It was a beautiful day, and we drove along the sea through Nice, and headed to Villefranche-sur-Mer, which is located between Nice and Cap Ferrat. To give an idea of the traffic and roads, the GPS indicated it was 13 miles, but would take us 46-minutes. With urban "spread", today it is considered a "suburb" of Nice. The fortifications were built around 1560. It is situated on a slope above the deepest harbor in the Mediterranean - up to 320-feet deep with an "abyss" just south reaching 1,700-feet. Huge cruise ships can come into the harbor, and over 150 ships visit each year, making it the most frequently visited cruise port in France. Of interest to Americans, the 6th fleet was based here from 1948 until 1966 when DeGaulle withdrew France from NATO.
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| Mary at La Mayssa with Fort du Mont Alban in background |
Sitting on the terrace we observed the people around us and noticed several examples of the "May-December" relationship, something that seems much more common in Europe and Asia than in the US. Ron said some of these pairs looked more like a "February-December" relation - with young women clinging demonstrably to some older gentlemen approaching or in their 80's.
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| Crab, avocado, tomato, olive oil with basil |
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| Ron's ordinary $20 linguine |
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| Chapelle St-Pierre |
After lunch we walked across to the old town, and walked up into the narrow alleys, following the small Rue du Poilu through the village. We saw the medieval Chapelle St-Pierre (St. Peter's Chapel) which was used for a long time for storing fishing nets until it was renovated in 1957. The artist, writer, playwright, Jean Cocteau, painted the frescoes.
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| Mary making it up the hill |
Once we got to a certain point, we had no choice but to continue walking UP. The little alleys were mostly deserted, but offered interesting "peeks" through passageways down to the sea. The colors of the buildings, the sea, and often with laundry hanging from balconies made quite a picture. Our camera is not good enough to capture multiple layers of depth.
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| From terrace of Carpaccio |
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| Along the waterfront in Villefranche-sur-Mer |
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| We watched this commercial fisherman hauling ice for his fish in a bin down the street |
The fishing industry that was so important in Villefranche is dying out, as new regulations, rising fuel prices, and other factors cause fishermen to give it up or at least move to less expensive areas. We were surprsed to read that Villefranche is one of the most desirable areas on the Med, and homes on the waterfront may sell for 100 Million EUROS or more. Most the of the buyers are Eastern European, mostly Russians. What happened to this picture - when the US was the wealthy country in the 1960's and 70's, and the Russians were standing in soup lines? They are building lots of "faux" villas here now - modern structures meant to resemble the old villas - for the "nouveaux riche".
We walked several "blocks" back to the car, and next drove to St. Jean Cap Ferrat (another hugely expensive area), where we switched from our sauntering, cafe-mode to being a tourist, and visited the Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild. Beatrice Rothschild was 19 when she married Maurice Ephrussi, who was 15 years older than she. Her family was wealthier, but approved the marriage as they thought he would be "useful" in helping them build trade with Russia. He was a BIG gambler and by 1904 his debts amounted to the equivalent of 30 Million Euros today. He was also a "philanderer" and gave her an STD which prevented her from ever having children. After about 20 years of marriage, the Rothschilds managed to win a separation. Afterward Beatrice built this villa. She planned every detail of it, including about 17-acres of gardens in nine different styles. It was one of the most impressive villas we have seen - nicer than some of the royal palaces.
Beatrice was a woman after my own heart. She built her villa close to Monaco, as women were allowed into the casino there to gamble, which was forbidden in France. She loved to play backgammon and poker! I would have been happy to attend the parties she held at her villa for these activities. She also believed in all the modern conveniences (well before they became common), and had full bathrooms fitted for each bedroom in the villa. She also had an elevator and forced-air heating And, she was one of the few people to have the "new-fangled" telephone, which most "aristocrats" did not like. She had it in her boudoir and was available for anyone to call. Speaking of her boudoir - it was on the main floor near the salons and reception areas. Ron said he wondered why it was so close, and I said, "It seems practical since she was fond of parties - if she had a few too many glasses of wine, she wouldn't have to climb the stairs."
She also belonged to a flying club, played tennis, attended boxing matches, rode horses, skated, and loved the horse races and had her own stable. Ladies of her time didn't usually participate in these activities.
She also seemed to have some eccentricities - such as having a menagerie of animals around here including poodles, monkeys, a mongoose, and parrots. She had miniature expensive furniture made for them, held conversations with them, and at one time even organized an enormous formal wedding for two poodles. You would have to read about it to believe it!
I would definitely enjoy learning more about this unique woman.
