The Chagall Museum in Nice and Eze, France

I've always admired Marc Chagall but until we visited the Chagall Museum I had never understood his work.  I just knew his art was based primarily on the Bible.  The Marc Chagall national museum was inaugurated in July 1973 with Chagall present.  It was the first time a national museum had been devoted to a living artist.  The seventeen Biblical Message paintings are displayed according to the artist's instillation plan.  I recommend allowing enough time for the audio guide which gives a much greater depth of understanding to Chagall's paintings.  When you first arrive check when the movie of his life airs in your language.  That is worth viewing.  

The Creation of Man by Chagall

Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law

Detail

Below is another detail of Moses Receiving the Tablets.

 The museum has some of his stained glass windows

Chagall stained glass window in the theatre.

 There is a little cafe on the grounds of the museum. While we were waiting for the movie about Chagall's life (it doesn't play midday), we had lunch there.  Our croque madame were excellent.

We drove to L'Hermitage Hotel and Restaurant in Eze to meet our new friends for lunch.  The waiter brought out a platter with the fresh fish of the day.  After a delicious and very healthy lunch we ordered pavlova for dessert.  I wasn't feeling so virtuous after that.

Octopus and a fresh fish were two of the options offered. 

I went with the fresh fish.  It was simply prepared and tasty.

Eze is a medieval stone village perched on a pinnacle high above the sea.  It is touristy and full of boutiques, perfume outlets and steep cobbled lanes with magnificent views.  I don't recommend driving there unless you go early in the day off season.  You can take a train to Eze-sur-Mer.  If you are athletic and have the time you can take the 1 1/2 hour hike up to Eze.  Otherwise there are buses to take you there.  Arriving early allows you to get the feel of the area before the crowds descend.  We were there on a magnificent winter day.  The views were breathtaking and there were a limited number of tourists.

A double fortified gateway dating from the 14th century is the only entrance to the old village.

Eze is full of charm

Every town and village has a monument to those whose lives were lost during the wars.

Looking up at the back side of the Exotic Garden of Eze.

A beautiful old cemetery in the medieval village of Ez

Another side of the cemetery.

The Eze church built in the 18th Century.  

The Eze church was built during Napoleonic times but is Classical and Baroque in style.  

Laundry day

Narrow paths lead through the village

It's winter but the residents still add splashes of color with newly planted flowers.

Color against the old stone walls.

 One of the main sights in Eze is the Jardin D'Exotique d'Eze or Exotic Garden.  We found it worth the price of admission.  Climbing up to the top gave us a panoramic view of the Riviera.

The southern part of the garden contains a huge cactus/succulent garden with plants from North America, Africa and Mexico.  These plants work well mixed in with Mediterranean plants.  The gardens were impressive. The northern side of the garden favors typical Mediterranean plants as well as exotics from New Zealand, China and South Africa.

In 2003 terra cotta and bronze sculptures were brought in.

Sculptures were created by Jean-Philippe Richard

Keep going to the top but stop along the way to look around.

Climb to the top to appreciate the vistas

You feel like you are on top of the world.

 We thought that lunch in Eze would be a disappointment since it seemed like just another tourist town (though certainly with plenty of charm).  We chose Le Nid d'Aigle Restaurant.  The salad of assorted small bites placed on socca (flatbread of chickpea flour) was delicious! I would return just for that plate.  I also tried socca beer which was good.  Chickpea flour has no gluten which is great for people who are gluten intolerant.  Chickpea flour is popular in the South of France.

We were surprised when we were invited  inside the restaurant see the view.  Had we known we would have requested an inside table.  But the weather was beautiful and we were happy to have eaten under a large old tree.

The closest decent market to Villefranche-sur-Mer is in Nice.  It's huge and has almost anything you might want.  They make fresh crepes while you wait.

I had to buy a package of freshly made crepes.

That's one big round of cheese!  It was difficult cutting into it.

VilleFranche-sur-Mer, Combat Naval Fleuri, and The Lemon Festival in Menton, France

February and March is a wonderful time of year to visit the South of France.  There are festivities galore among the towns worth visiting.

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.

Many people turned out for the Combat Naval Fleuri.  Porte de la Sante is in the upper right.

