This morning we tendered ashore to Cannes. We had arranged with some other people for a private tour and we were off shortly thereafter. Our first stop was the market in Antibes. We love markets because they give such a picture of the place you are visiting. This one had the freshest vegetables and fruits we had ever seen and something truly different from anything we’ve encountered. They had a number of vendors who sold nothing but spices and herbs. You could buy a few grams of tarragon or rosemary or thyme or whatever. The aromas around those tables were incredible.
We drove next to Tourettes sur Loup, a town on the gorge of the river Loup. The area is noted for perfume production and Tourettes is famous for violet fields. The town is a medieval one perched on the top of a hill. The houses form the ramparts and it’s very picturesque.
Next we drove to my favorite place in this part of Provence, St. Paul de Vence. St. Paul is a medieval walled city perched on a hill overlooking fields of lavender and other flowers. The town is full of interesting art galleries along cobbled streets – no cars allowed. We had lunch in a lovely place on a terrace overlooking the inner town well and fountain. We sat under the umbrellas with friends and tried some of the Cotes de Provence dry rose wine. We’ve never been fans of rose but this was great. After lunch we explored a little but didn’t find anything that struck our fancy. I guess I’m in ceramic mode this year.
Our last stop of the day was a visit to Eze, on the French Riviera. Riviera means the place where the mountains meet the sea and in Eze they do so in dramatic fashion with steep cliffs and tremendous views everywhere we looked. Today was an absolutely beautiful dayt The sun, the scenery and the ambiance on this coast are truly relaxing and Interesting, The French we have encountered today have been very gracious and pleasant. I can see why people would want to move here.
No comments:
Post a Comment