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Oh là là Côte d’Azur
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Oh là là Côte d’Azur

Piggybacking on Laurie's business trip to Sophia Antipolis (who could resist, right?), hence will make our HQs in Antibes.
Truly looking forward to explore as much as we can, and of course Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup :) Read more
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  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Garden of Eden

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Fortified thus we set out for our next visit - Fort Carré. It's a bit of a haul, not overly much, about 3.5km, and while at it, we stumbled upon this piece of Heaven aptly named The Garden of Eden.
    The focal point of the same name is on the wall. done by two artists coming together to present this chimeric work by MONKEYBIRD, a detailed fresco spanning 120 m².

    MonkeyBird is a French stencil-work duo composed of Louis and Edouard. Their universe is an invitation to a surreal and wonderful world. Time loses its meaning, slipping away before an almost magical tangle of stencils that sketch out their chimeric world stratum by stratum. Together, MonkeyBird walks us through the maze of utopian cities. In their expert hands, the stencil becomes lace. The finesse of the technique harmonises perfectly with that of the mind.    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Port Vauban

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    The old port of Antibes, stretching from what is now Porte Marine to Bastion Saint-Jaume, has been in use since ancient times - the bay at Saint-Roch was used by the Phoenicians as a commercial port and naval base. Its current layout dates back to the 1970s.

    The port has a water area of approximately 62 acres, including a total berthing length of 4,200 linear meters and a total capacity of 1501 places. That makes it the largest harbor in Europe, and it's considered to be "The Yachting Mecca of Mediterranean."
    We had to completely circle around it on our way to the Fort and did so on Esplanade Simone Veil - a Holocaust Survivor and French Polititian.
    The building in the last photo most likely is a hotel but we couldn't find out which one    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    FORT CARRÉ

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Located on the Saint-Roch peninsula, Fort Carré "The Squre Fort" offers a panoramic view of Antibes, its port, and the entire Baie des Anges.
    Built on the orders of the King of France Henry II in the middle of the XVI century, Fort Carré served at the time as both a sentinel for the nearby border with the County of Nice and as a defense post for Antibes, the last French port before this border.
    Operational since 1585, Fort Carré experienced its first attack in 1592 and remained a strategic site until the XIX century.
    Classified as a Historic Monument in 1905, restored by volunteers of the Club du Vieux Manoir between 1979 and 1985, Fort Carré was finally bought by the City of Antibes Juan-les-Pins in 1997 and opened, in 1998, as a Museum.

    Fort as seen from the Esplanade Simone Veil
    Getting to the Entrance
    Parade Ground
    The Chapel
    Casemates    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Outside the walls of Fort Carre

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Antibes Bastion.
    The grave of Arlon Limburg

    Fort Carré is also a home to the monumental statue of Poilu, erected in honor of the soldiers who died for France during the First World War.

    It took sculptor Henri Bouchard four years to erect the monument, which measures 22 meters high and is therefore the tallest monument to war dead in France.

    At the inauguration in 1927, 261 names were mentioned. Antibes is in fact one of the communes in France which lost the greatest number of its children during the WWI

    There was a fleamarket going on which we checked out before heading out back to Old Town

    And on the way back we saw this Bentley with a green color that just seemed to yell ' WHY?!?!'    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Art Galery

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Just getting into the town, we spotted a gallery exhibiting the works of a French sculptor Jean-Marie Fondacaro and checked that out

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler
    22

    Plat du Jour at Pizzeria L'Oro Bianco

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Don't let the "pizzeria " fool you!!!
    So for 17 Euros a person we both had Grilled Seabass with rice and veggies, washing it down with a glass of Rose and Crème Brule (Laurie) and chocolate mousse (moi) for dessert.
    I'm not entirely sure what grew out of me head while I was waiting....

