Day 29 & 30 - Nov. 11-12 - South of France

We had a leisurely morning with fresh figs baked with goat cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and Prosecco for breakfast.

Small cathedral - St. Lambert Tower on left
from 12th-century

It was a national holiday in France, so not many places were open. That afternoon we wandered around the quite deserted city of Vence, which has a population around 18,000. It was an important town in Roman times, and the cathedral (one of the smallest in France) stands on the site of the Roman forum. The stones in the adjacent walls are from Roman times, and some contained names of soldiers of that time.

Tte Marie (town hall)

Vence is a living city, not merely a tourist destination, but it does have numerous art galleries in the medieval pedestrian area.

Dome is St. Bernadette Chapel (now part of an "old folks home"

Auberge de Seigneurs (a one-time stage-coach stop. Family-owned hotel since 1916.
Was frequented by Modigliani, Renoir, etc.

Another early evening.......

The next day we had a very unpleasant morning, as we discovered that our fantastic internet service was not working. We waited until 8:30 to try to phone the owners, only to find that the VOIP phone in Susan's office was also dead. So, we had no way to contact anyone.

And, it was another rainy day.

We finally set out and stopped at the wonderful boulangerie/patisserie to pick up bread and Ron went to get a newspaper. The boulangerie is very popular, and there is a constant line of 10-15 people. You make your selection, and then go to an adjacent counter where there are three cashiers to pay. Following are several photos of all the sweets - a mind-boggling selection. I didn't get pictures of the counters displaying the savories and breads.

Finding these kinds of shops is one of the experiences we enjoy in Europe. We appreciate the beauty and variety even though we are not big sweet-eaters.

We drove through Cagnes-sur-Mer (our closest big town with population around 45,000), past the famous Hippodrome (huge horse-racing track). Drove through Villeneuve-Loubet on the River Loup. It has a 2 1/2 mile beach and a huge marina. It is also the location of the culinary museum, which is in the home where the famous chef, Escoffier was born. Escoffier created the "Peach Melba" and worked with Caesar Ritz at the Ritz in Paris and Savoy in London. He is buried in the local cemetary. It is also the site of a huge complex called Marina Baie des Anges - four enormous apartment buildings built between 1959-89. Each buildig resembles a pyramid in that each floor is smaller in area than the one below it, allowing for enormous terraces for most of the apartments. There are 1,600 apartments (I think they are condos) and 6,000 residents. The complex is worth about 500 million Euros. There is another tower wth hotel and also a marina. I read there are actually tours available.

Marina Baie des Anges (from web-site)

Next we passed through Antibes (population 73,000) and the Port of Vauban, one of the largest marinas in the Mediterranean and cruise ships dock here. The entire area is known for commercial flower-growing. There are 800 firms maintaining about 50-acres under greenhouses (roses, carnations, anemones and tulips).

In Restaurant Le Capitole

Our destination was Juan-les-Pins, a resort on the Cap d'Antibes peninsula (an area where, according to Eyewitness Travel "millionaire's mansions grow"). It is considered one of the most attractive resorts on the Riviera with "exotic" pine trees and sand beaches. We were hoping to find a nice restaurant for lunch and Wi-Fi. One of the old guide books in our house had mentioned "Le Capitole", so we programmed the address in, not really knowing what to expect. We parked in a lot behind the street and walked to the restaurant which looked charming and the menu (always posted outside) sounded great. The premises were formerly a grocery shop, and the original shelving remains in place.

I was intrigued by the "specialty" appetizer, described as a cheese pancake. I would describe them more as cheese croquettes - there were three large ones - too much! Ron had escargot for appetizer and a huge charcuterie plate for main. My main course was moules frites (mussels and fries) - and I am not exaggerating that there were at least 6-dozen of them. They were tiny and tender. I ate and ate, and hardly made a dent in them.

Appetizer - "cheese pancake"

Ron's snails

Mussels

Charcuterie and kraut

Some of the old grocery shelving

 After lunch we walked in the rain with our lone, broken umbrella, and found a grocery store open where we were able to get new "brollies".

There were many "mega-yachts" in the harbor

Juan-les-Pins is known for its "jazz" and night-life which began during the 1920's when the first American tourists arrived. An industrialist, Jay Frank Gould, established the first casino and the area attracted "jet-setters" who danced to music by Cole Porter which such luminaries as Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. In 1926 the famous Hotel Le Provencal opened, attracting guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Man Ray, and movie producer, Jack Warner, who later built a seaside home here. After WWII, jazz became even more important with big festivals featuring Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, et. al. There is a walk-of-fame with handprints of these famous musicians.

After our stroll in the rain we drove to the Siesta Casino in nearby Antibes. There was free admission and a large non-smoking area. Some familiar machines and some new games. Played about an hour. As usual, I ended behind and Ron ahead.

We then returned to our cozy home, wishing that the Internet had somehow come back, but alas!