Soooo 9 hours and 3 countries later… we made it to Nice, France… wellll, not exactly in Nice but right outside of it!!! Our destination: a commune called Villeneuve-Loubet in Southern France located between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Antibes, about 10 km from Nice.
About 4 hours in the ride, we did consider stopping in Italy for the night, but kept moving forward as we were staying in Nice for 3 days and could rest when we got there.
We stayed at the Parc Des Maurettes campsite. One thing about these campsites that you have to keep in mind, is that the front desk is not open 24 hours and often times you cannot sign in after a certain time. Also, some sites are gated because these are more like RV parks and people live there permanently, so if you get there after hours then you may not be able to get in. We luckily got there just in time to get checked-in and get an adaptor for our extension cord before the front desk closed.
As we were setting up our tent, we realized we forgot to get a hammer to push down the stakes and the ground was even harder than the previous location. As Matt improvised using a medium sized rock to hammer the stakes down, our neighbors across from us, came over and, in French, asked if we needed a hammer. Well, we don’t know French and she thought we might know German, so she asked in German… :D Good thing in German the word for hammer is similar to the English word and we figured it out. They let us borrow their hammer and also later helped us get the electricity turned on because they knew where the campsite manager lived and went knocking on his door. :p I later bought them a bottle of wine to say thank you for all their help. Their hospitality was much appreciated.
The campsite was in a great location as the beach was a 5 minute walk and so was the train station. We also had a grocery store nearby to grab food and snacks. Also, the Villeneuve-Loubet was 3 or 4 train stops from a lot of main towns like Cagnes, Antibes, and Nice and made for a great central location from which to take day trips. (you can read more about our favorite day trip on the Harley to Saint Paul de Vence in the next post)
We took the train to all these places and were able to get food and walk around with ease. We also made a spontaneous decision to watch the new Top Gun movie while in Nice (which was showing in English) at 10pm. Most important lesson was that while in Europe, you must exit the theater from the front not the back or you will get yelled at!! >_<
And for those who also need to get a workout in while on vacation and traveling, Basic Fit is a great place you can find throughout France, Spain and Switzerland which has daily memberships and all the gym equipment you could want. Working out was a great way to stay strong and also loosen up my lower back after sleeping on an inflatable mat for 5 days. Another way we stay active is doing Jiu Jitsu, and we were able to make it to a place right in town, which was great!
Overall Southern France was wonderful and the French Riviera is definitely a must see and must ride through on a motorcycle or even on your bike. However, I recommend going when it’s cooler because riding in the heat is exhausting and leaves awkward tan lines.
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