Le Train des Pignes

A trip that several locals have recommended to us is a train ride that travels through the streets of downtown Nice up to the city of Digne-les-Bains in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.  There are a collection of small towns one can stop to explore on the way and that can be just a day trip from Nice.  We decided to go the whole 151km and overnight in the city of Digne-les-Bains, with a stopover at the town of Entrevaux, first founded in the 11 century.

Our one car train on the "Chemins de fer de Provence" that transported us into the alps.  It does offer lovely views of the Var River cutting through valleys,  glimpses of snow-covered mountain peaks, picturesque villages, fields of olive trees and pine tree forests.

After just over an hour of travel from Nice, we got off the train at Entrevaux, a medieval fortified royal city, to explore before continuing the journey to the end of the line.

Our plan in Entrevaux was to hike up 800m to the 17th citadel, designed by Vauban (who also constructed the fortifications in Antibes).  It looked a long way up!

To access the town, we first had to cross over the stone bridge to the entrance with its medieval drawbridge.

It was a steep climb and it didn't take long to get some beautiful views of the valley and surrounding hills.

 A view of the stone path and its regular stone archways, about halfway up our ascent.

Within the walls of the citadel, we found a picnic table in the Lower Courtyard to take a break and eat our lunch.

The Citadel was last used in during the First World War.  Here are the cells that were used to imprison German Officers.  They were very austere accommodations;  a slanted concrete slab for a bed took up half the room space.

The view of Entrevaux and the Var River from the highest point of the Citadel that made the climb all worthwhile.

Before catching the next train to complete our day's travel to Digne-les-Bains, a coffee\hot chocolate break was just what was needed.

We arrived in Digne-les-Bains late in the afternoon so didn't have much time to explore.  The city has an indoor pool with a large slide which was a big hit with the girls.  We caught an 7:15 am train back to Nice the next day.  These last two photos show part of the town in the early light.  It had a bit of a Swiss village feel to it at this time of day.

The Villa and Gardens of Ephrussi de Rothschild

There is a train stop between Nice and Monaco called "Beaulieu-sur-Mer".  How could you not want to get out and have a look around "Beautifulspot-on the-Sea"? We made this our stop last week, taking a bus to the top of the "Cap Ferrat", Cape Ferrat, to visit the "Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild".  This residence, with its nine gardens, was built by the Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild beginning in 1905.

Here is a photo I took of an aerial view of the villa and the town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the background, that was posted by the entryway.

The view of the villa from the French garden.

Grace and Barry enjoying the water display in the French garden that is set to music every twenty minutes.

Out of the villa's nine gardens, my two favourites were the Japanese garden and the Stone garden.  The Rose garden may have ousted one of these two if we had been there when the roses were in bloom.

Another view of the Japanese garden. 

 Above and below are photos of the Stone garden.

It was a beautiful spot on the sea for sure, but the day we were there we could also have called it "Windyspot-on the-Sea".

We were given headphones to listen to commentary on our walk through the rooms of the villa.   Here is a part of Béatrice's French porcelain collection, much of it from the mid 18th century, thought by some to be the finest in the world.  

A corner of Béatrice's bedroom with some late afternoon sun shining in from the window overlooking the Bay of Villefranche.  She had several small chairs, like the one that appears in the forefront, that had been specially made for her dogs.

Béatrice's Grand Salon...

...with its views out to the "Baie des Fourmis", "Bay of Ants", so named for the black boulders found in its waters.

The view from the villa's top balcony.

A view from the second floor looking down to the patio, where Béatrice would welcome her guests and hold receptions.  I've never seen a foyer quite like it.

My favourite detail from inside the villa was the ceiling designs in the patio ceiling.

And, our visit was polished off with drinks for in the tearoom.  The prices matched the decor.  That is why all four of us shared this €9 piece of chocolate cake.  The bite that was my share was very good.  Come to think of it, I'm sure Baroness Rothschild never had to share her slices of cake...

Le Marché Provençal

Every Saturday morning, the girls and I head out to visit Le Marché Provençal which is about a five-minute walk from our apartment.  This is probably one of my favourite weekly activities as I love shopping for the amazing produce and I also enjoy the social interactions as I make my purchases.  One thing Ginger and I have discovered during our time in France is that the quality of produce is far superior to the produce that we purchase in Canada.  The supermarkets here have relatively high-quality produce but the stands at our local Marché provide multiple delights when it comes to preparing our evening meals.  

