Arrival in Nice was followed by a half-hour bus ride to Antibes, specifically Juan Les-Pins. After that, Hotel Juana welcomed us, though we had to wait a few more hours to check in. So we put down our luggage, got to our feet, and set our sights on a nearby restaurant.
Lapping waves and smiling waiters awaited us at the Belles Rives restaurant. After a hectic morning of travelling, champagne, a three-course lunch and macaroons were a welcome way to refuel. And perhaps the best thing about this lunch was the cheesecake! Just look at it!
Our bellies full, we headed to the park for team building activities in the park. The games focussed on getting to know each other better and working together to come up with a solution to a task. Despite fun activities, the squirrels and pigeons in the park also got their share of attention – there were so many of them!
After that, we all had a few hours of time alone. Several people went shopping, some enjoyed a few hours of shut-eye, others tried out the hotel pool, and a few of us went for a walk along the beach. As darkness fell and evening approached, we gathered the troops and headed for one of the town’s renowned fish restaurants. We lost count of how many seafood dishes we ate, but there were definitely a lot of them! One memory of this restaurant that sticks with many of our team is the whole fried fish. It was quite the showstopper when it arrived at the table!
Some of the Embriq team are delighted at the sight, while others seem a little more skeptical…
The next morning, canyoning was on the agenda, and proved to be the highlight of our trip! Some of us were a bit more nervous than others. Our bus winded its way up the mountainside along the narrowest of roads, flanked by a precipitous drop of hundreds of metres. The only thing to do was to close our eyes and cross our fingers that we made it to our destination.
Upon our arrival on the mountianside, a quick safety briefing and equipment awaited us. After that, there was nothing more to do but jump into the icy mountain water and let your wetsuit do its magic!
What an experience! Tired, famished, and with a few more bruises than before, a delicious three-course lunch awaited us at a cosy local restaurant on the mountainside. And the dessert alone, an epic apple cake, was reason enough to return. We were quite the happy bunch!
After a few hours of solo time, the gang reconvened. We met in the hotel lounge before moving on to one of France’s coolest restaurants: Baoli. A few choice words sum up the place:flames, loud music, clapping waiters, a strict dress code, and delicious food.
The next day, we headed home to Norway after a very successful trip. Thank you, France, for a fabulous trip!
