Friday, January 28, 2011

CÔTE D'AZUR

FROM NICE TO MENTON - JUNE 2010


"RAGING MED - Sometimes the Mediterranean Sea is a bit rough; that is what happened the day we arrived..."


"SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT"


"CAP FERRAT FROM THE MOYENNE CORNICHE"


"CAP FERRAT FROM THE GRANDE CORNICHE"


"CAP NICE"


"VILLEFRANCHE SUR MER"


"MONTE CARLO"


"CASINO"


"MORE OF THE CASINO - And the rest..."


"MONACO - ROCK"


"MENTON - DOWNTOWN"


"MENTON - OLD TOWN"


"MENTON"


"BATH FORBIDDEN - TEMPORARILY..."

54 comments:

Trotter said...

Hi Everybody! It seems we left Egypt just on time... In the late 1950s, early 1960s, Prince Aga Khan thought that the Côte d’Azur was a bit too crowded and bought some land in Sardinia to start building what would develop as the Costa Smeralda; something we have already seen on this blog... I wonder what he would say if he saw the Côte d’Azur (or French Riviera, if you prefer) nowadays... ;) Anyhow, the Côte still has its charm and on a windy day it even shows a different face of the Mediterranean Sea... Enjoy, leave a comment, and have a fabulous weekend... ;)

Sylvia K said...

Looks gorgeous to me! And your photos are superb as always! Considering the weather here in Seattle, I'm ready to go there right now!! Have a great weekend!

Sylvia

Ron said...

This is a fabulous post. I can see myself behind the wheel of one of those sports cars, vrrrrooooom!

Thérèse said...

We can feel the wind and for those who love cars then it's the place to be!!

BLOGitse said...

We left Egypt on time too!
We knew this is going to happen, it was only a question when.
Mubarak is really stubborn. He doesn't understand that people want him out. Changing the government is not enough.
Protests will continue today at 3 pm Cairo time...

joo said...

Looks like a fabulous place, hope will be able to visit one day!

diane b said...

I've never seen the Mediterranean that rough. A fun place to visit the Riviera, but I was disappointed with the beaches.

Ash said...

Gorgeous photos. Thank you so much for sharing these. What a delight to look at!

Lara @ Uproad said...

simply fabulous!

alicesg said...

Another series of lovely travel photos. Love the view of the sea from the top.

P.N. Subramanian said...

I wonder as to how you select places so beautiful. Additionally you bring to us your memories through your excellent photographs. Thank you so much.

Emery Roth said...

So where's the snow?

Does one drive to that beautiful overlook from which you took the first shots, or is that a hike?

Bhushavali said...

Love the turquoise seas!!! Fabulous!!!
Fashion Panache now Sells!!!
Mohanur Temple Tour - Part 2

leo said...

Cote D Azur only appear in novels for me. Now trying to remember what I read and connecting it to your incredible pics of the place. Have a good weekend.

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

I always associate the French Riviera with the rich and famous - the place alone looks expensive, especially with those cars.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Sights from a world so magical, relaxed and always seemingly at play! :-)

Unknown said...

Ah...the places you see Gil, it makes all of us green with envy and Monaco! I think I can only dream of going there. Happy week ahead.

Lakshmi said...

everytime i come back from a trip and i visit your blog, I want to pack my bags again and travel to the destinations you post about..beautiful pics as always

lv2scpbk said...

Hi Trotter, Trying to get back into doing my blog. I've been doing pretty good with my health now. Going to the doctors too much but besides that, we've seemed to get it under control for now.

Love the details in that buildiing with the clock. And, I'd love to own one of those sports cars.

I hope to be back soon on your site and I will try and update mine more often. I've been volunteering alot at a animal shelter.

Pietro Brosio said...

Hello Gil! I find he Côte d’Azur always fascinating and thrilling! Your pictures are amazing, wonderful the collages too!
Have a pleasant week!

PeterParis said...

Yes, despite a bit "too much", too crowded..., it's still nice!

Of the places you show, my preference goes to Menton (not mentioning the hinterland) and that's where you can meet the charming blogger Jilly! I hope you made it to the cemetery on top of the old village! :-)

eye in the sky said...

"Cap Nice" is just a splendid sight! Wow!

juka14 said...

