Paradise Found

I have found my new happy place – Villefranche may just be heaven on earth. We arrived late last night and immediately every bit of stress I had been carrying from our day of travel melted away. As we stepped off the train, we were greeted by the Mediterranean Sea, the setting sun, harbor lights reflecting on the water, and a sense of calm that just settled over everything. Crowds were gathered along the shoreline, enjoying a meal and a glass of wine – while it was possible to hear snippets of conversation and laughter, both Sean and I were surprised at how quiet it was – a vast difference from every other location we’ve visited.


After checking into our hotel, we popped across the street to the Club de la Mer – a boat club and restaurant in front of the marina and right along the water. We found a small table on the outdoor terrace and sat back with a Kronenbourg beer – a delicious beer that is made in the Alsace region, but that we never got the chance to try while there. The restaurant had an Italian flair, so Sean ordered a four-cheese pizza and I ordered gnocchi with four cheeses (it was a cheesy kind of night). Villefranche is very close to Italy, so we’ve already seen a lot of Italian influence – restaurants with Italian cuisine and my all-time favorite – gelaterias! I feel like I have been reunited with my love!


This morning we slept in and then made our way down to partake in our hotel’s breakfast. A croissant and many cups of cappuccino later, we were preparing to return to our room to get ready for the day when a man sitting at the table next to us struck up a conversation. He and his partner (she was a woman, but that’s how he referred to her), are from New Hampshire and this was the last stop on their journey as well after spending a few weeks in Provence. We had a very nice chat with both of them, and are now back in our room getting ready for the day. It’s almost 11 am and this is the first time we’ve slowed down enough on our trip to do anything at leisure – we have no agenda for the day and we have no intention of filling it with must-sees and dos. It is one of the best feelings and I only wish we had a few more days to spend here. Both Sean and I agreed that all the running around has made us yearn a bit for home, but that feeling pretty much disappeared when we arrived in Villefranche. Today we are going to explore the town a bit and the only thing I’m bound and determined to do is find a cup of gelato!