We first visited Antibes' Marché six years ago when we travelled to Antibes for Easter weekend.  The market made quite the impression as we discovered what it meant to visit the French Riviera.  I didn't take a photo at the time but the price per kilo for out of season cherries was just under one hundred dollars.  Needless to say, I did not purchase any cherries on that Saturday morning, six years ago.  When we first moved to Antibes, I was worried that the local marché was geared more to tourists, and a teacher on a sabbatical year would be priced out of the local asparagus market.  My concerns were thankfully unfounded as I have found one fruit and vegetable stall that has very reasonable prices and a friendly family that runs the stall.

Lily and Grace are always a great help when it comes to selecting prime fruit and vegetables.

My family always laughs about the time I came home from school and told them that I had described myself to my colleagues as being an introvert.  I am coming around to the possibility that maybe I am indeed an extrovert.  Besides my friends at tennis, my social interactions in Antibes are limited to my weekly visits to the market and the various cafés and shops I frequent.  Grace has been keeping tabs on the various people I talk to in Antibes and she has compiled a list of my top 10 friends in Antibes.

This young man (even though I don't know his name) made the list and I have to say that I look forward to buying my produce from him each Saturday.

You can't quite make it out but he is always sporting a baseball cap from the defunct Vancouver Grizzlies.  That was an obvious lead-in to our first "real" conversation that we had.  We regularly talk about our various activities from the week and sometimes he will even give me a new fruit to sample.  I came home one Saturday and proudly displayed the half-rotten mango that my friend had given me that morning.  That was a big step in our friendship.  

Here are some other photos from our morning at the market:

Lily and Grace love buying a block of Parmigiano to nibble on throughout the week. 

The green cheese is Tomme Fermier Basilic.  I now feel that I need to try it next week.

These beautiful bouquets were only seven dollars.

Here is our saucisson and cheese stall that we go to.  This is one staple that we will miss when we leave.

La Fête du Citron

A few Sundays ago, we climbed on board a very packed train heading to the last city on the French Riviera before reaching the Italian border.  This city is known as "la perle de la France", but its name that you'll find on a map of France is Menton. We were visiting this city to check out an 84-year-old celebration called "La Fête du Citron" or, in English, The Lemon Festival.

In 1934, when this festival began, Menton was the leading producer of lemons on the European Continent. The history of growing lemons in this area dates back historically to the 15th century. There is a story in the city, however, that claims it was Eve herself that planted the first lemon tree in Menton from a yellow fruit she carried from the Garden of Eden. According to this legend, Eve convinced Adam to settle in Menton after banishment, as it reminded her of their beloved lost paradise.

Today, there are 15 professional lemon growers surrounding Menton that produce 150 metric tonnes of lemons a year.  The Menton lemon is known for its irregular shape, bright golden yellow colour, sweeter taste and a peel containing more essential oil than other lemons.

Every year, the festival has a theme for its statues made of lemons and oranges in the city's "Jardins Biovés".  This year's theme, as I think you could guess taking a peek at my photos, was Broadway. 

Armed with crepes for energy, we began our tour with the "Cabaret" statue.  Can you guess the broadway inspirations for the statues below?  Check out the video on this page to see great views of them all.

We had to pay to access the secured area for the Sunday afternoon Golden Fruit Parade, but opted for the cheaper standing room only tickets. Grace had the great idea to cross over from our windy, shadowed side of the curb to the sunny side in front of the first-class seats which warmed us all up very quickly.  The french parade allows for a little more liberty as spectators could be right on the street in the midst of the action, throwing paper confetti and spraying silly string on the participants. People on the floats were also throwing confetti on the crowds from huge garbage bags, so we were covered in handfuls of it multiple times.

You could buy bags of confetti to throw, but the girls just recycled handfuls of it off of the ground.

And just in case you are wondering, as Grace was, what happens to all the citrus fruit afterwards, the oranges are sold for 50 centimes a kilo and the lemons, 30 centimes a kilo.