Carnival ~ Carnaval! Nice & French Riviera in Feb (Menton, Eze, Antibes)
Mar 30th, 2016, 12:14 PM
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TUESDAY – ANTIBES
We woke up to the picture perfect day – bright blue skies and warm. Perfect for our last daytrip.
We took the tram to the train station and hopped on the first train (we had already bought our train tickets), again going along the coast. We had a beautiful view of the snow-covered Alps, still seeming a bit out of place with palm trees in front!
Once in Antibes, we decided to take a taxi to the Picasso Museum, the farthest point of the day. On the way, we were treated to a magnificent view of the harbor ringed by the Alps. Breathtaking.
The Picasso Museum looks larger than it is. We had limited time and were planning on returning after they closed for lunch, so decided to start at the top floor. Perfect decision! The only Picassos were on that top floor. I enjoyed the pictures of Picasso’s little owl and the seafood, especially the sea urchins which looked like something I could have drawn. We had enough time to enjoy that floor, whipped through the lower one and decided not to return.
After the museum, we went to the Provencal Market just behind the buildings facing the entrance. It wasn’t a large market, but was housed under a roof. The best place was selling dried fruits at the far end on the left. I asked the owner for a picture and he had me come behind the table, put an apron on me and posed me with him and in one picture, with a ladle of olives in my hand! Funny! This is where I bought the candied ginger that I mentioned in the beginning of my trip report. Too bad I didn’t buy more – I finished it off days ago while writing my report and wish I had bought a lot more! He had about 4 types of ginger and let me try a few of them. I decided on the spiciest one and he added some large slices of another type I hadn’t seen. It was even stronger and delicious. What I wouldn’t give to be able to buy more right now!
From the market, we wandered through the city wall to the harbor. DH decided to wait for me while I explored the sea wall out towards the yachts. It was a lovely walk – one I recommend – along the water to a wonderful statue by the artist Jaume Plansa called Le Nomade. Don’t pass this by. It is a contemporary and open statue of a man sitting on the old harbor wall looking out to sea. It is all made of letters like a latticework and its shadows are so intriguing.
I continued on past that to a gate that said no entry. However, I noticed it was open at the side so I asked if I could go through. The answer was ‘oui’. It was past that point where the billionaires’ yachts are moored and they were something else. I passed the Antibes Yacht Club and continued all the way to the end to the lighthouse where I also had a great view of the fort.
By this time, I realized that I had left poor DH sitting all alone on a bench for far too long. It didn’t look so far when seen from his bench, but it really was. I started back feeling guilty and thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to have a ride back. Dumb thought, until I must have had a puppy dog look on my face when a car stopped at a checkpoint. The driver looked over and immediately recognized the look of longing and offered me a ride. Now, I’m not prone to accept rides from strangers EVER, but we were in the gated chichi area of the pretentious yachts and anyone connected to them would be safe, right? And besides, DH was probably getting annoyed by now by my prolonged absence so it seemed prudent to accept the ride. The man was very nice and was associated with the large Saudi liner. We spoke in English the whole way back and he dropped me off at the main door of the city wall, safe and sound after telling me to look him up on Facebook, LOL.
DH was OK and amused by how I got back. By then it was mid afternoon and again, past the closing time of French restaurants. (This gets old by the way – when we are hungry, we want to eat!) However, we did find a restaurant within the city walls which was open and had a great meal of côtelettes d’agneau (lamb) with sides. Another good and pretty meal, my main meal of the day. Top it off with wine (of course) and a chocolate tarte with ice cream and I was ready to go again.
We walked by the port, admiring the ‘normal’ (ie, small) boats, watched some ducks in almost invisible water making them seem like they were suspended in air, and then went our separate ways, DH going back to Nice, and me heading in the direction of the Fort Carré, the old fort. To get there, you have to pass a large sports field and keep going all the way to the beach. You then circle around the end to the right and go up the hill until you finally reach the gate. They give tours every half hour and I was lucky to have arrived just as the last one of the day was about the start. It was a very interesting tour with excellent views of the harbor and old town. I headed back to Nice after that and we settled in for the evening.
We woke up to the picture perfect day – bright blue skies and warm. Perfect for our last daytrip.
We took the tram to the train station and hopped on the first train (we had already bought our train tickets), again going along the coast. We had a beautiful view of the snow-covered Alps, still seeming a bit out of place with palm trees in front!
Once in Antibes, we decided to take a taxi to the Picasso Museum, the farthest point of the day. On the way, we were treated to a magnificent view of the harbor ringed by the Alps. Breathtaking.
The Picasso Museum looks larger than it is. We had limited time and were planning on returning after they closed for lunch, so decided to start at the top floor. Perfect decision! The only Picassos were on that top floor. I enjoyed the pictures of Picasso’s little owl and the seafood, especially the sea urchins which looked like something I could have drawn. We had enough time to enjoy that floor, whipped through the lower one and decided not to return.
