A not so sunny Nice

During a recent day in Nice my initial disappointment in the lack of sunshine soon was replaced by my delight in the way the pretty pastel colors of Nice took on a whole new hue. Without the clouds, the sun wouldn't seem as bright. (Did I just make that up or have I heard it before?...ah, whatever, sounds good to me!)

-Rebe- Photos taken by and are the property of Rebecca Leese, France, 2014.

Sea and sky in Antibes

A gorgeous day in Antibes, just me and my thoughts, enjoying the sea and sky...

-Rebe Photos taken by and are the property of Rebecca Leese, France, 2014.

Parc du Château

On our last outing together in Nice before her departure back to the US, Rebecca and I decided to hike up to the Parc du Château for some yoga in the park and this amazing view.

~Rebe

Photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese (Nice, France 2013)

Long talks and Rosé à la plage

Just another wonderful day à la plage ...

~Rebe

Photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese (Nice, France 2013)

On the hunt...

On this day my friend Rebecca and I were on the hunt for soap in the markets of Nice. As that the soap making industry is huge in Southern France, it's common to see displays of luxurious soups at various price points and fragrances in the markets and shops all across France. These soaps make great and practical gifts and of course are good for personal use as well!

~Rebe

Photo credits: photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese (Nice, France 2013)

After the rain...

That moment - the sun breaks through clouds - happiness.

~Rebe


Photo credit: Rebecca Leese (Plascassier, France 2013)
Haiku by Rebecca Leese

Exploring...

~Rebe

Photo credits: photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese (Nice, France 2013)

Wanderlust and bubbly

Here are some photos from one (of many) recent rendezvous in Nice with mon amie Rebecca. We started this day with a visit to the flower market and then proceeded to have a picnic on the beach complete with some "bubbly" (it's not called Champagne unless made in the Champagne region of France). As always, lots of talking, reflecting, and laughing ensued. Another great day!

~Rebe

Photo credits: photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese (Nice, France 2013)

Wandering the streets of Nice

Be it coincidence or fate, it surely is a small world when two New Yorkers with similar interests in fashion, travel, and wine end up living in the South of France at the same time..and we have the same name! The other Rebecca in my life right now is Rebecca Rorrer, creator of the blog Ambassador of Fashion. I look forward to our weekly rendez-vous in Nice and I even tagged along with her for a whirlwind 40 hours in Paris during Paris fashion week...more to come on that soon. Here are some photos from one of our days spent wandering the streets of Nice.

Nearly empty streets in the early morning.



Pretty pastels.

Empty tables await hungry explorers!

More pastels, I love the colors here.

Pizza and cathedrals.

Window cacti.



More window cacti!



Mon amie, Rebecca



Moi!

xo
~Rebe

Photos taken by and are property of Rebecca Leese  (Nice, France 2013)

Days on the Cote d'Azur

These photos are from one of my favorite places in the world, Nice, France. Located on the Cote d'Azur or Blue Coast, named as such for obvious reasons. I first set foot on these pebbled beaches at age 18 and it was love at first sight. Now over 10 years later I am blessed to be staying in a nearby village for an extended holiday...and what a dream it is! I will be sharing photos from Nice quite often as that I try to get there at least once a week. It's 20-30 min by car or a one hour bus ride.

I'll let the images do the talking from here...sigh.

~Rebe

photo credit: Rebecca Leese, Nice, France 2013

My Expat Life in France

If you told me a few years ago that at age 30 I would leave my job, my life, my family and friends and move out the country I probably would have laughed. Sure I caught the "travel bug" at a young age and I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to some places that many only dream of: France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia to name a few. But partly I was able to travel to these places because I had a good job with a comfortable salary as a medical professional in New York.  I also had a very comfortable and happy life there for five years which included the aformentioned job but also a wonderful circle of friends, a cute apartment in a great location, and supportive family only a four hour train ride away. So why leave? 

Well, you may have noticed that I used the word comfortable a few times in this post. That sense of comfort in my life was part of the push for me to jump in to the unknown. I was too comfortable, working a job that I liked (most days) and going through the motions of life. New York is a great place to do this. You can "go through the motions" but still feel like you are living an incredible and exciting life, after all you live in NYC! To outsiders New York often seems big and crowded and scary. At first it is all of those things, but living there for an extended time provides a different reality...it can actually begin to feel quite enclosed and small. New York welcomes solitude without ever making you feel alone. For me it was a place to extend my youth a bit longer. Just living there made me feel as if I had accomplished something great. "I did it! I lived in New York!" But now what...

I started to get the itch to leave about a year before I made the move. My life had become too repeatitive and I felt that I was suffocating amongst the noise, the traffic, the people, the buildings. I needed fresh air and open spaces. Hadn't I always wanted to live at the beach? Why didn't I ever do that?  I was worried that five years would turn into ten and then I would be a 40 year old living in New York in the same comfortable life as now (with a few cats in a studio apartment, yikes!). Please don't think that I'm ungrateful for the life that I had. I am eternally grateful and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I just needed a change.

And then... I met a guy at a party. Aren't the twists and turns of life funny like that? There's just one minor (major?) detail, this party was in the South of France. Flashforward a year of long distance dating, Skype rendez-vous, and increasing our frequent flyer miles and it was decided, I was ready for a new adventure! Join me as I share some of the experiences and images from this next chapter, my life in France.

~Rebe


photo credit: Rebecca Leese, Paris, France 2013