City life, with all of its hustle and bustle, has always been much more appealing to me than the peacefulness of a small town, or the tranquility of a serene village. Nevertheless, since I’ve been living in France, I have been constantly longing to get away from pandemonium that is Nice, especially when tourists come out to play. Blame it on the French, their low-key lifestyle, their romanticized views of mountain top villages, or even on the cheap public transportation, but I cannot keep from having a taste of the simple village life every once in a while.

Èze Village, once home to the Phoenicians, then to the Romans and even to the Moors, rests on the top of a cliff some 500 meters above the Mediterranean shores of the Riviera, so breathtaking sights are a no brainer. But the true peacefulness of the village comes from its stone walls and alleyways, which you cannot navigate without getting a bit lost, without feeling a bit small, nor simple, nor somewhat archaic. The artisan stores throughout Èze also hint to more primordial times as wooden, metal, and handmade souvenirs dominate the shop windows, although the prices tend remind you that you are indeed in modern day France.

In other, more personal and less glamourous news, I am accommodating quite well to the French lifestyle. For example, I began rolling my own cigarettes using natural, additive free tobacco (who am I?). I’ve also been engaging in a rather tumultuous love affair with chocolate, which has me really shaken me up given my lifelong failed relationships with sweets. Also, in an attempt to engage in some sort of intellectual activity other than discussing politics over a glass of wine, I began studying Arabic, and I should be able to read it by Christmas! That is all for now, but check back in a few days to see just wonderful the Riviera becomes around Christmas time! Bisous!