    Then we walked the streets so.e more    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Chapelle Saint-Bernardin d'Antibes

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    The St Bernardin chapel, named in homage to Bernardin Albizeschi (XIV century), dates from the XVI century. The side door, rue St Bernardin, in solid walnut, is dated March 20, 1581.
    The chapel has been classified as a historic monument since 1989 and was completely renovated between 1995 and 2011.
    Get the whole skinny at https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapelle_Saint-…    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    If you happy and you know it, clink your

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    ... glass 🍺🍺..
    This is getting to the point where we might as well give up the apartment and just live here... happily, of course 🫠
    We are back at L'Ardoise, getting happy only today is beer time which is also cheaper than cocktails,...so we can get happier 😀
    Laurie is drinking Stella and I opted to try Monaco and have to admit that this is definitely giving beloved Radler (limon serveza) a run for its money
    We also discovered Garden of the Martyrs of the Resistance, just off the side of "our" square.    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler
    2

    Dusk at Bastion Saint Jeume

    September 17, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    We went back to the Bastion to get some photos of the area all lit up.
    The Nomade us just as awesome at night as it is in the day!
    We then walked to the apartment through Market Provençal which at this time of the day becomes one giant restaurant 🙃
    Too many yummy things to consider for the days to come 😋

    And so ends the day
    Bon unit mon cherris 🌙    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Rainy day breakfast

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    Guess what? The rain caught up with us again ( and that's in the place where, according to locals, it never rains (where DO they think they are? SoCal? Not on a plain in Spain? 🤔).
    Anyway the planned outing to Cannes is now postponed till tomorrow.
    Meanwhile another quintessential le petit-déjeuner ala France of baguette, chicken, Provençal ham and tomatoes while we are contemplating on where on the coast to buy our €1,000,000.00 villa 😀    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Plage du Pontail

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    There always must be Plan B, right? Although the weather was still unstable, we decided to chance it after thoroughly studying prognosis, maps, radars, and so on. Capitalizing on possible breaks in rain patterns, we bsnked on the fact that we could get places during lulls and, if need be, seek shelters on the way.
    It was still very much overcast when we hit this beach, but The Sea was calm    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Villas and Mansions along Blvd du Cap

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    As we left the beaches promenade, there was a steady climb up Boulevard du Cap.
    It became apparent very fast that no mere mortals live here. These shots are just few of the (ahem 🙄) houses that line the Blvd. A lot you can't see what with high walls, long driways that curb to the side, and/or all greenery surrounding the property.

    I do have to say however that I was contemplating to buy that 1st one for my mother-in law    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler
    41

    Villa Thuret

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    This was our 1st object of the day: Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret a.k.a. Thuret Botanical Gardens.
    The Gardens were created by Gustave Thuret, a French botanist with a special interest in algae, and was the first privately funded research laboratory in France.
    Scientists were not the only ones to visit Gustave Thuret’s garden - it was also popular with diplomats and artists. In 1868, in “Letters of a Traveller”, Georges Sand wrote that it was “...The loveliest garden I have ever seen...”
    More info can be glimpsed at on Wiki:
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_botaniqu….

    So, as " botanical," it's more focused on trees, shrubs, etc. There were some things in Bloom, but not much.
    What we found out was the fact that there are many artwork sculptures there.
    as you can see, I took my share of pics.

    It was also while we were there that rain caught up with us for a spell. Thankfully, it was not heavy, and we were able to shelter in a gazebo for perhaps 20 minutes. After that, it was more of a slight nuisance, and finally the skies brightened up    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Camino re-visited.

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Completing our visit to the Gardens, we set out to our 2nd object of interest.
    Almost immediately our route became a rocky, craggy set of steps that fast ly reminded me of ascent on the way to Zubiri

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garoupe

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Former Ligurian oppidum , the site has long had a spiritual vocation. The Romans celebrated the Moon goddess Selene there . In the V century , the place was equipped with an oratory dedicated to Saint Helena following her stopover in Antibes (then Antipolis) on her return from Jerusalem .
    The construction of a first chapel dates back to the Middle Ages. Around 1520 , the Cordeliers built a convent there, the sanctuary of which was dedicated to Notre-Dame de la Garde thanks to a donation from René de Savoie .

    Around 300 ex-votos are placed on the walls and in the church, the oldest of which dates from 1506 . Also worth noting is a painting of the Assumption from the Brea school , a Byzantine icon from 1575 and objects collected during the siege of Sevastopol .    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    On the Plateau Garoupe

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    The Garoupe plateau is a plateau located on the Cap d'Antibes peninsula , in the commune of Antibes Juan-les-Pins .
    The name of the place refers to the camelea , a Mediterranean shrub very present on the site and whose Provencal name is garopa , transcribed garoupe in French.

