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The Marina in Antibes
This is the place to see a vast array of mega yachts.
Leaving
Genoa for
France initially presented somewhat of a stressful start for us. Everyone knows that the only sensible and comfortable way to travel across Europe by train is First Class and that has nothing whatever to do with prestige. Particularly if you are carrying suitcases, it is simply commonsense to do so and we soon learned why we made the right choice. Our first leg from Genoa to La Spezia was fine and we quickly located our reserved seats in one of the
rear cars.
Thinking that the next train from
La Spezia to
Ventimeglia would use the
same configuration, we positioned ourselves on the platform that would allow immediate access to the rear cars as we were especially mindful of the large numbers waiting to board. The train arrived and it soon became painfully obvious that something was different. Imagine trying to find an official to help amidst the chaos. At last a uniformed SNCF official pointed to the second car at the other end so off we went lugging our heavy loads of a suitcase, two knapsacks and other stuff with us. Once on board, the train pulled out immediately but we couldn't find our numbers and so kept going from car to car searching. Passing through second class was a nightmare as the passageway was congested with both people and bags and everyone seemed reluctant to cooperate. To cut a long story short we had to retrace our steps, eventually finding our seat numbers which were both occupied. One passenger quickly got up and left but the other stayed put confirming that he was in tbe right seat. Off again we went pointed in the right direction by an on-board conductor, finally finding our seat numbers 43 and 44 once again. A kindly passenger helped
me lift the heavy suitcase into its place above the seats. Phew! But the ordeal was not over yet! Shortly after our next stop two ladies showed up dragging suitcases behind them, claiming our seats. They were adamant but I stood my ground. One even handed over her cell phone so I could speak to her pleading daughter in English. Anyway, the conductor came along and settled them next door but their continued unhappiness continued unabated. Finally, as we approached our stop and prepared to disembark, we learned that WE were actually wrong and should have been in another car forward of us. Why would three different First Class cars have the same numbered seats? That's Italy it seems.
Believe it or not I had another train related incident before we eventually reached France. As the train slowed for what I and many others thought was our last Stop at the border, Ventimeglia, I stood and prepared for disembarkation when a little old lady asked if the stop was Ventimeglia and without thinking much about it, I affirmed it. it turned out to have been the penultimate stop but she was nowhere around for me to correct the error.
Looking upwards from the beach below.
This is the cliff in the distance from which I proposed to paraglide. It is even higher in reality than it looks here. As the train pulled away, looking through the window we noticed the same lady, a pained look on her face, dragging her luggage behind her, obviously and unknowingly at the wrong stop. Poor lady! As you would expect, I received an earfull from Jeanette who claimed that the lady reminded her of my mother and that I should not have spoken if I was not sure. I felt really awful for her.
Our unit at the resort was very good. We were located on the uppermost floor with a large veranda onto which sliding doors from both our bedroom and the living room opened. It was large and had every convenience we needed, including the bonus of a spectacular panoramic view and absolute privacy. Each morning we were greeted with glorious sunshine, some pigeons or doves and of course the sound of the surf rolling on to the beach below. We kept our bedroom door opened all night for the breeze and of course the sound of the surf help put us to sleep too.
We stayed in
Roquebrune Cap Martin, less than two kilometers from the
Principality of Monaco which was the next large bay over. After
our research, especially about the shunting on the Riviera, we opted not to rent a car and we were overjoyed that we made that decision because we certainly did not need a car for what we wanted to do. Brand new-looking buses plied the route as well as the local train which we used to go to
Nice,
Cannes and
Antibes.
It was good to visit these places and now see first hand where the Festival of Cannes takes place annually for example. The number of mega yachts in Antibes was impressive and while there we got chatting (as we usually do with people we run into) with an American from Cape Cod who was spending some months there. He too had a boat there but he claimed that it was much smaller than those moored there.
We enjoyed the spectacular views from the mountain
village of Eze and it was fun selecting eau de cologne from the perfumery there and we were glad that we got there early enough to beat any large crowds that may show up from any of the visiting cruise ships.
Of course we spent time in Monaco itself. I have read
A glider descends to beach.
I desperately wanted to do this but found that the operation was closed between May and September because of people on the beach. some negative reviews of this place which I do not think are justified. The term attached to Monaco that I saw was "plastic". What I saw was a lot of fine modern buildings both commercial and residential stacked high to utilize the limited space available in this small country. There were high end cars around, scores of expensive boats but really, there are many places in the world that boast the same things. Many people are drawn to its famed casino but neither Jeanette nor I have the slightest interest in gambling. I saw many regular people going about their daily lives and no obvious celebrities attracting attention. I saw a surprising amount of green space and areas for the population to relax, have lunch and generally socialize which is what Europeans love to do. We found the Exotic Gardens near the Palace grounds especially beautiful and peaceful, which we enjoyed.