My favorite is Monaco, so clean and easy to walk around.

Priyank said...

Hi Gill! I'm back from Mexico with lots of pictures! PS: Were you in Egypt until just now? (from your first comment). Hope you are safe and having a good year!

Siddhartha Joshi said...

Its good that you left just in time! These images look beautiful...such a departure from the architecture you showed us earlier...lovely nevertheless...

Nikon said...

I could be very happy there, Gil :)
It looks sooo beautiful to one who is stuck here in the depths of winter!
Nice boats!!

Mariposa said...

wonderful. My jaw dropped at the hot cars!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Gil, Your beaches are much prettier than the one I went to last week...buy hey! any beach is fine with me!! I thought about you and your fabulous photos of Egypt as I have watched the news this last couple of days. .... Love the cars and the yachts.

Gattina said...

It was Brigitte Bardot who made this place famous. I have been there in the 60th, and then decided I like Italy better.
I will go back there this year in April.

Cergie said...

Tu étais là-bas en juin...
Mi-juin cela a été dur en effet pour certains, notamment à Draguignan où ma belle famille était l'AM catastrophique. Le fleuve Argens qui borde leur propriété a débordé, la crue a emporté la terre des vignes et pris des vie, tué des ânes, des moutons et surtout des humains dont des enfants...
En juillet nous y sommes allés et c'était encore un spectacle de désolation. Eux qui ont l'habitude du feu disent que l'eau c'est encore pire car lorsqu'elle s'est retiré il y a beaucoup de dégâts à réparer...

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Thanksm Gil, for taking us to a beautiful place such as the Côte d’Azur so I can dream a little on a winter's day. Those sport cars..wow! I had to giggle at the last collage with the outdoor bathtub..it reminded me of well know American TV commercial.

Chuckeroon said...

As usual, a penetrating comment from Cergie. But tell me Trotter...when will you touch Oman? That's missing from your itinerary. You must look for a good reason to insert yourself.

Jilly said...

You have a great set of photos here, Trotter, but...grumble grumble grumble, why didn't you phone or email me. I'd love to have shown you around. The hill villages are the wonders of this region - mind you, so is everything else. What a pity. Next time, do get in touch! So near and yet so far....
Where is that bath?

Rune Eide said...

An extremely nice area - especially Nice :-)

A place I want to visit again!

april said...

The sea is of a wonderful colour and it is a wonderful landscape.
Greetings, April

noel said...

Great pictures of your fantastic tour of the French Riviera ,I ve been in some places where you shooted .
Greetings
Noel

[G@ttoGiallo] said...

Ha ha, is this a transhipment from a felucca to a yacht?

magiceye said...

beautiful images!!

seema gupta said...

read lot about Mediterranean Sea, now have seen on your blog, from pics itself it seems like heaven....thanks for sharing

regards

Regina said...

Wow I'm loving the Mediterranean scenery! Feels like home.
Thank you for sharing Trotter.

Happy weekend.
Regina

yyam said...

Ahhhh...just lovely! Love the picturesque scenery...and those cars! :)

rochambeau said...

Thanks for bringing me along to enjoy the sunshine!! Here there is snow upon the ground!
Happy Weekend to you and Mrs. T.!
and Thank you Gil for the tour!

xox
Constance

A Lady's Life said...

I fear for Egypt. You can't have democracy with the koran.The free world doesn't seem to get it. Egypt was on the right track by not including religion in politics.Now everything is again up in the air. Religion should stay at home where it belongs.
My Fatherinlaw loved Cote D'azure. It was one of his favorite places and
with these pictures I can see why.
Its a beautiful place and to wake up to sea air is just the best thing in the world.

Ola said...

I have been there, pretty and chic!

Ms.N said...

@trotter... love cote'd azur... we were thinking of jumping to that cost from italy - but another time!!!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

SI SEULEMENT IL Y AVAIT MOINS DE MODE ET DE VOITURE CE SERAIT PARFAIT;

Trotter said...

Hi Folks! La Côte d’Azur has been a jet set destination for many years; it probably suffered a huge transfiguration during the last decades, but it still keeps some of its charm and certainly some fabulous views over the Mediterranean Sea. The three «Corniches» connecting Nice to Monte Carlo are absolutely stunning roads... And I’m glad you enjoyed virtually travelling this busy part of the World... Thanks for your comments; they are now the only reason to keep this blog going...

