16th-Chapter-Cannes-Winter
Cannes, Sunday, March 24, 2024
The weather has been great, low to mid 60’s, usually nice and sunny. Looks like we have a bit of rain ahead next week.
Cannes, Wednesday, March 20, 2024
We are locked and loaded for our Mid-April trip.
We fly into Budapest, train to Vienna, train to Prague, and fly home from there to Nice. Lodgings and transportation are all set. Now researching things to see and eat.
Rebecca has been nursing a cold for the last few weeks but is feeling better now.
Cannes, Sunday, March 17, 2024
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Cannes, Sunday, March 3, 2024
We are making plans to visit Prague, Vienna, and Budapest in mid-April. We will fly into Budapest and return from Prague with train connections between the cities.
Golfe-Juan, Saturday, March 2, 2024
It is about an hour’s walk from our place to the village of Golfe-Juan, so today I made the trek to witness the reenactment of Napoleon’s return to France where he landed at Golfe Juan with about 1,200 troops. This is an annual event.
Exiled to the Italian island of Elba in 1814, Napoleon escaped and landed on the beach at Golfe Juan with 1,200 men at 15:00 on 1st March 1815. He then made his way to Cannes, then onto Le Cannet, Mougins, Mouans Sartoux and Grasse. It was whilst he was crossing through Provence to Sisteron that he made his way to Laffrey, where he was met by royal guards sent by King Louis XVIII to arrest him, who instead supported him.
He continued on to Paris, arriving at the Tuileries Palace on 20th March, 1815. Briefly returned to power during his ‘Hundred Days’ campaign, after a crushing defeat to the English at the Battle of Waterloo he abdicated the throne and was exiled again, this time to the island of St. Helena where he died at the age of 51.
Walking along the sea, on the way home, I noticed several prime-location homes that had been abandoned. I’m not sure why.
plus two random pix.
Cannes, Thursday, February 29, 2024
The weather has been great the last few days (especially for late February) so we have enjoyed time on the patio. Rebecca has been nursing a bad cold.
Menton, Wednesday, February 21, 2024
We took the train along the sea to Menton (1H) with our Nice friends Sheila and Bruch to visit the Fête du Citron.
The famous lemon festival of Menton (Fête du Citron) is a “homegrown” event organised in its entirety by Menton Town Council. Every year, the festival attracts 240,000 visitors from France and abroad, in just a fortnight of celeb.rations.
From the citrus-fruit structures reaching heights of several metres, down to the tiniest detail in the town’s flowerbeds, the entire council staff plays a part in the Fête du Citron preparations. It is also sometimes called Carnaval de Menton (Carnival of Menton).
The festival celebrates the annual production of speciality lemons and other citrus fruit in Menton. All the floats and sculptures present at the carnival are created from lemons and oranges
Also ongoing was an orchid festival.
After viewing the outdoor sculptures we had lunch along the harbor at Les Incompris (Les Sablettes, 8 Quai Gordon Bennet 7 et,) The Pizza was excellent.
In the evening we watched the movie CODA on Apple+. We highly recommend it.
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.
Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monday, February 19, 2024
We took the train to Villefranche-sur-Mer for lunch with some friends and to see the ´Combat Naval Fleuri’ (Battle of the Flowers) which takes place at the port.
Soon after the final boat glides by the spectators, the actual “flower battle” begins. The same boats once again parade in front of the crowd. This time, though, they throw flowers at the people lined along the shore.
In theory, the people along the shore are supposed to throw the flowers back. But, in reality most people prefer to keep the fresh flowers they nab rather than throw them away. The real battle therefore tends to be between the spectators. As bouquets of flowers are launched into the air, everyone pushes and shoves each other to try to grab them. By the end of the event, most people on the shore are holding armfuls of slightly bashed up flowers. And the waters along the shore are a multicolored carpet of carnations and mimosas.
Nice, Saturday, February 17, 2024
We had a delightful day in Nice today.
We joined our friends Sheila and Bruce for dinner and then went to the opening of the Nice Carnival together.
