Adventure Nº 13 — French Riviera

Driving along the Mediterranean coastline in their rented Renault, Charlie and Sam stopped along the autoroute many times to admire the beautiful blue waters of the French Riviera. The Côte d'Azur is aptly named for the deep, rich turquoise of its waters, and the sun's dancing rays on the waves threw off jewel-toned flashes of emerald green and yellow diamond. It was a spectacular sight that neither of them tired of.

"Sam, if we stop at every viewpoint, we'll never reach Cannes," Charlie laughed.

"Just one more photo," Sam pleaded, already out of his seat belt.

"You said that three viewpoints ago."

With no fixed agenda, they stopped in Nice to see its famous waterfront and stroll along the Promenade des Anglais, a pedestrian walkway that runs the length of the seafront. The crystal-blue Mediterranean was just steps away as locals and tourists sunbathed, splashed in the water, jogged, rollerbladed or biked along the path.

The next stop on their route was Antibes, where they visited the Musée Picasso, which opened in 1966. The museum is housed in the Château Grimaldi, which dates to the Middle Ages. Picasso stayed at the château in 1946, impressed by its magnificent views of the sea, and later donated some of the artwork he created there to the town, which is how the museum began.

Cannes, their last stop, is home to the International Film Festival and the Cannes Regatta. It is also where Grace Kelly first met her future husband, Prince Rainier of Monaco, at the 1955 film festival. Charlie and Sam sauntered along the Boulevard de la Croisette, taking in the view as the sun began to set. The sky filled with a fiery splash of oranges and raspberry reds that seemed to slip into the cool, dark sea.

"A perfect ending to a perfect day," said Sam. Charlie smiled. "And we only had to stop forty times."

Until Charlie & Sam's next adventure… where will it take them?