Istanbul & the French Riviera

Istanbul to start, the Sheraton Atakoy, then Turkish Airlines to Nice — nine hours late, but I made it. My first order of business in Saint-Tropez was a nap at the Villa Cosy.

The Riviera in winter is quieter than summer but no less beautiful. The Citadelle de Saint-Tropez museum, the old port, the narrow streets. Then Toulon — and this was the real reason I was there. Toulon is where Javert was born and where Jean Valjean was in prison. Les Misérables had been my favorite story for years, and standing in the city where it begins was something I needed to do.

Monte Carlo on New Year’s Eve. Le Metropole. The Grand Hyatt in Cannes for the countdown. Then back through Istanbul at the Marmara Taksim before flying home.

Ringing in 2016 on the Côte d’Azur, having just made a pilgrimage to the birthplace of my favorite novel — that’s the kind of trip that reminds you why you do this.