Riviera

So then we'll probably go back to, uh, Port Orleans.

Oh, we actually are moving this day to Riviera.

I almost forgot about that.

That's important.

So this is really our last day with hanging out with the theater group, but we are going to switch resorts, and we're switching to a one-bedroom villa at the Riviera.

So I think what we will do is one of us will probably take Amelia to Saratoga for the workshop, and the other will work on like getting the luggage up to bell services, and I think we're just gonna have them transfer the luggage.

So after the workshop, we'll just go t- go straight to Riviera.

Okay.

There are eight Orthodox churches up here, and the centerpiece is the Church of St. Mary, built in 1796, with a bell tower that rises twenty-seven meters over the rooftops.

It is one of the tallest historic structures on the whole Riviera, and it anchors the village in a way that is hard to describe until you stand under it.

Today, I wanted to do something I had been putting off.

I wanted to walk out through the olive groves.

The waiter, a man in his fifties with a strong accent asked where I was from.

When I said I was living in Albania now, first a few months here and there, he nodded and told me his son worked in Greece, like so many from this coast.

It is a story I have heard repeated all along the Riviera, the young people leaving for work and the old people staying to keep the guesthouses and the tavernas going.

There is something about the old village that makes you want to be part of its revival, though.

[water dripping] I'd come north from Qeparo along the coast, about six kilometers by road, and I'd planned to spend the morning here.

The bay is sheltered, the water is calm, and the snorkeling is as good as anywhere on this stretch of the Riviera.

I saw a small group of bream, a few sea urchins on the rocks, and once, maybe twice, something larger that might have been a sea bass.

I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on fish identification, but the water is so clear that you can see everything clearly.

The tunnel is mostly empty now, but it's the kind of place that makes you think about the layers of history here: ancient, Ottoman, communist.

The walk back to Qeparo is the part I've been looking forward to.

There's a coastal path that runs south from Porto Palermo, and if you're not in a hurry, it's the best way to see this stretch of the Riviera.

The path hugs the shore, weaving in and out of olive groves and crossing a few dry stream beds.

All because of this invisible digital tripwire.

So if you're planning a trip and want the honest is it worth it verdict before you book, follow the show on Spotify or Apple because today's deep dive is entirely about navigating this highly restricted new reality of the French Riviera.

Yeah.

And that specific scenario you just described, that is playing out every single day in the South of France right now.

Let's look at this.

A solid mid-range hotel room is sitting between $98 and $133 a night.

Which is basically unheard of on the Riviera.

Totally.