After the museum, we went to the Provencal Market just behind the buildings facing the entrance. It wasn’t a large market, but was housed under a roof. The best place was selling dried fruits at the far end on the left. I asked the owner for a picture and he had me come behind the table, put an apron on me and posed me with him and in one picture, with a ladle of olives in my hand! Funny! This is where I bought the candied ginger that I mentioned in the beginning of my trip report. Too bad I didn’t buy more – I finished it off days ago while writing my report and wish I had bought a lot more! He had about 4 types of ginger and let me try a few of them. I decided on the spiciest one and he added some large slices of another type I hadn’t seen. It was even stronger and delicious. What I wouldn’t give to be able to buy more right now!
From the market, we wandered through the city wall to the harbor. DH decided to wait for me while I explored the sea wall out towards the yachts. It was a lovely walk – one I recommend – along the water to a wonderful statue by the artist Jaume Plansa called Le Nomade. Don’t pass this by. It is a contemporary and open statue of a man sitting on the old harbor wall looking out to sea. It is all made of letters like a latticework and its shadows are so intriguing.
I continued on past that to a gate that said no entry. However, I noticed it was open at the side so I asked if I could go through. The answer was ‘oui’. It was past that point where the billionaires’ yachts are moored and they were something else. I passed the Antibes Yacht Club and continued all the way to the end to the lighthouse where I also had a great view of the fort.
By this time, I realized that I had left poor DH sitting all alone on a bench for far too long. It didn’t look so far when seen from his bench, but it really was. I started back feeling guilty and thinking, wouldn’t it be nice to have a ride back. Dumb thought, until I must have had a puppy dog look on my face when a car stopped at a checkpoint. The driver looked over and immediately recognized the look of longing and offered me a ride. Now, I’m not prone to accept rides from strangers EVER, but we were in the gated chichi area of the pretentious yachts and anyone connected to them would be safe, right? And besides, DH was probably getting annoyed by now by my prolonged absence so it seemed prudent to accept the ride. The man was very nice and was associated with the large Saudi liner. We spoke in English the whole way back and he dropped me off at the main door of the city wall, safe and sound after telling me to look him up on Facebook, LOL.
DH was OK and amused by how I got back. By then it was mid afternoon and again, past the closing time of French restaurants. (This gets old by the way – when we are hungry, we want to eat!) However, we did find a restaurant within the city walls which was open and had a great meal of côtelettes d’agneau (lamb) with sides. Another good and pretty meal, my main meal of the day. Top it off with wine (of course) and a chocolate tarte with ice cream and I was ready to go again.
We walked by the port, admiring the ‘normal’ (ie, small) boats, watched some ducks in almost invisible water making them seem like they were suspended in air, and then went our separate ways, DH going back to Nice, and me heading in the direction of the Fort Carré, the old fort. To get there, you have to pass a large sports field and keep going all the way to the beach. You then circle around the end to the right and go up the hill until you finally reach the gate. They give tours every half hour and I was lucky to have arrived just as the last one of the day was about the start. It was a very interesting tour with excellent views of the harbor and old town. I headed back to Nice after that and we settled in for the evening.
Mar 31st, 2016, 10:23 AM
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Apr 5th, 2016, 05:14 PM
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WEDNESDAY – CATHÉDRAL RUSSE AND BISTRO D’ANTOINE (YUM!)
It was easy to catch the tram and Bus 4 to go to the recently renovated Russian Cathedral past the train station. It was very impressive from the outside but stirring inside. Interesting how there was no seating, but some people seemed to have been standing for quite a while bowing over and over as the priest came forward, chanting. I found a little bench off to the side and sat mesmerized for about 20 minutes. It was just such a serene setting I couldn’t tear myself away. An orthodox Communion was starting when I left and even that was interesting with its red cloth held up under each parishioner’s chin as they approached the alter.
The afternoon went by quickly while we packed – there was a lot to squeeze in after being there for 2 weeks! Then it was off to the Café des Fleurs at the Cours Saleya for one last pre-dinner drink.
We made reservations for dinner days ago when we heard that the restaurant we wanted to try always booked up in advance. Noisy Bistro d’Antoine was in the Old Town and seemed to be a local favorite judging from the number of French-speaking people there. It quickly became one of my favorites with its opener of rillettes of sardine, brought to every table…served in what else, a sardine can! Very cute. My appetizer was one of the best I have ever had. It was a tower, starting at the bottom, of a layer of mango, raw coarsely chopped tuna then mackerel, then avocado topped with a frisée salad and drizzled with, well, something slightly sweet. It was beautiful! I then had a small pot of a rustic stew of ‘pork cheeks’ in a delectable sauce with square plate of satiny smooth polenta on the side. This was one of my favorite meals. Top it off with the lightest chocolate mousse I’ve ever had and it was THE meal to end our trip!
