The Dilbar

The name "Dilbar" will always be linked with arrival week in Antibes for these four Canadians.

The city of Antibes traces its name back to the 4th century BCE, when the Phoceans, Greek colonists from the present city of Marseilles, arrived here to set up a base for their trade routes.   "Antipolis" means "town on the opposite side" referring to Antibes' location opposite Nice (originally "Nikaia" from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike) in the Baie of Anges.

Looking across the Bay of Angels to Nice from Antibes.  I knew we were close to Nice, but didn't expect it to appear so close.

This bay and Antibes' harbour have witnessed the arrival of the Romans, the departure of crusader ships in the 11th century, and the naval base for King Louis the 14th in the 18th century, just to name a few historical notes from these waters.  

It's fascinating to look over this stretch of water and contemplate the centuries of seafaring history and amazing facts and the human experiences that were part of it all:  so much history lost to us now.

However, one piece of history we were here to witness was..... the arrival of the "Dilbar".

Below is a photo that the girls took of Port Vauban and its large boats from their first night ferris wheel perch.  They both quickly became  interested in the yachts that were moored below. 

The quay alongside the largest yachts has the official name "Le Quai Camille Rayon".  It is better known, however, as "Le Quai des Milliardaires" or "Billionaire's Quay".

A few mornings later, while taking a break from our morning math studies, we wandered down to the sea for a break and the girls were stopped in their tracks with the sight of this giant that dwarfed the 60 metre yachts beside it.

Even as new yacht watchers, we knew that what we were looking at was no ordinary multi-millionaire's yacht.  In fact, the girls were convinced it had to be a super, fancy, modern cruise ship.  I jumped at their genuine interest in this boat, told them to note the name of it and we headed back to do some research and write a paragraph on this boat, the "Dilbar".

It turns out the Dilbar is no cruise ship but, in fact, a 157 metre yacht among yachts.  The Dilbar traces its name back to the mother of Alisher Usmanov, the multi-billionaire Russian who owns this vessel worth some $600, 000, 000!  Some more facts the girls discovered are; it is considered the largest yacht in the world (measured by volume), has 20 rooms for 40 guests, 35 rooms for 80 crew members and boasts two helicopter pads.  Alisher doesn't even need to leave his boat to mingle with the other billionaires using the on site helicopter pad located alongside the Billionaire's Quay.

I knew this coast of  France had a higher percentage of wealthy visitors (we knew it wasn't foreign teachers on a sabbatical year buying the €15 mangoes at the marché provençal), but I didn't realize the port in Antibes is the largest marine harbour in the Mediterranean Sea, with the highly sought after berths selling for millions of euros.  Needless to say, the Dilbar has sparked numerous interesting conversational tangents in our house. 

Lily thinks to travel in, her words, "moving luxury" would be fantastic.  I told her chocolate mousse in a chocolate cave we can deliver on, travelling by any-sized yacht, not so much.

In any case, Lily and Grace will be able to tell their grandchildren that they arrived in Antibes along with the Dilbar.