Day 16 Lourmarin to Nice

Got up early to get a good start for the drive to Nice. It was kind of sad to leave the apartment. After 12 days in Lourmarin it was easy to become somewhat attached to the area and the people. They were so nice; and we couldn't even speak the same language. We were packed up and ready to go at 9, but it was friday, which is market day and we did quick walk around and picked up a few things before leaving. The drive over to Nice turned out to be a both great and awful. It was supposed to be a two and a half hour drive that turned into a six hour mess. It started when we decided to drive through the French Riveria on the 50 mile stretch of coastal road from St. Tropez through St. Raphel and Cannes to Nice. It was a beautiful ride over very scenic roads, but the traffic is slow and tedious. I could not imagine what it would be like in the summer - I would not even think about doing it. Once in Nice, we returned the rental car at the airport and walked to the Novatel Hotel where we spent the night. They gave us a great room with a fantastic view of the Med. There was an 8am flight to catch so we ate some junky food before crashing early.