The French Riviera (my holiday 4)

Well, Christmas is over and I'm still writing about my summer holiday! It is a little silly, but I have started the story so I should finish it.

In my last post I was leaving a small beach town just east of Genova in northwestern Italy. I drove west on the autostada (freeway) for about three hours until I reached the French border. A few minutes later I was in the region known as the Alpes Maritimes, or the Cote D'Azur, or the French Riviera. I started following the signs for Monte Carlo, which I visited for about three hours.

The main casino at Monte Carlo. Full of tourists!

The harbour at Monte Carlo, full of very expensive yachts!

Monte Carlo is a little disappointing. It was very hot and very crowded and really, there's not much to see. So I jumped back into my (airconditioned!) car and headed west for the town of Cannes, where I had a room reserved in a small hotel.

When I got to Cannes, I got lost trying to find my hotel, so I drove around for an hour or so looking for it. No navigation system for me! After I found it, I walked down to the beautiful promenade along the harbour. Cannes is the home of the famous film festival every May, and the festival palace is right on the pretty harbour. I had a pleasant evening exploring the old town.

I spent the next day exploring the arriere pays (back country) behind Cannes and Nice. Long ago and far away, when I was a young hippie type, I lived in the small back country towns for about nine months. I had not visited the area since then, so I wanted to go back and see them.

The countryside is absolutely beautiful. There are many old villages perchees (perched villages) that were built on hilltops so that the people could protect themselves from invaders. I passed through Gourdon and La Tourette sur Loup on my way to the old chateau, Notre Dame des Fleurs, where I had lived a long time ago.

A restaurant hanging over the cliff in the "village perchee" of Gourdon. It's a long way down!

Another beautiful "village perchee," Tourette sur Loups. Many of these villages are 700 --800 years old.

To my surprise, the old chateau was empty. It is too expensive to live in. However, the caretaker allowed me to go in and take photos and visit the little cottage where I had lived a long long time ago. Not much had changed -- except me! It was a funny feeling!

The front of the Chateau Notre Dame des Fleurs, where I lived for six months long ago. In French, "chateau" means "castle" or big fancy house where noble people used to live. "Notre Dames des Fleurs" means "Our Lady of the Flowers." This refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

France used to be a very Catholic country, and Catholics give a lot of honour and respect to Mary, so many places are named "Notre Dame de..." This chateau used to have many beautiful gardens, and that is how it got its name.

When I lived there, I worked as a gardener. The owner said that my friends and I could live there for free if we worked in the garden for three hours a day.

The little cottage beside the chateau, where I lived with my friends a long time ago. Very little has changed!

After leaving the chateau, I visited the two beautiful towns of Vence and St Paul de Vence. St Paul de Vence is very trendy -- full of art galleries and expensive boutiques and restaurants.

One of the many beautiful fountains in St Paul de Vence. Southern France is full of beautiful fountains.

The narrow streets of St Paul de Vence are full of fashionable art galleries and expensive boutiques.

St Paul de Vence is an excellent example of a "village perchee." It is built on a hill and has a wall around it to protect from invaders. From a distance it looks almost the same as it did several hundred years ago.

I then made my way back to my hotel along the windy narrow country roads. Thankfully French drivers are not quite as crazy as Italian drivers!

Two men playing "boules" in the town square in Vence. Boules (balls) is a simple game played with steel balls. It is easy to learn and can be played anywhere. Wherever you go in France, you will see people playing, often with a glass of "pastis" in their hand!

I was so happy to see some old "deux chevaux" cars. When I lived in the south of France I owned one, but it eventually "died." They are very simple and are air-cooled. "Deux chevaux" means "two horses, " the size of the motor. The windows fold open, and if the car is too hot, you roll back the roof, which is simply a rubber mat! Very simple, but fun to drive and not very expensive. Nowadays they are considered to be antiques. But I have fond memories of my old deux chevaux!

I had an amusing experience in Cannes the day before, when I was lost. I was on a narrow street and a city bus cut in front of me, blocking me and almost hitting my car. Then he stopped. Behind me was another car, so I couldn't move. The French are very impatient, and so everyone started honking their horns and yelling at me.

Well, I couldn't do anything so I became French and yelled out the window, then closed the window and turned the air con on and waited! After a minute or two of honking and yelling, the bus driver backed up very slowly so that finally I could go forward. Problem solved!

I enjoyed my time on the French Riviera, but it was really crowded -- too crowded. I was looking forward to spending the next two days driving further west and exploring Aix en Provence and Avignon.