February and March is a wonderful time of year to visit the South of France. There are festivities galore among the towns worth visiting.
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| A little floral street decoration in Villefranche-sur-Mer advertising the Combat Naval Fleuri. |
Meeting people can be the most memorable part of our travels. I definitely love talking to strangers that I accidental come across. I hit the jackpot last week. Hearing some "American" English being spoken I started a conversation with a lovely gentleman by the name of Dan. He and his wife were staying in Villefranche-sur-Mer. I gave him my card and mentioned it might be nice to get together for lunch one day. A few days later I received an email inviting us to a party of Americans, Canadians, and French at their friends Mike and Diane's apartment overlooking the bay. The party was to watch the Combat Naval Fleuri which was to take place that day. It was also an excuse for a get together. Frankly I'd never heard of this battle until then. Here is some history for you.
The Combat Naval Fleuri or Naval Battle of the Flowers is an annual event that has taken place for 110 years. A fleet of traditional fishing boats called Pointus are decorated with locally grown flowers of carnations and mimosas in the Porte de la Sante in Villefranche-sur-Mer. The festivities start with a mini parade on the promenade which is only 200 yards long. The bands, baton twirlers, drummers, and mini floats march down the short quai turn around and march back. There are only five or six groups in all. (For some reason Facebook doesn't allow me to post any snippets of the bands marching and playing their music.) The quai was crowded. Security was high, and the parade didn't last long as the route was so short, but everyone has a great time.
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| Many people turned out for the Combat Naval Fleuri. Porte de la Sante is in the upper right. |
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| The band costumes were anywhere from clown like to sexy. |
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| There were a variety of marching bands for our entertainment |
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| View from the apartment we were visiting. |
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This boat led the parade along the quay
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| Boats paraded along the quay with floral decorations |
Not wanting to arrive at the party empty handed I had a bottle of wine in a bag. Security was tight on the quay, and all packages were inspected. We were informed that no alcohol was allowed along the promenade. We carefully explained that the wine was for a party in an apartment overlooking the parade. A policewoman actually escorted us along the quay to our street and made sure we were leaving the area with our unopened bottle of wine.
You may wonder why the event is called a combat or battle. After the boats have paraded around showing off their decorations they return, and the battle begins. People on the boats throw their flowers to the spectators. Some of the crowd are happy to catch the flowers to take home or decorate their cars, baby strollers, or place in their hair. Others start grabbing the flowers and pelting the boats with them. When the battle is done there is a carpet of flowers along the shore.
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| The battle of the flowers. |
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| There was no shortage of delicious food at the party. |
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| We met a lovely and interesting group of people whom we hope to spend more time with and see on future trips. |
Our next stop was Menton to see the Fete du Citron or Lemon Festival. Menton was an easy train ride which meant no dealing with narrow roads and lack of parking. The Lemon Festival started in 1933 as a fruit show and has grown to be an internationally renowned event drawing as many as 200,000 visitors. Every year has a theme complete with floats, exhibitions and parades.
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