Woke up early, bit worried about driving the car into busy Nice. Filled up the tank up the road in La Colle sur Loup and then headed for our 25 minute drive into Nice. Took our last toll road and relied on the GPS to get us there! The damn thing went crazy a few times with different directions and losing signals (usually when in the middle of intersections) but finally made it. Destination was Hertz at Nice Railway station. No carpark in front of the office, so ...

Had a great last morning in Salon de Provence with a sleepin, breakfast from the bakery (our usual croissants and paine de chocolat) and a walk through the old lanes. A relatively easy 2 hour drive to La Colle sur Loup. Getting used to working the ticket and payment machines for the toll roads. Bit crazy once reaching our town as the roads very congested. We don't enjoy the driving through the busy towns. The roads are very narrow with sharp bends, drivers who do...

Waited and waited and waited for a bus to St Paul de Vence. Finally, after about an hour (they are supposed to run every 20 mins) one arrived. The driver was very rude and charged double the fare we had paid 3 previous times. When I queried him, he said it was for the kids! Had a lovely stroll around the old town. Bought a poster for each of our bedrooms and a hedgehog toothpick holder that the girls helped select. Had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the hill...

Breakfast in the square with the mushroom fountain. Today is our first cold and rainy day for the whole trip so we count ourselves lucky! Walked around the back of our hotel to the local market. Lots of lovely food for sale and the occasional clothes and bags stalls. Then off to another market, which is like a big garage sale. The Camberwell Market in the South of France! The girls bought a cuddly each. Off for warmer clothes and a drive to St Remy de Provence...

Had our breakfast, as usual, around the corner in the square near the mayor's office. Packed up our belongings and noticed our power had been cut off. Very strange. It was after 10.30, yet Mario said he had been told we could check out at 12.00. On arrival at reception they tried to add an extra charge of 60€ per night for the children. I murmured to Mario that that wasn't what Expedia, our booking agent, had confirmed and voila - the hotel staff member change...