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Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

June 6, 2017 by David Herd

Bruges is really worth a visit.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets, in fact I knew very little of this great place until I saw the 2008 movie called “In Bruges” with Colin Farrell, then I knew I just had to visit, I had the same feeling about Versailles after seeing the Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris,” so actually this European trip was planned around both those fascinating destinations. I was not disappointed the city is quite special, expensive but really special.  😆

Bruges waterfront homes.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Definitely a city that should be on your bucket list.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Belgium Chocolates, yum!

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Now we all know how famous Belgium is for its chocolates however I am willing to bet you don’t always get a warm smile from a lady when you give her some of these.

Coffee in the sunshine

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Here are my two English friends Bill Austin & Dave Catchpole not looking too happy, maybe it was something they ate.  🙄

In fact they were grumpy most of the trip which caused us to split up once we got back to Brighton on the south coast of England.

Outdoor Cafe in Bruges beautiful Belgium city

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

I have no hesitation in recommending this beautiful place for you to visit,  remember to book your hotel before arriving. Check the weather forecast as well, it is so much nicer walking around the village taking photos with a beautiful blue sky.

Thai Festival

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

What a coincidence, I’m living in Thailand & here when I visit Bruge there is a Thai festival happening. 🙂

Bruge Plaza

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Interesting sculptures and fountains.

Waterside dining

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

A beautiful sky & French food by the water, what more could you want?

Nice restaurant

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

So many restaurants & such little time. 🙂

Wonderful terrine

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Always on my list in Belgium or France.

Cruise the canals

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

One of the popular canal tours.

Or take a horse & buggy if you prefer

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Personally I prefer to walk the city.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Lots of shops & restaurants to keep you busy.

The Park hotel is in a perfect location across the road from the above square.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

There are many good restaurants and bars to choose from, however if I visit again it will be during the week as the weekends are so busy in summer most of the hotels are full. We paid 200 Euros for room at the Park Hotel with 4 single beds. For a good discount on rooms just book through THIS LINK.

Waterfront restaurant.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

An interesting restaurant beside this wonderful tree.

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Catch fish from your window.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Picture postcard perfect in Bruges beautiful Belgium city.

Red wine & desert.

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

As you would expect there are many nice restaurants in Bruges.

Bruges beautiful Belgium city

Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets

Bruge was a wonderful experience.

Thanks for visiting my Bruges Medieval Buildings Cobblestone Streets photo blog.

                         

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That’s all folks

1g Duck

Thanks for visiting my blog on Bruges, and thanks to the movie “In Bruges” for inspiring me to visit this wonderful city. Please send the link to your friends https://fivestarvagabond.com/

 

Click here for my St Tropez post.

 
 

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Airole beautiful Italian village

August 15, 2015 by David Herd

Let the games begin

Airole beautiful Italian village

Airole beautiful Italian village

 Airole beautiful Italian village has a quintessential main town square where everybody gathers to play chess, socialise and relax in the sunshine.

Early evening in Airole

Airole beautiful Italian village

 One of my favourite Italian villages 14 km south of Breil and 14 km north of Ventimiglia on the coast. A beautiful Italian medieval village with a population of 461, it has a delightful town square where the locals meet to chat, play chess & enjoy a vino or an espresso.

Airole beautiful Italian village town square

Airole beautiful Medieval Italian village

Everyone gathers here to chat & socialise.

Discussing serious business

Airole beautiful Italian village

The world cup was being played & I’m guessing these gentlemen were discussing the teams.

Enjoying a cold beer

Airole beautiful Italian village

Well it was a beautiful summers day. 🙂

Deborah & Jodie

 

Australian blonds drinking wine in Italy
 

Homes in Airole

Airole beautiful Medieval Italian village

Very peaceful & quiet.

The quintessential town square

Airole beautiful Medieval Italian village

The local will gather here later to watch the world cup football on TV.

July 2010 and the World Cup is on.

Airole beautiful Italian village

The TV is set up in the village square.

The Roya river

Airole beautiful Italian village

  On the road to Airole just south of Breil Sur Roya.   The Upper Roya Valley begins at the Col de Tende (1871 m) on the French-Italian border. It runs south about 35 km to Breil-sur-Roya and then another 8 km to where it crosses back into Italy. (The Lower Roya Valley flows into the Mediterranean at Ventimiglia.) TheUpper Roya Valley is a region of mountains and valleys, with swift rivers, thick forests, and villages with an Italian flavor.  