The Palace itself was not ostentatious but simple and visitors milled around without an overly heavy police presence. It almost seemed that the royal family deliberately chose to maintain a proximity to and affinity with its citizens. Beautiful private apartment homes and shops were very close to the
palace as well. No visit there should exclude one to the cathedral where Princess Grace and her husband are buried and when we entered we were both struck by the simplicity and beauty of the inside and the tranquility that prevailed there.
We really liked the town of
Menton very much. Just across the border from Italy, it was fairly typical of the French Riviera but I believe we were attracted to it because of contact with people. We had earlier spoken to a young lady in the tourism office and in answer to our usual question were given the name
Sini as one good restaurant where local people frequented. By happenstance we purchased some cooked pork and turkey (by the way it was excellent tasting when we had it later for dinner back in our apartment) from an interesting
Corsican who recommended his friend who was the owner of the very same Sini nearby. We had excellent Corsican food there.
The day after we arrived we took a walk of over a kilometer to a supermarket to stock up and took the bus back. On two occasions I also took the five minute walk to a nearby
Gee walks on the rocks.
We always tried to explore the areas around us. bakery for the usual French baguette because we had forgotten to order from reception the day before.
Visiting the
French Riviera was relaxing and enjoyable especially following our hectic schedule in Greece, Istanbul and the Cinque Terre. Each year the area hosts 50%!o(MISSING)f the world's super yacht fleet while 90%!v(MISSING)isit at least once in a lifetime and of course many of the world's celebrities have homes in Monaco and the region generally. And why not? It's enchanting, especially if money is no obstacle.
Oh! I nearly forgot to mention it but I was very excited about
paragliding off the towering cliff at the back of the resort, to Jeanette's absolute dismay and disapproval. Watching the para gliders circling in the sky above and coming to a gentle landing on the beach below was captivating so I called to make the arrangements to be picked up, only to find out that the operation had been closed to prevent accidents on the beach below during the peak visitor season. Those I saw must have been private people. I guess that provided noticeable relief to an apprehensive wife and that was the end of that. I won't bungy jump
Clay tennis courts near our resort.
The French love clay but I find it too slow for my game and have never enjoyed playing on it. or throw myself out of a plane, but paragliding, with an experienced pilot of course, attracts me.
Before making this third trip to Europe we knew that much of it would involve walking so that our regular visits to the gym at home in Calgary paid off handsomely. On many occasions we found that we had to use an unprecedented number of steep steps at most of the places we visited and the ones up
Lycabettus Hill in Athens were fairly challenging. I am exceedingly proud of Jeanette who was a real trooper in handling it all very well.
Everywhere that we went throughout our trip, we never hesitated to engage people in conversation and in every single instance we can say that these interactions were positive, enjoyable, beneficial in many direct ways and always rewarding. One particular lady and her daughter were particularly delightful and we are sure that we will maintain contact.
In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed this our third visit to Europe. We learned a great deal more about its culture, history and cuisine and enjoyed every minute of the time we spent there. It is true that conflict exists here and everywhere but Steep steps in our area.
Fortunately our past gym work helped us cope with endless steps throughout this vacation. I learned that for the most part people have the same basic hope and aspiration of a decent life for themselves and their families and it is only the corruption and greed of some leaders that get in the way.
I am part of the so called New World which in reality is just some 200 odd years old, so I have an even greater respect for Europe's influence on my language, culture and history than ever before. I have learned a lot more, having seen and touched evidence of a distant past, and come away with an enhanced perspective of life and a deeper understanding of the complexities that drive our world generally. I have always considered myself an international person anyway, not bound by the limitations of borders and politics and I value greatly the friendships, both new and old, that I have made with people from many countries, races, religions and backgrounds. I hope that one consequence of this vacation will be that I am even more open to new ideas and thinking, and more empathetic and understanding of what brings us together and not what divides us, because we are one people under the sun. As Solomon said, "..there is nothing new under the sun.", so I hope that I am a better person for it all.
So get up, get out, go travel, learn and enjoy life as we all ought to. Blessings! Roger
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Sharon
non-member comment
fabulous
Fantastic reading. I remember the south of France with great fondness when H used to fly there regularly. Nice, Marseille, and Cannes, with dinner always in outdoor restaurants in unbelievable atmospheres. Always lobster and fish one way or another. Great memories, and thanks for your fantastic blogs.