Our final port of call was Villefranche (right), nestled against steep hills along the Cote d'Azur, roughly between Nice and Monte Carlo. Villefranche, itself, is a quaint fishing village with only a few cafes and hotels. It sits on a small bay within a bay (below left).
   After taking the launch to shore (the ship being to large to dock as you can see), we caught a motorcoach to Nice, where we enjoyed a morning cappaccino at wonderful farmer's market. There were dozens of vendors selling marvelous looking fruits and vegetables, gorgeous flowers and unbelievable spices.
   From downtown Nice, we took a brief tour around the city, including a stop at this beautiful Russian Orthodox church (right) built by Tsar Nicholas for his son who lived in Nice. Nice, with its wide beaches and warm water was quite popular with the White Russians as a winter resort. Looking at the Cote d'Azur (below right) it's easy to see why.

   Leaving Nice, our coach climbed the high, winding road of the "Upper Corniche" heading to the hilltop fortress town of Eze (below).
   As early as the second or first centuries BC, this coastline was a great source of wealth for those who settled here. Trade and fishing were - and still are - the mainstays. Due to this wealth, however, the towns here were vunerable to piracy, so fortresses were built high in the hills to protect the towns below. Eze was such a fortress. When the Black Plague decimated the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, those few survivors moved into the fortress and made it their new home. The village is still inhabited by various artisans.

   As you can see, Eze has a commanding view of several harbors, including Villefranche. If you look carefully in the upper right-hand corner of the photo above, you can see our cruise ship moored in the bay.
   Alas, it was finally time to leave. We spent the rest of the day lazing on the beach and swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. We then bid Adieu and sailed for home.