Airole beautiful Italian village

Airole beautiful Italian village

Located just beside the French border.

Road to Airole

Airole beautiful Italian village

The road winds up to the village.

Airole beautiful Italian village narrow lanes

Airole beautiful Italian village

   OK, time to find a nice restaurant in Airole beautiful Italian village.

Local restaurant

Airole beautiful Italian village

    And here it is. 🙂

Veal scallopini al funghi

Airole beautiful Italian village

  My favourite Italian dish, so far this trip I have had it in Como, Fanghetto & now Airole.  

Airole beautiful Italian village

Airole beautiful Italian village

It’s now July so to warm for firewood.

Nestled in the mountains

Airole beautiful Italian village

The village is sheltered by the mountain range.

Ancient water fountain

Airole beautiful Italian village

  In Airole there are hidden treasures around every corner.  

 Is David Herd in Airole? I’m looking for David Herd.

Airole beautiful Italian village

  A guy can dream can’t he? 🙂  

Airole beautiful Italian village

Airole beautiful Italian village

Thanks for sharing my Airole beautiful Italian village photo blog, I will certainly return one day.

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French Italian villages near Monaco.

August 3, 2013 by David Herd

Beautiful French Italian villages only 30 minutes to the Côte d’Azur.

French Italian villages near Monaco, one of them Saorge is a very beautiful  village perched along a narrow rock spur that juts out into the Vallée de la Roya, high above the river. Saorge is classed as one of the “40 most beautiful villages of France“. The main village streets traverse narrowly between the buildings at very different levels, with smaller streets and steps leading up and down between them. The view from anywhere in the village is spectacular, looking outward to snow-capped mountains in the middle distance (into May and June) and the deep gorge and rushing white-water river below. My best travel tip for this area is to base yourself in the central village of Breil Sur Roya, from here you can easily reach all the wonderful surrounding villages similar to SaorgeSaorge is 11 km north of Breil Sur Roya where we were based. There are so many interesting French & Italian villages north of Monaco, you can spend weeks exploring this area.

Saorge, one of the beautiful French villages

French Italian villages near Monaco

One of my best trips was staying in Breil Sur Roya in the south of France, 45 minutes north of Monaco. Our landlord was Riny Doyle, who rents a cute 2 bedroom apartment in the village where we stayed, he has a 2 rooms B&B in his villa called l’Abricot. Riny  invited us on a couple of occasions to sample some local cuisine and barbecue at the “villa“, Riny & Susan are wonderful hosts, their hospitality was fantastic, I hope to visit them at Breil again sometime in the future. This is certainly one of the nicest French Italian villages near Monaco.

Riny Doyle’s home in Breil Sur Roya.

French Italian villages near Monaco

A beautiful setting foe a memorable lunch.

Lunch with Riny & Susan

French Italian villages near Monaco

Many thanks to Riny & Susan for their wonderful hospitality.

Riny’s B & B at Breil Sur Roya.

French Italian villages near Monaco

This is the great outdoor kitchen at one of Riny Doyle’s B & Bs on top of the mountain in Breil Sur Roya.

The French and Italian rail lines run through Breil so it is very easy to travel anywhere. There is a great market every Friday at Ventimiglia on the border 30 minutes drive or 20 minutes by train from Breil.  The lovely French village of Breil-sur-Roya is particularly known for trout fishing. The Roya river runs through town and is open to trout anglers from March to September. Part of the trout run is reserved for fly-fishing. Trout anglers share the river with white water rafters, another popular local sport. The streets are narrow and many of the old houses are nicely restored or truly ancient. On the main square you’ll find many buildings painted with trompe-l’oeil scenes. The heart of the town is the narrow old streets parallel to the river, lined with high buildings, and the even narrower connecting streets (ruelles) that pass as tunnels through the buildings.

Lunch with Riny

French Italian villages near Monaco

Riny was a great host, an Aussie who has lived in Europe for many years.

Looking across the lake in Breil Sur Roya

French Italian villages near Monaco

The village sits beside the lake below the mountains.