The Nice Carnival is the No. 1 carnival in France and one of the three most famous and beautiful carnivals in the world, alongside Rio and Venice.
Its international renown makes the Carnival one of the Côte d’Azur’s top winter events. Every winter, in February, for 2 weeks of festivities, the Carnival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors!
The sumptuously decorated floats, colourful costumes, performances by troupes from France and Europe, explosions of colour and lively music make Carval an unmissable event!
Here are a few shots.
When we returned I found out that my new Passport had arrived in the mail. It only took a month. Good for another 10 years of travel.
Cannes, Thursday, February 15, 2024
French tax
Occasionally I have to pay the French tax, this is an error made because I don’t speak or read French.
Today it was a bag of what I thought was a butterflied Shrimp. It turns out it was frog legs (irony?)
Oooops.
Elsewhere, I did get in a few local shots.
Cannes, Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Valentine’s Day cactus, mixed message?
Cannes, Monday, February 12, 2024
After a bit of work fighting the online booking site, we were able to get seats for the opening night of the Nice Carnival parade this Saturday evening. We hear that it is a very colorful event and the third-largest Carnival in the world.
Nice Carnival, the premier international Carnival in France, is the most important winter event on the Côte d’Azur. Two weeks of festivities bring the city of Nice to life – the “Carnival Parades” (“Corsi”) day and night, and the elegant “Flower Parades” are on the schedule for this unmissable event. Lots of floats decorated and presented under the season’s theme parade to the rhythm of street art troupes and musical groups from all kinds of backgrounds (from all over the world), all in a colourful, festive, family atmosphere.
We will be meeting up with our friends Sheila and Bruce before the show.
Cannes, Saturday, February 10, 2024
The Darty (appliance store) delivery guys came today (in the pouring rain) to install our new TV. We like it and Rebecca can now hear more French.
Before and after.
Cannes, Thursday & Friday, February 8-9, 2024
Cannes is host to an international Artificial Intelligence Conference today and tomorrow. I snagged a ticket, explored the floor exhibits, and sat in on a few discussions. It was interesting.
Nice, Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Today we went to Nice to have lunch with our friends, Bruce, Sheila and Veronika.
I went ahead to visit Ikea and return an item. On the tram there I met a nice couple (Dayne & Gardner) from Boston who have a house in Cannes that they are remodeling. We had a nice chat and will get together in a few weeks after they move into their new home.
For lunch, we revisited La Favola (13 cours Saleya) in the old town.
Nice is getting ready for the festival parade by erecting seating on the main street. We hope to join our friends on the 17 for the evening parade.
Cannes, Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Rebecca and I have been discussing getting a TV set. I haven’t had one for several years as I have been using my Projector as a TV. Recently the bulb burned out and the replacement bulbs have not delivered a decent picture.
We are looking into a 65 or 75-inch set that will fit our wall nicely. The next step is to negotiate the price.
UPDATE- We went back to Darty and purchased a 75-inch TV to be installed on Saturday.
Cannes, Monday, February 5, 2024
We had an interesting sunrise with the sun poking through the clouds.
Cannes, Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Today we met another set of new friends at Volupe restaurant. Paul and Justine. They have a home in Vance where they spend a few winter months and live full-time in upstate NY.
We spent several hours talking with them and hope to get together again while they are here. We are discussing a day trip to Monaco together.
Cannes, Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Happy birthday to my eldest daughter Katie.
Looking good girl.
Rebecca and I had a lovely coffee break (Volupté with some new friends from Cannes today, Francesca and Robert. He is from England and she is from the US.
Aix / Baux, Sunday, January 28, 2024
Today’s adventure was a drive to Chateau-Fortress des Baux , to visit a medieval village about 1H/30M north of Aix.
We took some side roads to get there as the French farmers were having protests by blocking some highways.
The Château des Baux-de-Provence was built in the 11th century for the Lords of Baux, one of the most powerful families of lower Provence in medieval times. Les Baux was struck several times by local wars, including the Baussenque wars between 1145 and 1162 because of a conflict for the succession of the county of Provence. The fortress suffered many assaults and fights during the following decades. Several lords wanted to control this stronghold from which one could see, when the weather was clement, as far as the Mediterranean Sea. In the 13th century, 3,000 inhabitants lived in the village of Les Baux-de-Provence.
