Marie

The drive up to Marie is long and winding, and we missed the turnoff the first time. Doubled back and found it. On the approach there was a small pull-off with two benches overlooking the valley, and we stopped there for a while before going any further — just sat and read with that view in front of us.

Marie itself is small and quiet, nestled so tightly against the mountain it looks like it belongs to it. What we hadn't expected were the little metal sculptures scattered through the streets, a quiet surprise in a village this size. Some kids were playing nearby, which was the only sound.

We did a small loop through the village and then headed back down toward Nice.