View from our apartment

French Italian villages near Monaco

The photo above is the view of Breil Sur Roya taken from the balcony of Riny Doyle’s 2 bedroom apartment.

Jodie O’Neill & Deborah Holliday

French Italian villages near Monaco

The girls are happy after their shopping spree at the Ventimiglia market.

Here is a video clip of Riny’s B & B.  

Riny's Bed & Breakfast in the South of France.
 

Airole

French Italian villages near Monaco

  One of the nicest French Italian villages 14 km south of Breil and 14 km north of Ventimiglia on the coast is Airole. A beautiful Italian medieval village with a population of 461, it has a delightful town square where the locals meet to chat, play chess & enjoy a vino or an espresso.

Cold beer in Airole.

 French Italian villages near Monaco

Enjoying a beer in the village square.

Australian blonds drinking wine in Italy

For a good room rate in this area just book through THIS LINK.

French Italian villages Roya Valley.

French Italian villages near Monaco

The Upper Roya Valley begins at the Col de Tende (1871 m) on the French-Italian border. It runs south about 35 km to Breil-sur-Roya and then another 8 km to where it crosses back into Italy. (The Lower Roya Valley flows into the Mediterranean at Ventimiglia.) The Upper Roya Valley is a region of mountains and valleys, with swift rivers, thick forests, and villages with an Italian flavor.

La Brique

French Italian villages near Monaco

The village is both pretty and interesting, with colorful buildings, ancient churches, arcades, vaulted passages, streets to explore, and the pleasure of a fast-flowing river that’s joined by a mountain stream in the center. The stream is called “Rio Sec”, or dry river, but was full of spring water when we were there. Many of the buildings are of natural stone and many are nicely renovated with pastel facades and green doorways and steps. The 14th-c medieval Chateau des Lascaris perched above the village is in ruins, with only some walls and a tall, round donjon tower remaining. Partial reconstruction, however, has been started, and the castle is used for medieval festival weekends. Reconstruction will be followed by archaeological digs on the site.

Fanghetto

French Italian villages near Monaco

  The tiny village of Fanghetto in Italy is 10 km south of Breil & has a population of 10 people, and the only reason I include it in this post is there is one delightful restaurant that only opens for 3 or 4 evenings each week for dinner. It is like eating in somebody’s home, the food is wonderful.

French Italian villages

French Italian villages near Monaco

Great food, Veal Escalopes with Mushrooms in Fanghetto, magnificent.

Sospel in the south of France.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Sospel dates back to the 5th century, when it served as an important staging post on the royal road from Nice to Turin. The old toll bridge used by travellers to cross the Bévéra, built in the 13th century, still stands. It was bombed by the Germans during World War II to prevent contact between the French Resistance (“The Maquis”) and the Italians. Much of the town was destroyed. Renovated after World War II it now houses the tourist office. Ruins of a tower, part of a château belonging to the counts of Provence, are all that remain of the 14th century city walls. (From Wikipedia)

For an excellent room rate is Sospel or nearby just book through THIS LINK.

Deborah, Riny, Jody & David Herd.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Welcome drinks at the local railway station.

Super travel tips.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Breil Sur Roya is the perfect place to stay if you want to explore the French Italian villages in this wonderful area. So convenient to take the train or drive to the French Riviera or Cinque Terre in Italy, or you can just spend  days wandering around all the wonderful medieval French & Italian villages perched on top of the surrounding mountains. Book your hotel here for guaranteed lowest rates + you decide when to pay, now or later.

 

Accommodation. To rent a very nice two bedroom apartment in Breil Sur Roya email Otherwise you can have  B&B rooms at the Villa l’Abricot  on top of the hill with great views, email [email protected]

 
Hotel bookings. Here is a great site , book now & decide when to pay, now or when you check out.
 
The French Riviera is at your doorstep and offers all the pizzazz, style & opulence you could ask for. I suggest however you also consider the lessor know Italian Riviera, specifically the Cinque Terre. I’m surprised how many people I speak to who don’t realise this wonderful area exists, do yourself a favor and check it out. However please remember you can spend weeks exploring the many interesting French Italian villages north of Monaco.
 
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 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

               

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