After our visit, we returned to Aix for dinner (Cafe le Grillon) and a walk about town.
After our tour, our friends kindly dropped us off a the Aix TVG station for our 6:47 TGV back to Cannes via Marseille (1 hour layover). We arrived home in Cannes on Sunday at 10:00 PM
Aix / Marseille, Saturday, January 27, 2024
We took the 7:31 AM TGV train (2H/15M) along the sea to Aix en Provence to spend the weekend with our long-time friends Andy and Michelle. They graciously put us up at their home.
After a nice breakfast, we ventured to Marseille to explore.
Among the interesting things we saw was The Docks a converted warehouse building near the train station.
The docks were built between 1858 and 1863 by Gustave Desplaces measuring over 400 metres with four interlinked warehouse buildings and a fantastic administration centre (brick and stone Louis XIII style). Each warehouse was based around a central courtyard with six floors of retail space, similar to those in London
We then walked to check out a graffiti neighborhood (Cours Julien) and walked over to the port for the Cosquer Cave experience where we toured a replica of a 30,000-year-old cave with early art.
In 1985, Henri Cosquer, an experienced scuba diver and underwater enthusiast, went diving in les Calanques, his vast playground. That day, he dived towards the cap of Morgiou, a place he was used to surveying . At a depth of 36 meters, a cavity dug into the rock wall caught his eye and he decided to explore it. This is the beginning of a great adventure for this man who will make a major discovery that will change his life. At the end of the immersed gallery, which is nearly 175 metrers long, he discovers a real treasure dating back 30,000 years: more than 480 works of art painted or engraved on the rock, penguins, deer, ibex, bison, as well as handprints and traces of a fireplace.
After several trips back and forth over a period of time, between 33,000 and 19,000 BC. The sea at that time was 120 meters below today’s level and the water was several kilometers away.
After our adventure, we had dinner at a local restaurant near their home and retired for the night.
Cannes, Friday, January 26, 2024
We had another coffee meet up this time with Marina and Stefan also Cannes residents. Stefan is originally from Germany, and Marnia is from South America (and speaks several languages)
We had a variety of interesting discussions.
Cannes, Thursday, January 25, 2024
We reached out to a Facebook group seeking new contacts in Cannes.
Today we had a delightful coffee with Liz a long-time Cannes resident from Texas. She was a wealth of local information. We look forward to seeing her again.
Cannes, Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Tonight we attended an American Club of the Riviera event at the Martinez. We met several interesting people. It will be a good source for making new friends.
The objective of the Club is to cultivate social and cultural relationships among Americans, French and other nationals living on or visiting the French Riviera. We preserve and share traditions, language, and culture and promote a continuing exchange of friendship and understanding between organizations of public interest with similar goals or purposes
Ventimiglia, Italy, Friday, January 19, 2024
Friday is Market Day in Ventimiglia so we took the train for the 75 KM trip along the coast. It is just across the border into Italy. We were here a few weeks ago and enjoyed the day.
We made it to the train with just minutes to spare being forced to run the last few blocks to the Cannes station.
We arrived around noon so we had lunch at Geppy’s Bistro. (Via Hombury, 15). It was recommended by our friend in Nice and it did not disappoint.
After we spent an hour walking among the various vendors then we set out to explore the village. The day was a bit overcast and not as crowded as our earlier visit.
After walking up and down the hills we found ourselves a bit hungry so we stopped at Mondino (via Rome, 38) a local Panetteria for a light bite.
Catching the 4:30 PM train home we encountered three interesting people on the train.
The first was a gent originally from Ireland, who lives in Antibes. He had previously lived in Switzerland and Malta and had some interesting comments regarding each. After he got off at his stop we struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was sitting next to him. He was originally from Martinique. Finally, as we neared our stop we engaged with a lady who was originally from Canada and now lives in Cannes. We exchanged contact information.