The band costumes were anywhere from clown like to sexy.

There were a variety of marching bands for our entertainment

View from the apartment we were visiting.

This boat led the parade along the quay

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.

The battle of the flowers.

There was no shortage of delicious food at the party.

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.

Entrance to the Lemon Festival in Menton.  The theme this year was Des Mondes Fantastiques or Fantastic Worlds.

The displays were creative.

The displays were large.

They showed a creative use of oranges and lemons.

The backdrop of the mountains was dramatic.

Alongside the Lemon festival is the Festival of Orchids and Crafts.  There we saw displays of beautiful orchids as well as vendors selling everything from orchids to lemon products.

It was a creative display of orchids.

Orchids

Provence and the French Riviera: Villefranche sur Mer and Beaulieu-sur-Mer

Provence and the French Riviera are an amazing collection of charming cities and villages with breathtaking coastlines, and sunshine that nourishes and restores the soul.  It is our home for two months.  We're here to explore the area, but some days we feel like just taking a nice walk and enjoy the spectacular views from the Villa we were fortunate enough to rent.

Our first sunset the day we arrived. 

We have a nice hike we do regularly which takes us up to Fort Alban. 

View of Nice and the snow covered Alps in the background.

Stones for those who care to practice their climbing.  I'll use it to hold me up.

 Fort du mont Alban is a military fortification built from 1557 to 1560.  The exterior walls are almost perfectly preserved.  It looks out over the coastline of the French Riviera.  While we can't go inside the fort it's worth the walk, so as to admire the views.

Fort Alban

Colorful tile roof

The front wall of the fort which unfortunately is not open to the public.

View from Fort Alban

View of the fort from our Villa

The sprawling city of Nice

The bay of Nice

Sunrise from our Villa

The weather has been gorgeous.  It's been nice enough that we've been eating lunch at various restaurants by the water.  

Mussels, french fries and a bottle of wine.  Lunch in Villefranche-sur-Mer.  Delicious!

Note the cobble stones used in the construction and repair of the streets.  They are all placed by hand.

The water is crystal clear

It's in the high 50's F but warm enough in the sun to lay out on the beach.

Tom is starting the climb up the stairs.

View up the walkway

 Rue Obscure in Villefranche-sur-Mer is a covered and arcaded street from the 13th Century.  It is the oldest street in Villefranche.  This street was originally open to the sky.  A person figured out that he could enlarge his house by extending the upper levels over the street.  Others copied his idea and covered most of a 400 foot long section of the street. 

Rue Obscure which means dark street.

Some people are brave enough to swim in the Mediterranean even in the winter.  As one woman entered the water I heard a great deal of "oh la la, oh la la."  The temperature is approximately 55 F.

View of Villefranche-sur-Mer from across the bay.

While it's lovely to sit around enjoying the views, or hiking up to Fort Alban, I'm insisting that we need to expand our sights and be tourists.  We walked to Villa Kerylos one day in Beaulieu-sur-Mer.  The round trip was 6.5 miles.  The Villa Kerylos was built between 1902 and 1908 for Theodore Reinach.  It is based on the nobel houses found on the island of Delos (Greece) from the 2nd century BC. Not only was a Greek house created but they also reproduced furniture, tableware, fabrics and decoration.  This was the Reinach family's holiday house. 

This is the bathing room and confirms the ritual and social importance of baths in ancient times.

The dining room has woven leather beds the same height as the tables so people could eat from a reclining position.  Somehow that doesn't appeal to me.

It's important to look up at the ceilings as well as see the floors you walk on.

How's this for a shower after spending the day swimming in the ocean or playing on the beach.

There was a recurring pattern found in the furniture, ceilings, doors and floors.

All the custom cabinets had beautiful inlays.

Lovely cabinet, mosaic floor, and marble walls.

The men's lounge with mosaic floors, custom made furniture and Italian marble walls.

A sample of one of the tile floors whose pattern is found repeated on the furniture.

In the entrance hall on the floor is this mosaic depicting family symbols - a cockerel, a hen and chicks.

We had lunch in Beaulieu-sur-Mer outside on the terrace of a hotel/restaurant.