Côte d'Azur

The south of France is compact with many beautiful places in a small area, so we decided to fly to Nice and then rent a car to explore the area with the main goal of getting to Provence and the Valensole Plateau. July is the height of lavender season and it's the perfect time of year to visit, but our first stops took us to Nice and Monaco.

One thing I observed time and time again along the coast was so much diversity. The beaches were packed from morning onwards and people who typically would feel self conscious in a swimsuit were right along side everyone else, including little old grandmas would be standing topless having a conversation. It was refreshing to see people so comfortable with their bodies.

Shortly after arriving we went to Monaco - also known as the second smallest and most densely populated country in the world. They also have one of the longest life expectancies and 0% unemployment.

It's just a short 20-30 minute drive from Nice, so it's easy to access. Since it's a tax haven with no income tax and with the highest capita of millionaires and billionaires there's quite a bit of money being splashed around. The jewelry stores were dripping with some of the biggest gems I've seen outside of a museum and the cars were from the pages of magazines. 

The big Monte Carlo casino featured in the James Bond movies had many cars parked outside the casino with Monégasque license plates although the locals aren't permitted to gamble there, (no one really appeared to check where people were from). 

Cameras weren't allowed, however besides the grandiose exterior and the main hallway, it seemed to me like any other casino in a big gambling city. We had a laugh watching a little girl pay for her ice cream with a 200€ note nearby. 

In Nice, we had to try the quintessential socca, which is a thin pancake made savory with chickpea flour. I read that Chez Pipo has the best socca in the city, so that's where we went. They are great as a light dinner with a glass of wine. Yotam Ottolenghi has a recipe for socca (also in his Plenty cookbook). Chickpeas are underrated. 

There are so many quaint litle streets to get lost in around the old town. It was nice to see another facet to France. Did you notice the statue of liberty hiding in the street lamp above? 

Other foods we sampled were salted carmel potato chips, goat cheese tarts, and of course Pierre Hermé macarons from Galleries Lafayette. I think I may have surprised the women working, because I was requesting each one by name, even though they weren't labeled. That might be an indicator that I have a macaron problem. 

Another sweet treat I was looking forward to trying was the ice cream at Fenocchio, which boasts some really unique flavors, like thyme, beer, avocado, and jasmin. I either ordered the wrong kinds or it just fell short. Stefan's ultra dark chocolate was the best of the mix. The savory flavors are too sweet. 

Next stops... Cannes + Saint Tropez. 

San Francisco

We opted to avoid the holiday travel chaos, which meant a delayed trip to the US.

This was the best option after having several airline mishaps in the years past - driving from Washington DC to Ohio on Christmas Eve three years ago, and nearly getting stranded in El Paso two years ago.

Thankfully this year the weather decided to also cooperate with us.

Before our biannual Ohio visit, we stopped in San Francisco for 5 days to visit our dear friends, Emily & Jeremy, and their new pup - Banjo.

Having visited San Francisco twice before, it was so nice to see the city from our friends' view points and to simply catch up more on life after Germany. We sure miss them.

San Francisco is a great city;  fog swept rolling hills, inventive restaurants, creative people, and a lot of high tech industries. The only downsides are the amount of homeless people and dog poo littered sidewalks.

There are also many public parks speckled around and warm weather year round to make it incredibly livable.

Oh, how we missed the variety of American food. The portions may be larger than in many places, but it's the best way to enjoy a meal - by sharing great company and delicious foods. We did a lot of eating and this is certainly the city for that.

A few of the restaurants we visited included:

Tartine ... this is the legendary pastry shop with long lines that are worth the wait.
Nopa ... for a great New Year's eve dinner
Umami Burger ... waygu burgers
Tacolicious ... I will dream about these tacos and margaritas for a long long time. They are perfection. The tuna tostadas were my favorite, but I don't think you can go wrong.
Mosto... the tequila bar right next to tacolicious, making waiting time that much better.
Beach Chalet ... as close to a California beachside biergarten as it gets - with a veggie hops burger.
Tornado Pub ... an endless array of beers from around the world.
Mission Chinese ... this pop up restaurant has caused quite a stir and is now here to stay - don't miss it! The food is crazy good and the rap music is a hilarious blast from the past. The salt cod fried rice and the thrice cooked bacon were probably my favorites.

Bi-Rite Creamery ... delicious ice cream, which is extra sweet to enjoy in Delores Park with great weather in the middle of Winter. They also have an ice cream cook book coming out later this year! 

