Day 1 On the Côte d'Azur
And here we are. It’s hard to believe that after 3 years, we have finally planned a new tour to Italy. The tour is set to start on September 15th. However, for the next few weeks, we are embarking on a road trip through France and the UK, with the intention of potentially planning a tour for 2024.
The 17-hour Emirates long-haul flight to Dubai passed relatively easily for me, as I managed to sleep for 12 hours! I did have some assistance, though. Our first experience in Premium Economy was definitely worth it. compared to the 7-hour flight to Nice which seemed to drag on forever. After waiting in a queue for over an hour to get our rental car, we found that both of our phones wouldn’t connect to the internet. As a result, we had no directions to our Airbnb. We knew we were in a medieval village in the hills between Nice and Antibes. When we called for help, our host informed us that she was in the bar at the top of the village and would meet us there. Miraculously, we eventually found ourselves navigating the narrow winding roads heading to the Chateau that we knew was at the top of Cagnes sur Mer. The Norwegian interior decorator boys who own the Airbnb were also parked up at the bar and were enjoying a day visit.
So, for the next 4 days, we are staying in a super cute, extremely small apartment in a narrow cobbled alley. The village is simply gorgeous, and the square is surrounded by restaurants.
Unsurprisingly, tiredness set in early, and sleeping wasn’t difficult. Philip had a bright idea and changed the internet provider, so now we are able to find our way around again. Our first day was a slow start, including washing and walking through the narrow streets. We decided to park and take the little free bus down the hill to a bus stop, from where we continued on to Antibes for the afternoon.
The beaches were teeming with sunbathers and swimmers. Antibes boasts a beautiful old town which we discovered after a hot walk along the coastal walkway. Here, we also found hundreds of restaurants and many tourists. Rule number 1: stay away from the front row of restaurants. We stumbled upon a busy but evidently family-run restaurant that promptly served us two cold beers and two enormous salads
Antibes is famous for being the home of Pablo Picasso for many years. He purchased the Grimaldi villa overlooking the azure blue Mediterranean and produced a substantial volume of work from here. The villa has now become the Pablo Picasso Museum, and we were in awe of his work adorning the walls. I particularly loved his painted collection of plates, of which there were 56.
It’s easy to feel out of place in this world of beautiful hilltop villas and grand, luxurious boats. However, this stunning coastline is enjoyed by many French people and tourists alike, all on holiday and relishing the consistently hot sunny days. I read today that there will be no rain here until late September, and the gardens have to endure the dry weather. I am thoroughly impressed with all the planting along the walkways – dry gardens with plants that thrive in arid conditions, and they look fabulous.
Our first day in Cagnes sur Mer concluded with dinner in the square which, was filled with locals for the summer concert – this is usually Jazz every Friday but tonight was a Gospel Group. Surreal Really !!!
