Things to do in Eze Village

1. Walk through the cobblestone streets
2. See the Exotic gardens - and more importantly the panoramic view
3. Grab a crepe or a glass of wine and sit on a patio



Yesterday we decided to go to Eze village, which is a few stops before Monaco on the Cote D'azur regional train. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I haven't heard much about this place, but it was absolutely breathtaking and I'm so surprised I haven't heard more people talking about it.
To start it off, I knew the day was going to be wonderful because my mom is currently visiting me right now! She hasn't been to Europe since she was 17, so it's nice to be able to show her around this corner of the world. We were going to go to Monaco, but than decided against it last minute to visit this little medieval place called Eze. We got off the train at Eze sur Mer and waited about 45 minutes for the bus #83 to come and pick us up to take us up the winding road along the mountainside. I felt a little nauseous going up these steep and curving roads, but I figured the bus driver knew what he was doing. Eze village is perched up ontop of a mountain, 1400 feet above sea level and offers spectacular panoramic views of the Riviera.
This village is also widely known for it's medieval streets and tiny courtyards, but I wanted to explore it more. We walked through all the main cobblestones streets and walked into little shops where we had to duck down to enter through the door.  The village was founded in the 8th century and most of the buildings were built between then and the 10th century, which when it was overtaken by the Moors. So aside for all this history, the village of Eze is also an alluring accommodation hotspot for the rich businessmen who frequent the annual Grand Prix in neighbouring Monaco. People like Bill Clinton, the Prince of Monaco and other notable people have stayed here. The village has only one hotel: Chateau Eza, which is a luxury boutique hotel that was made famous in the 1800's when the Swedish Royal Family visited here and called it their winter home. We decided to walk into the reception, which was a tiny entrance around a little cobblestone corner, and the room was only big enough to fit a desk with a french lady behind it. She asked us if we wanted to see the price list and we said okay, and it turns out that you need at least 300 euros to stay here in a standard room for one night. We shied away from this and went on to the top of the village to see the Jardins Exotique. (the exotic gardens).
This was probably my favourite part of the whole village because it offers the best views of not only the surrounding area, but the village itself. It was 4 euros each to go into the gardens and the gardens itself have statues of different ancient goddesses alongside cacti and other exotic flowers. This is where the old fort used to stand which was built and torn down hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The weather up here was brisk and reminded me of Canada in the winter, but we stayed long enough to take a few pictures.
Afterwards we went to a little restaurant beside the gardens, I forgot the name, and had a glass of wine, hot chocolate and split a prosciutto pizza. There were alot of restaurants with patios, and I wish we could've sat on one, but it was so cold up on the mountain that we had to go inside. I'm sure I'll come to Eze again during my semester abroad and when it's warmer I will definitely sit out and enjoy some vin.