It was a fun day trip.
Cannes, Thursday, January 18, 2024
Today I took a long walk to La Bocca about 5 KM from home. I was feeling hungry so I hit the Chinese buffet there. I was overserved of course so I walked home logging about 20K steps for the day.
It was quite windy along the sea which made for some cool waves.
Cannes, Tuesday, January 16, 2024
My passport expires this April so I had my photo taken for a renewal today.
The package will be mailed to the US embassy in Paris tomorrow. Hopefully, in 4-6 weeks I will receive a new 10 year Passport.
Antibes, Sunday, January 14, 2024
Today Rebecca and I took the train to Antibes, a short 3 stops away.
There we explored the town and hit a few art shops for a few hours. We had been there before but were more impressed this time.
Then we met our friends Veronika and Mark for a hike along the Tirepoil path in Cap d’Antibes.
Far from any urban area, the coastal path, named the Sentier de Tirepoil, is at the southern end of Cap d’Antibes. This walk, with pathways and steps in the steeper parts, is easy to walk, as long as you wear comfortable shoes.
From the big car park on avenue Andre Sella , you barely have to walk 200m (660ft) to leave the urban area and find yourself looking over Nice and the Baie des Anges. From this point, you’ll only hear the sea, the wind, and seagulls.
Legend has it that the Tirepoil path (literally hair pull) takes its name from the omnipresent wind that ruffles visitors’ hair.
It was a rugged and beautiful walk along the sea. We ran into a nice couple along the path and the girl gave Rebecca her flowers.
After our hike, we relaxed with a hot chocolate at a local eatery in Antibes. It was a lovely day with some nice friends.
Valbonne, Friday, January 12, 2024
The original plan for today was to go to Ventimiglia, Italy to catch market day. It is about an hour and a half train ride but we noticed that the schedule was mostly canceled for this morning.
So we changed plans and headed to Valbonne, a half-hour bus ride (Bus 663/ 2.5 eu each) from Cannes. It is a quaint town and features a decent English-language bookstore.
We arrived around noon and discovered that it was market day as well.
Rebecca was hungry so we headed to the town square and caught lunch. While dining we struck up a conversation with a very nice couple from Norway who have a house in a nearby town. They have lived in the area for 17 years and split their time between there and Oslo.
After lunch, we explored the village a bit and headed to the bookstore. I scored 5 new Stewart Woods books and Rebecca picked up a few favorites as well. They will have a good home in our new bookcase. Rebecca also scored a nice set of book ends for our reading.
We returned in the early afternoon after our little 10 EU adventure.
Cannes, Saturday, January 4, 2024
Another lovely Cannes sunset.
Cannes, Thursday, January 4, 2024
Today we received delivery on two new items for our apartment.
- A bookcase for Rebecca’s books
- A rug for our living room
Both are welcomed additions to our home
Nice, Tuesday, January 2, 2024
A short train ride to Nice today to visit the Prefecture and pick up our renewed VLS-TS (Visa) cards. It has been a multi-month effort to get them approved and to pick them up.
We arrived a half hour early and the line grew quickly. Fortunately, we were toward the front of the line and finished within an hour.
We are good for another year in France.
After getting our cards, Rebecca went to downtown Nice to shop and I went to Ikea to pick up a floor lamp.
Rebecca saw me from the train as I raced with the lamp to catch the train at a different stop. I just missed it and caught the next train 20 minutes later.
Nice, New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023
New Years Pair-a-Docs
We were invited to Veronika and Mark’s home for a New Year’s afternoon feast. She is an excellent cook and the food was excellent.
We took the train to Nice and met up at Bruce and Sheils’s apartment. There we met two of their friends who are visiting Nice for a few months. David and Anne are retired doctors from the States.
After a short tram ride the six of us walked to our host’s apartment by the port.
The food, company, and conversation capped off a great year.
,
The train’s schedules were sketchy returning home so Mark generously drove us to the station. We caught the next train (9:46 PM) with minutes to spare. On board was a collection of inebriated passengers.
