Nice and Cap Ferrat, France

Sunrise, sunset, airplanes, helicopters, seagulls soaring.  

A ferry passing in the distance 

Sailboats gently leaning, sails open to catch the wind.  

Palm trees swaying in a gentle breeze.  

Clouds drifting across the sky.

A lighthouse casts its beam across the sea

Late afternoon clouds turning pink 

Casting their warm glow over all,
Turning the sea purple.

Lunch outside on a sunny, windy day at the Cap Ferrat marina.  Enjoying life!

View from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Cap Ferrat

There is a beautiful walk around the point of Cap Ferrat.  Our reward was lunch at the lovely port village of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.  Some of the wealthiest people in the world have homes in Cap Ferrat. Because it was mid week, off season and breezy we had the place almost exclusively to ourselves.

The lighthouse at the point of Cap Ferrat

We walked on a path along the rugged coastline.

Some clever graffiti

We are fortunate that Nice is a short bus ride from Villefranche-sur-Mer.  That saves us from dealing with traffic, narrow and/or one way streets, suicidal motorcycle riders, lack of parking and the stress of a crowded busy city.  Each time we visit we check out a few more sights.  

Cimiez is a neighborhood in Nice with Roman ruins.  We included this in our visit to the Matisse Museum and Cimiez cemetery.

A small section of the Roman ruins.

 We visited the Matisse Museum.  There were samples of various periods of his work.  I was underwhelmed by the pieces shown.  Many were of his earlier works.  The best part of the visit (for me) was a short video showing him painting a face.  It was a brilliant example of how he created a face with just a few brushstrokes.  We missed the tour in English which I believe would have made a difference in understanding his growth.  We hope to visit the cathedral in Vence which showcases the work of his final years.

The Matisse Museum which is a 17th Century villa where Matisse lived and worked during his final years.

Bronze by Matisse

A simple face using lines we see in many of his paintings

A delicious salad with rocket, roasted peppers and eggplant, prosciutto, melted brie and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar.  

 Our ticket to the Matisse museum also allowed us entrance to the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum.  We understood the museum featured American and European-American artists from the 1960's to 1970's.  What we found were artists who at some point in their lives had lived in Nice.  It's important to be exposed to different types of art. I, unfortunately could not appreciate what some of these artists were attempting to convey.  Perhaps someone knowledgable in that time period could have shed some light on the art.  I found some works disturbing, (which I assume was what the artist wanted) and other works of no artistic value (again my opinion).

Bernar Venet established himself as a major figure of conceptual art.  He used scientific, architectural and mathematical subjects to create his work.

Artist Bernar Venet

Artist Bernar Venet

Jim Dine is an American pop artist sometimes considered to be part of the Neo-Dada movement. He was known for painted canvases with ordinary objects from everyday life.

Hard Hearts by Jim Dine  5 panels, double sided oil and collage on wood.

Detail of Hard Hearts

Arman (Armand Fernandez) created large works of art made of mechanical parts such as gaskets, self locking pliers, or cooking utensils like spoons, forks...

The Birds by Arman showed how metal pliers translate into a cloud of birds.

Detail of The Birds

Artist Niki de Saint Phalle created work that did resonate with me.  That it was disturbing most likely is what she wanted her viewers to feel.  Niki de Saint Phalle created altars and cathedrals that she would shoot at and destroy.  She mixed symbols of violence with religious items. 

.  Altar O.A.S. is the name of this piece.  O.A.S. was a right wing terrorist movement supporting the French invasion of Algeria at the time she created this.

Detail of Altar O.A.S.

 After trying to figure out the meaning of the art we viewed at MAMAC it was time for lunch.  L'Eau de Vie is a must for people visiting Nice.  Their prix fix lunch was affordable and delicious.  The staff were knowledgable, attentive and helpful without being overbearing.  Their lunches are designed for the local business people who have only a short time to dine but want a decent meal.

I thought I could translate what we ate into English, but that was impossible.  Instead you can see what our meal was.

Oeuf Parfait is a long cooked egg with amazing tastes in every bite.

Ravigote de Coquillages

Carpaccio de boeuf, sauce pesto coriandre.  Raw slices of beef with olive oil, pesto sauce, parmesan and fresh coriander.  Feuilleté de courage which was a flaky crust topped with caramelized onions and baked with marinated seasoned squash.

L'Eau de Vie is less than a year old and started by two childhood friends fulfilling their dreams.  They are already rated number three by Trip Advisor in Nice.  Quentin is the creative chief and Antoine is the public face of the restaurant.  They are a great team.  We are looking forward to returning for dinner soon.

Owners of restaurant L'Eau de Vie Antoine and Quentin