh, I thanked them profusely, and we went our separate ways.
Hamburger Heaven – In France?
We’d been to St. Paul de Vence years ago on a market day. Every street in the little town was packed with vendors. Really fun. But today it was quiet. Not as much fun, but better for appreciating this medieval hilltop village. It really is beautiful.
We found a place for lunch with tables on a patio under huge shade trees. Ever since the hamburger I had in St. Jean de Luz, I’d been wanting another one. This was my chance.
Lunch was fantastic. I ordered a burger and fries. Americans may have invented the hamburger, but in my opinion, the French have perfected it. I’m not even going to mention the fries. Oh man. My hungry Better Half’s seared ahi wasn’t bad, either.
Eating in France is a good thing. Next stop: Nice.
To be continued…
Beautiful photo of St. Paul de Vence at the post of this post. Credit: istockphoto/Ruth Peterkin
