We will hug the Mediterranean and travel from Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula to Ventimiglia in Italy, spending time in Malaga, Barcelona, Nice, St Tropez, Monte Carlo, and more.

Dec 24: Gibraltar

First sight at first light...a bus ride from Malaga to La Linea de la Concepcion, then a short walk across the road to cross the border into Gibraltar (thanks Brexit!)

The walk across the Gibraltar International airport to the center of the town.

We can see Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Morocco...tickled to see the continent of Africa from the continent of Europe by the naked eye.

Some new friends who, despite the popular narrative of being aggressive are the opposite of that. I think this one's grand dad was with James Bond in the Living Daylights.

The road we walked on cutting through the airport to walk up to the rock. The town in the back ground is La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain.

World War II bunkers

Dec 25 and 26: Malaga

Picasso spent a lot of time in Malaga. Here is in the Plaza de la Merced.

Walkabout old town to visit the Alcazaba, a Moorish castle and fortification from the 10th & 11th century.

Just another narrow street

Custom built door way?

Chilling out

A Roman era amphitheater at the bottom of the walls of the Alcazaba.

When you got to go, you got to go

Christmas in Malaga is a big deal and the streets are lit up. There was a also a light show on the walls of the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación de Málaga, right across from our balcony.

No, they are not gathered for us, but to watch the lightshow on the walls of the cathedral

Food in Malaga, particularly the Sangria, was good despite the fact that we were in the tourist center of town.

Dec 27: Barcelona

This is our 2nd time in Barcelona, and so we recognize some of it, but a refresher is needed. We will come back again in a couple of weeks when we head home. We spent all the time focused on the architecture, given that it is Gaudí's town and his goofy approach to design.

Placa Reial where we had dinner some 15 years ago...was busier that I recall.

Oh' yeah...cooking Paella on the street

Dec 28: Nice

Our digs with the Mediterranean

We fell the Socca trap...its just a chickpea pancack and tastes meh. Still checked the box.

The power of the Mediterranean...fresh fruit and vegetables in the middle of winter.

Walkabout Nice vieille ville (old town)

Fontaine du Soleil, the unofficial entrance to Old Nice

Old Nice is really nice

Niccolò Paganini the Italian violinist and composer lived and died here

Dec 28 - Montecarlo and Ventimiglia

Breakfast in Nice, lunch in Ventimiglia, Italy, cocktails in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and dinner in Eze, France...it was a long day

Casino do Monte Carlo

Changing of the guards at the Prince's palace of Monaco

Church of visitation along the way of a path that has no signs as we are lost on our way down to the town center

Drove this F1 circuit...albeit in a regular car

Foyer of the casion

Prosecco while Saritha funds Monaco in the casino across from me

Entering Italy towards Ventimiglia for lunch at a delightful spot on the water called Osteria i fra i, right on the water. They are so local they don't bother with a website, folks are amazingly friendly, the food is just out of this world...it is a place we will go back to in a heartbeat.

Menton...another lovely town on the French riviera

Dec 29 - Eze to Antibes through Villefranche sur Mer

This is the way to welcome the day as the sun rises above the Med

The stroll through Eze village is a walk through a fairy tale

Lunch is in Villefranche sur Mer, location for the movies Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin and Michael Cain, Ronin with Robert de Niro, Jewel of the Nile, Never Say Never Again and many many more.

Lunch at this delightful on the water spot called La Terrase that has since closed down 😞

 

On to Antibes

Picasso's museum

Dec 30 - Cannes and St. Tropez

Handprints of Hollywood stars on the sidewalk in front of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes

Walkabout town

On to Saint-Tropez

Dec 31 - Aix-en-Provence

Starting at the Fontane de la Rotunde, a walk on Cours Mirabeau and into old town.

With the man who made Aix is home - Cezanne

Place d'Albertas - needs a lick of paint or maybe this is the new look

Jan 1: Avignon to Gordes

En route pour Avignon to check out the Palace of the Popes for about 70 years starting 1300 after which they returned to Rome. Loads of drama in the middle there for those who care.

The famous half bridge - Pont Saint-Bénézet; apparently it keeps collapsing every time the Rhone floods. French engineering may need our help.

Gordes looks like a fairytale, and maybe it is one.

Locations for the Russel Crowe and Marion Cottilard movie A Good Year.

Jan 2: Roussillon and beyond

A quick stop in Lourmarine for wander and lunch.

Some wine tasting

A stop over at the L'Occitane factory to learn their magic and experience some of their products.

Jan 3: Moustiers and Grasse

We get up to Lac Saint-Croix and then wander Moustiers including climbing up the steep mountain to get to the church.

The Verdon gorge under Pont du Galetas on Lac Saint-Croix.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a little village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, but an absolute fairtale.

A couple of hours' drive to the southeast and it is Grasse. A little too gritty for my taste, but the perfumery there is the attraction.

Jan 4: Barcelona and Montserrat

A last stop back in Barcelona before heading home.

A drive of an hour north to the 11th-century mountain monastery of Montserrat to check out the black Madonna.

Adios!