At midnight the New Year was greeted with some fireworks.
Cannes, Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Beautiful sunny day in Cannes, out for a walk, and did a bit of shooting.
Nice, Monday, December 25, 2023
Winter, Winter, Christmas Dinner
Had a wonderful Christmas dinner with some great friends in Nice – Bruce, Sheila, Veronka, and Mark.
Both Nice and Cannes decked out for Christmas.
Cannes, Monday, December 25, 2023
Happy Christmas from Rebecca and Patrick.
Cannes, Sunday, December 24, 2023
Today was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the low 60s. I went out for my daily walk.
Rebecca prepared a Potato Au Gratin for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner in Nice at our friend’s home.
Cannes, Thursday, December 21, 2023
We headed off to Nice to pay the fee (225 eu) for our long-stay visas and to pick them up.
We arrived around 11 AM, wandered around downtown, and then took the tram to the CADAN admin building arriving around 12:30 to line up for a 1 PM opening.
At the entrance gate, we chatted with a guard who became excited when we told him we were from Chicago. A friend of his owned some pull-pork restaurants in Chicago. He called the guy up to get the exact name.
After that encounter, we stood in line at the building entrance waiting to be let in. Around 1:20 PM we finally spoke with the man admitting people.
It turns out that the office is open every weekday, except Thursday. Bummer.
Plan B – We headed off to the local IKEA to do a bit of shopping, checking out a rug for the living room, a floor lamp for reading, and a bookcase. It was helpful to see the items in person.
At the end of the day, we were treated to another beautiful Cannes sunset.
Cannes, Wednesday, December 20, 2023
We have been having trouble with our outdoor laundry sink. It has been leaking water.
Today my handyman Laurent, came by on his motorcycle to fix it. I provided the parts.
He attached the primary replacement piece but the secondary piece did not fit.
He promised to return with the proper piece after Christmas to complete the job. I trust him.
Cannes, Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Out for my daily 10K steps walk I did a few shots.
Ventimiglia, Italy, Friday, December 15, 2023
Friday in Ventimiglia means shopping… on the beautiful boardwalk.
Shopaholics, rejoice: In Ventimiglia, not only do you have an open-air market, but it’s in the most picturesque spot possible—on the extensive lungomare (boardwalk). On Friday, the boardwalk is lined with open-air stands offering deals on handmade clothing, leather goods, furniture, produce, freshly caught fish, Italian food specialities, wine, and, of course, flowers.
It was a fun one-day adventure. Italy has a nice vibe to it.
Cannes, Sunday, December 10, 2023
Today was a bright sunny day with temps in low 60’s. Rebecca and I went for a stroll downtown mid-afternoon. The day ended with another stunning sunset.
Cannes, Thursday, December 7, 2023
This evening we attended a Jazz performance at a neighborhood venue- Theatre Alexander III .
The group –Dock in Absolute – was tremendous and we purchased their new CD on the way out.
Nice, Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Well, we made the train trip to Nice to finalize our Carte Vitale paperwork in their office.
We arrived in time for lunch in the old town and had a delicious meal at La Favola (13 cours Saleya). The Plat du Jour Tuna with veggies for 16 Eu. We also wandered around the area exploring.
We arrived at the health office in plenty of time for our appointment. They had requested some additional documents which we brought with us.
Of course, there was a wrinkle in the plan. Our proof of residency was not accepted. they wanted three monthly electricity bills. Our provider issues us a statement of service for that period as they do not issue monthly bills under direct pay.
We did however understand what we needed to mail in to complete the process. We will get it out this weekend.
The good news is that Rebecca scored a great deal on a rug for the bedroom.
Between the lunch and rug, the day was successful.
Cannes, Friday, December 1, 2023
Rebecca finally made it through the helpline for assistance with our French health card application. We have been calling repeatedly but were cut off each time.
The bottom line is we have an appointment with the local office in Nice next Wednesday to go over our application in person. We first applied in late 2022 so this is great news.
I’m bringing every piece of paper related to ur application to avoid any issues.
Rebecca’s French came through for us.