    La Garoupe lighthouse is on the peninsula of Cap d'Antibes, at the top of the Plateau de la Garoupe.
    The lighthouse is again open to the public after 25 years of closure,and is the only lighthouse in the region open to the public.
    116 steps will take you to 103 meters of altitude and will allow you to enjoy the magnificent 180° view of the sea, the Esterel, the Mercantour...
    This lighthouse, built in 1948 in limestone is the most powerful on the Mediterranean coast and belongs to the Conservatoire du Littoral.

    There are also a XIIth Station of the Cross and a depiction of Christ being laid in the tomb. More on that later    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Chapelle 2

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    The 1st photo is of painting commemorating the Russian cruiser Varyag. She became famous for her crew's stoicism at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay at the start of the Russo-Japanese War,

    The two frescoes decorating the wall one by Léopold Édouard Collin from 1948 and the other by Jacques-Henri Clergues completed in 1953 . This commemorates the visit of Pope Gregory XI to Antibes in 1376 and the gift of René of Savoy for or the expansion of the chapel in 1520.

    The last 4 photos are of previously mentioned oratory dedicated to Saint Helena.    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    The Way to Calvary

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Saying Adieu to Plateau, we started our descend back to the sea level.
    At first, I did not pay too much attention to the street we were taking being The Way to Calvary. The not so nice boulders lining it all the way down and just as well reminding me of descend to Zubiri on Camino initially took a chunk of my attention as well..
    Only when I stopped to snap a photo and saw what it was it clicked. We were traversing The Stations of The Cross only in reverse!!!(Now you can make the connection to the Station XII depiction we've talked about earlier)
    As you can see, it is a steep and treacherous path. I wondered if in ancient times folks did The Stations while walking up. While not the same, turns out, every year, a festival recalls and solicits the protections that the Virgin has offered to sailors since in the XVIth century, her invocation chased away the bubonic plague from Antibes. Traditionally, the statue of Virgin from The Chapel, sculpted in the trunk of a fig tree is lowered to The Cathedral on the 1st Thursday of July by the way of Calvary, then raised the following Sunday, carried by barefoot sailors 😐.
    It is also a part of the annual ‘Calvaire Antibois’ - a 10km road race through the streets of Cap d’Antibes. The race starts and ends in Le Ponteil.
    The route takes the 500 runners along the coast road of the Cap before leading them through the back streets, up to the Phare, and back down to the start point; The Way of Calvary thus must be run both ways up and down

    The initial sign is for Garoupe Woods, which are next to the Way. Eagle eyes might also notice a missing station, and they would be correct; it seems Station II is nowhere to be found....    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    One guess where we are..😁

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Don't really know what it is, perhaps a very good proximity to the apartment, but we just keep on going back to l'Ardoise.
    Today, after coming back from outing du-jour, we had us some Crepes Creame de Marron (cream of chestnut). Interesting!
    Oh yeah, and we were thirty too...😃
    P.S. those with Camino connections - DO notice the pattern of my plate 😍    Read more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Dinner at DaCito

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    As I mentioned yesterday, the Provençal Market becomes one giant eating plaza in the evening. Tonight, we graced it with our presence by dining on individual pizzas at DaCito. Laurie's covered with dry cured beef while mine is full of anchovies and tiny olives. I also opted for Panache, which is a French version of my beloved Limon Serveza, and Laurie chose HeinekenRead more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Le Nuit

    September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Of course such dinner require a litte post exercise so we took a nightly stroll on Promenade de Amieal de Grassi.
    Here are some nightly photos of the sites we've visited previously during daylight and with that we humbly sing "So long, farewell, Auf viederzein, adieu " to yet another day spent on French RivieraRead more

  • CWBuffOh là là Côte d’AzurTraveler

    Bon Jour Le Monde

    September 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Got back to Amour Cafe before our daily outing.
    Laurie is having the same breakfast as last time but I'm fortifying myself with a bit if more protein 😋
    Eggs, cheese, tomatoes and yes still little hearts in our coffees ☕️ ♥️Read more

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