Chantal Guillon macarons... a touch of France in California. 

Ici ... (Berkeley) I'm not sure what the deal is, but sadly it was better the last time we went

Saigon Sandwiches .... Banh Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches

If you are planning a trip check out the following:
Jamie Oliver's San Francisco tips... We visited many of his recommendations, although the magazine came out a month after our trip.
7x7 Big Eat List of 2012... plenty more restaurants to try
7x7 Big To-Do List... 100 quintessential San Francisco experiences

Not all of our time was spent eating... we also did a lot of walking. I always seem to forget - or mentally block out - how impossibly slow and archaic the public transport is even in the biggest US cities.

With the California sun shining brightly and only needing to wear a jacket I wasn't sure if I was in some sort of alternate reality. A heavy dose of sunshine in the middle of the Winter is really is amazing and was the perfect way to start the new year. Those year-round beaches are such a luxury, too.

Fort Funston ... this beach is so unique. Dogs and their owners stroll along, splash in the waves, and find little treasures washed ashore. I'd go to take it all in even if I didn't have a dog, but I really can't wait to get one.

Tilden Park... for incredible Bay area views and a nice nature stroll.

Street art... lots of self expression around town 

St. Mary's Cathedral... home of the "two o'clock titty", at two o'clock the sun's channels its own Mary Katherine Gallagher to give the church it's own perky bust. 

What a great place to start the new year. Even the fog couldn't hold those fireworks back this year. 

Florence

Florence or Firenze is a city of prestige, style, and art.

This was the most powerful city in Europe for 250 years or so and really helped Europe come out of the dark ages with currency. It's also credited with creating opera, the most authentic Italian spoken,  and Pinocchio. The Renaissance and Neo-Classical architecture from Brunelleschi and Alberti changed the way cities would be built forever. As we walked through the streets I kept thinking it would have been incredible to live during this age of discovery and creativity.

One of the most memorable courses I took in my art history studies was Italian Renaissance art. Seeing many of the things I learned about with my own eyes was really something special.

The landscape alone made such a gorgeous tapestry of colors with the late Autumn leaves, purple mountains, and rolling hills. It's certainly clear to see why it's an inspiration for artists.

We were lucky to visit during the off-peak season. The city itself while sprawling, has a concentrated area for the touristy things, so it probably doesn't take much for it to feel slightly congested. Before our trip I read the Florentines are their own type of people: elegant, cultured, and sophisticated.

Our apartment was right at the Palazzo Vecchio (where the David originally stood) and the Uffizi in the Santa Croce district, which is reputed to have some of the best restaurants.

I think we ate cannolis every morning for breakfast... and maybe a small one after dinner if we weren't enjoying the cantuccini + vino santo.

There seemed to be no shortage of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving in Italy - from the college students biking around to the older tour groups.

I was able to cross a few things off my list of impressive art and architecture to experience: Bottecelli's Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's David, Brunelleschi’s dome, and Giotto's Tower to name a few. We also picked up a kitschy ornament of the David he'll remind us of our trip for holidays to come.

It intrigues me how so many artists had patrons with ties to the church, powerful families, and endless amounts of money. Seeing how art, math, and engineering combine to create some very impressive works makes that money well invested.

We pre-booked tickets to the Galleria dell'Accademia and Uffizi, which turned out not to be necessary since there weren't so many tourists. A little tip if the pre-booked tickets are sold out is to head to this little window between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Cathedral. They have tickets from cancelled reservations for the various museums.

Here are some of the pretty things we saw, ate, and experienced: 

Ponte Vecchio

Meats, Cheeses, Cantuccini + Vino Santo

Baptistry Doors

Catholic street art

Giotto's Tower + The Cathedral Façade

Osteria Pepò ... for a terrific wine filled lunch

Medici Palace

The view from Giotto's Tower 

gelato + pastries

The Florence Marathon... one of these two won

The Occupy Florence movement

Pretty street decor

Ospedale degli Innocenti by Brunelleschi

Ospedal degli Innocenti details

Motorbikes along the Arno

Ponte Vecchio's jewelry shops

Christmas lights

Uffizi Gallery

Palmanova Starfort... something cool we spotted from the plane window.

As always, I wish that we had more time to explore the city and to visit the outskirts as well. 

The Tuscan area certainly has an allure to it. 

I'm looking forward to looking at some of the photos my parents took (slides actually) when they visited Italy and Florence on their honeymoon. I'm sure the fashions from the 1970's alone will be a treat.