The collections she had inside are astouding - things from Marie Antoinette, Aubusson rugs, rugs from Kings and Popes, Chinoiserie, Meissen china, and on and on. We weren't interested in all the details, but it was amazing what she had amassed. She bequeathed it all to some sort of French organization for the preservation of the arts.
We drove out, back through Nice during rush-hour traffic (leaves my stomach in knots), and went into Cagnes-sur-Mer where we had programmed the address for a Vietnamese restaurant which is rated #2 of ALL restaurants in the city. We were on the correct street, but were not able to find it. After a few attempts - which is much more difficult than I can describe - I said, "Let's get a baguette and have some tuna." Ron agreed, and off we went to our boulangerie. We decided we would try the Vietnamese place another day.
It was about 6:30 when we reached there, and when Ron ordered "un baguette", the lady said they were already finished and offered us another stick of bread (don't know what it was called). Ron took it and got in the line for the cashier. Shortly, a lady behind the counter said to Ron - words to the effect - that they now had fresh baguettes and would he like to exchange. He said "Oui", and the lady in front of him in line said she would take the one he had, and grabbed it from him. It was quite funny.
We then made our way home. By the time I get there, my fingers and toes all feel like they are numb from all the stressful "cramping" I do at every blind turn. I am the ultimate "white-knuckle rider". At least in a plane you aren't seeing every danger approaching you! Ron would like silence as he concentrates - instead he gets my constant, "Yike", "Ei!", "Watch out", "the wall is too close" and so forth. We need a video of some of these drives!
The baguette was hot and fresh, and the tuna (made with American mayo and Starkist tuna we had transported across the ocean) hit the spot. That was our day. A great day, but Ron was snoozing on the sofa, while I read and worked on blog until midnight.
Beatrice was a woman after my own heart. She built her villa close to Monaco, as women were allowed into the casino there to gamble, which was forbidden in France. She loved to play backgammon and poker! I would have been happy to attend the parties she held at her villa for these activities. She also believed in all the modern conveniences (well before they became common), and had full bathrooms fitted for each bedroom in the villa. She also had an elevator and forced-air heating And, she was one of the few people to have the "new-fangled" telephone, which most "aristocrats" did not like. She had it in her boudoir and was available for anyone to call. Speaking of her boudoir - it was on the main floor near the salons and reception areas. Ron said he wondered why it was so close, and I said, "It seems practical since she was fond of parties - if she had a few too many glasses of wine, she wouldn't have to climb the stairs."
She also belonged to a flying club, played tennis, attended boxing matches, rode horses, skated, and loved the horse races and had her own stable. Ladies of her time didn't usually participate in these activities.
She also seemed to have some eccentricities - such as having a menagerie of animals around here including poodles, monkeys, a mongoose, and parrots. She had miniature expensive furniture made for them, held conversations with them, and at one time even organized an enormous formal wedding for two poodles. You would have to read about it to believe it!
I would definitely enjoy learning more about this unique woman.
The collections she had inside are astouding - things from Marie Antoinette, Aubusson rugs, rugs from Kings and Popes, Chinoiserie, Meissen china, and on and on. We weren't interested in all the details, but it was amazing what she had amassed. She bequeathed it all to some sort of French organization for the preservation of the arts.
We drove out, back through Nice during rush-hour traffic (leaves my stomach in knots), and went into Cagnes-sur-Mer where we had programmed the address for a Vietnamese restaurant which is rated #2 of ALL restaurants in the city. We were on the correct street, but were not able to find it. After a few attempts - which is much more difficult than I can describe - I said, "Let's get a baguette and have some tuna." Ron agreed, and off we went to our boulangerie. We decided we would try the Vietnamese place another day.
It was about 6:30 when we reached there, and when Ron ordered "un baguette", the lady said they were already finished and offered us another stick of bread (don't know what it was called). Ron took it and got in the line for the cashier. Shortly, a lady behind the counter said to Ron - words to the effect - that they now had fresh baguettes and would he like to exchange. He said "Oui", and the lady in front of him in line said she would take the one he had, and grabbed it from him. It was quite funny.
We then made our way home. By the time I get there, my fingers and toes all feel like they are numb from all the stressful "cramping" I do at every blind turn. I am the ultimate "white-knuckle rider". At least in a plane you aren't seeing every danger approaching you! Ron would like silence as he concentrates - instead he gets my constant, "Yike", "Ei!", "Watch out", "the wall is too close" and so forth. We need a video of some of these drives!
The baguette was hot and fresh, and the tuna (made with American mayo and Starkist tuna we had transported across the ocean) hit the spot. That was our day. A great day, but Ron was snoozing on the sofa, while I read and worked on blog until midnight.
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