THURSDAY – GOING HOME
Luckily there was nothing to report for this day. Our hotel called us a taxi, we left on time, changed flights in Dublin, where going to the USA, you clear customs in Dublin instead of the other side of the ocean. The advantage of that is that you can buy extra alcohol after customs since you are on “US soil”. Don’t know how they managed that, but we did take advantage! We landed at JFK and drove our car (which was not encased in snow) to Newark Airport, where we picked up our son who had flown in from Boston to meet us and start spring break. So many things which could have gone wrong…but didn’t! It certainly was nice to end our trip with no glitches…except when it started snowing while on Route 78 to Central PA. Well, it was nice that Mother Nature waited for us to return instead of snowing on our car while we were away!
Thanks for reading!
It was easy to catch the tram and Bus 4 to go to the recently renovated Russian Cathedral past the train station. It was very impressive from the outside but stirring inside. Interesting how there was no seating, but some people seemed to have been standing for quite a while bowing over and over as the priest came forward, chanting. I found a little bench off to the side and sat mesmerized for about 20 minutes. It was just such a serene setting I couldn’t tear myself away. An orthodox Communion was starting when I left and even that was interesting with its red cloth held up under each parishioner’s chin as they approached the alter.
The afternoon went by quickly while we packed – there was a lot to squeeze in after being there for 2 weeks! Then it was off to the Café des Fleurs at the Cours Saleya for one last pre-dinner drink.
We made reservations for dinner days ago when we heard that the restaurant we wanted to try always booked up in advance. Noisy Bistro d’Antoine was in the Old Town and seemed to be a local favorite judging from the number of French-speaking people there. It quickly became one of my favorites with its opener of rillettes of sardine, brought to every table…served in what else, a sardine can! Very cute. My appetizer was one of the best I have ever had. It was a tower, starting at the bottom, of a layer of mango, raw coarsely chopped tuna then mackerel, then avocado topped with a frisée salad and drizzled with, well, something slightly sweet. It was beautiful! I then had a small pot of a rustic stew of ‘pork cheeks’ in a delectable sauce with square plate of satiny smooth polenta on the side. This was one of my favorite meals. Top it off with the lightest chocolate mousse I’ve ever had and it was THE meal to end our trip!
THURSDAY – GOING HOME
Luckily there was nothing to report for this day. Our hotel called us a taxi, we left on time, changed flights in Dublin, where going to the USA, you clear customs in Dublin instead of the other side of the ocean. The advantage of that is that you can buy extra alcohol after customs since you are on “US soil”. Don’t know how they managed that, but we did take advantage! We landed at JFK and drove our car (which was not encased in snow) to Newark Airport, where we picked up our son who had flown in from Boston to meet us and start spring break. So many things which could have gone wrong…but didn’t! It certainly was nice to end our trip with no glitches…except when it started snowing while on Route 78 to Central PA. Well, it was nice that Mother Nature waited for us to return instead of snowing on our car while we were away!
Thanks for reading!
Apr 5th, 2016, 05:44 PM
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I loved Antibes too! DH had meetings again that day, so I took the train by myself. I have gotten on the wrong train before on other trips, so get worried about it. So I asked some police in the station if I was in the right spot, and they were super friendly. LOL they told me my French was better than their English. Not so sure about that, but I got on the right train!
When I arrived, I did not have a map and had no idea what direction to go to get to the market. I asked a lady who was easily in her 80's and she took me there. She had a full on conversation with me the entire way and I have no idea at all what she was saying, lol.
I did that same market as you, and remember that same stall with the olives and dried fruits! I also did another market that was outdoors and more clothes and such. I bought a beautiful straw bag that is still one of my favorite bags for car travel. Again I had to ask directions, and again I got a wonderful lady who helped. This one spoke English
I was so bummed that DH was missing all of this, but I was having a great time.
Loved your photos, and the one of you in the stall is priceless!
When I arrived, I did not have a map and had no idea what direction to go to get to the market. I asked a lady who was easily in her 80's and she took me there. She had a full on conversation with me the entire way and I have no idea at all what she was saying, lol.
I did that same market as you, and remember that same stall with the olives and dried fruits! I also did another market that was outdoors and more clothes and such. I bought a beautiful straw bag that is still one of my favorite bags for car travel. Again I had to ask directions, and again I got a wonderful lady who helped. This one spoke English
I was so bummed that DH was missing all of this, but I was having a great time.
Loved your photos, and the one of you in the stall is priceless!
Apr 7th, 2016, 02:21 PM
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MMS - I didn't know there was another market in Antibes but I'm sure DH is glad I didn't find out until now!
It was so much fun to go behind that stall. It's amazing how such a little event can bring such a fun memory.
sundriedtopepo - definitely take a winter trip! If my report inspires you to go, then it was worth the time to write it! Glad you thought it was fun! Thanks!
It was so much fun to go behind that stall. It's amazing how such a little event can bring such a fun memory.
sundriedtopepo - definitely take a winter trip! If my report inspires you to go, then it was worth the time to write it! Glad you thought it was fun! Thanks!
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