Frankly marvellous France and gorgeous Genoa February half term 2017

This was such a lovely break, such a positive experience.Genoa was a great place to start.  It is a big old lumbering place in some ways but you go round a corner and there is a stunning medieval building. The port is great. There are wonderful winding streets each with a local tart hovering in it. Meanwhile the museums were virtually empty. There wasn't even a guard in some rooms.  Nuova Strada.  But also the youth hostel was just wonderful and the mix of ages and nationalities made it a great place for discussions.

A short coach trip bought me to Nice, which is a really lovely town - very multi cultural and with a great vibe.    I visited the Matisse museum and the local town museum.  But the time was dominated by the Nice carnival.  I was a bit panicked by the police presence and potential mad men but held on had a great time.  Cannes felt a bit flat in comparison and I felt alone for the only time in the week but on my return to Marseille and a jolly hostel there it was once more great chats between me and two young Germans and a Canadian living in France,