Sweet Stay: Hotel la Perouse in Nice, France

It is some ungodly temp (10 below?) here in Minneapolis today. But I am dreaming about
June in Nice, France, and breakfast on my hotel balcony at the beautiful four star boutique  Hotel la Perouse. With views overlooking Nice and the Bay of Angels, the hotel is located within a high-perched building--and filled with the artwork of Sylvie T that I fell in love with before I even left for
the French Riviera. Imagine my surprise to discover her beautiful artwork is framed and featured
throughout the hotel's numerous hallways and walls.

The hotel even has a swimming pool on top of its terrace and a lovely courtyard for dining--with lemon trees surrounding the tables. "We make lemon pies from the lemons," a hotel worker informed me.

My breakfast, which included several pastries (I'm ashamed to admit I ate most all of them) included a flaky wonderful croissant--and I had to almost do battle with the little birds who waited (sometimes

impatiently) nearby my balcony for any flakes that drifted downward and away from my mouth. That morning, I can still recall with extreme clarity:  My "cafe" was strong and dark, the sun was just heating up and the sky blue, blue, blue.  I was headed to the antique market in Old Town Nice. Another day in paradise. That's why we travel: for warm memories that sustain us on the coldest days.