French Medieval Villages: Eze and St. Paul de Vence

If I could spend the rest of my time here in France wandering around a French medieval village I would be quite happy. Eze and St. Paul were two of my favorite places to visit. Beautiful, historical and interesting I could have easily spent several days wandering around each town, although each were quite small.

view of the Mediterranean coast from Eze

Eze is a beautiful medieval French village only about an hour away from France. I missed the first group tour with my professor because of how sick I was, but luckily several others also didn't make it to Eze so we journeyed there together. We left early in the morning anticipating a long bus ride. We were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be about 45 minutes away from Nice! The bus climbed up through the mountains the entire way, so we were at a high altitude and the views were breathtaking. We could see all of the beautiful French towns and across the Mediterranean Sea far into the distance.

some of the beautiful architecture of Eze

The village was certainly a climb, lots of stairs and steep slopes, but entirely worth it. There were lots of cute cafes, galleries and shops, not to mention the beautiful old architecture and views. We spent a very pleasant day exploring the village. I picked up some fun postcards for my dad that were classic French recipes and took lots and lots of pictures. It was so much fun being in such a historical and beautiful place. Eze was very different than any of the French towns I had visited before. There was also an old church and beautiful courtyard we spent some time at. Further up the hill from the church was an old graveyard. It was amazing to see how old some of the tombstones were.

an old Catholic church in Eze

We ended up at a small café were we could rest our legs and enjoy each other’s company.  I ordered a crepe nutella, my favorite, and “fresh squeezed orange juice,” or so the café’s sign promised. It turned out to be a can of Minute Maid, but I’m not one to be picky. It was delicious all the same. One of my friends showed off her jewelry purchases made by a local artist. We also chatted with a German couple sitting next to us who spoke excellent English. It turns out they vacation in France often. They drive down from Germany and stay for a few weeks. It was great to talk and joke about cultural differences with them. We gave them advice about their son going to an American college and they wished us well on our visit in France. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a day and I’m very glad that I was able to see Eze.

art is everywhere in Saint Paul

Another French medieval village we were able to visit was Saint Paul de Vence. Unfortunately this one was a little bit more difficult to get too, but again so worth it. Thank god for French public transportation. 1 € and free transfers can get to so far! Again the first thing I noticed about this medieval village was the beautiful architecture. It was so great to walk around and see the cobblestone streets and the stone buildings. Some of my favorite sites were the beautiful shutters that cover most French windows, the stone designs built into the cobblestone streets and all the gorgeous flowers and vines that were everywhere.

gorgeous houses all around the village

one of my favorite statues

cute heart shutters

Saint Paul really reminds me of southern California 

 A friend and I broke off from the group and wandered the streets for a while.  Saint Paul is a very artsy village with many galleries with beautiful artwork and statutes all around the village. I can’t pick between two of my favorite statues, one of a horse made entirely of horseshoes and another of a person, or what could be an angel, paused mid jump in front of the scenery.

I found a small print that I found very beautiful, of a field of poppies in front of French village. I can’t wait to hang it up in my room to remind me of my adventures in the South of France! My friend and I ended up a small restaurant with our stomachs grumbling. Sadly in my attempt to broaden my horizons and try something new I ended up with raw duck on my plate. Lesson learned, order pasta next time! The rest of my salad was good, however, and I did nibble on the duck just to say I had. Not my cup of tea. The meal quickly redeemed itself when we ordered crème brule for dessert. Need I say more?

a stone flower pot built right into the street, so pretty

horse statue made entirely of horse shoes

Saint Paul

my raw duck salad 

We ended the afternoon with some culture at the home turned museum of impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. (I told you it was an educational trip mom and dad). We first pulled up in front of sprawling greens, olive trees and flowers; a very beautiful garden that we got to spend some time exploring after touring the house. The house was actually the very house that Renoir lived and painted in. We got to see old furniture, his sketches and some paintings, and the room he painted in. Many of the plaques around the house were in English in addition to French so I was able to read up on my history and learn a lot about Renoir; a very pleasant way to end the afternoon. 

Renoir's house

olive trees

Renoir's garden