Sylvia,
It seems that the weather hasn’t been nice this winter in the States… And Seattle hasn’t been the worst touched… ;))

Ron,
Now, tell me what happened to the Steelers? I heard that they lost against the Packers… That wasn’t surely fair… ;)

Thérèse,
It was a rather windy afternoon in the Côte… Hope things are getting better with your Mamma…

Blogitse,
As far as Egypt is concerned, the problem is not to know what people don’t want; that is easy to understand… The problem is to ascertain what people want and what will come next… Not so easy to determine…

Joo,
You’re not that far and at least some of your compatriots are travelling a lot; I saw some Poles enjoying a sunny Lisbon in downtown yesterday… ;)

Diane,
For the beaches you had better come to the Algarve… ;) And it’s true that the Mediterranean Sea was rather rough that day; they even had the seaside road closed in certain points…

Ash,
Great to see you back! It always a pleasure to read your comments here… and to see the posts on your blog!!

Lara,
Another great come back!!

Alice,
The views from the Grande Corniche are stunning!! The Grand Corniche is a masterpiece designed by the School of Bridges and Roads «L'Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées», the world's first civil engineering school, and was built to allow Napoleon to get easily to Italy in 1796… Though it rarely goes above 500 to 600 metres, the views over the Mediterranean are stunning…

P.N.Subramanian,
My pleasure! You know, this isn’t such a small world and there are always some fabulous places out there to be discovered!!

Ted,
There couldn’t have snow in the Côte in June... It wouldn’t make any sense... ;))
We drive up there to the Grande Corniche; actually there are three Corniches: In the Basse Corniche, the busy coastal road next to the Mediterranean Sea and always congested in the high season; the Moyenne Corniche, a mid-altitude compromise with some spectacular views up and down; and the fantastic La Grande Corniche...

Trotter said...

Part Two:

Mitr-Friend,
Fabulous indeed; many beautiful blues...

Leo,
OK, but as you read so many novels the Côte must be quite well known to you... ;)). There is surely a great deal of exercise connecting these pictures to the books you have been reading...

Nomadic,
And your association is absolutely correct; however, the great advantage of modern day tourism is that you’ll be also able to travel it on a decent budget; In 2004 Frommer’s was making Europe on 85 USD a day (all inclusive)... Maybe 100 nowadays... ;) The prices of those cars are just obscene... ;)

Rakesh,
People are always at play, at least in Monte Carlo where the Casino is; but nothing like Macao or Las Vegas... ;)

M.Kate,
Come on; it isn’t as exciting as it may look like... Unless you have many millions on your bank account and can travel in style on those yachts... ;)

Lakshmi,
You know, the problem is that you’re always travelling while I’m just remembering... And as I take lots of pictures, I’ve a lot to remember... ;))
PS: Postpone Egypt...

Barb,
Great to see you back! Great to read that your health is improving and that everything is under control now... The building with the clock is probably one of the most famous casinos in the world: the Monte Carlo Casino...
Great to hear that you find time to volunteer!!
Hope to see you back soon!!

Pietro,
You’re not that far from the Côte, so getting ready to drive the Corniches won’t take you much time...

Peter,
It’s crowded, but in early June we managed to drive around without too much problems... I had no chance to get in touch with Jilly; we decided to make the trip at 2:30 p.m. and flew at 6:00 p.m. the same day... So, no chance to make blogging arrangements... ;)

Eye,
Truly, some views of the Grande Corniche are actually taken from an «Eye in the Sky»... ;)

Juka,
Monaco, Le Rocher (The Rock), is a wonderful place to stroll around...

Trotter said...

Part Three:

Priyank,
Great to see you’re back safe and sound. Hope you didn’t get Montezuma’s revenge... ;). I was in Egypt in February 2010... You know, my delay in posting is almost one year, but decreasing, as I’m stuck... ;)

Siddhartha,
I was talking virtually... I actually left Egypt in February 2010, but in blog terms, as my posting is always almost one year delayed, I had just left it some days before all started... ;)

Paul,
I think most people could be truly happy there, provided that some millions were in the bank account... Otherwise, one can just enjoy the views from the Corniches... ;))

Mariposa,
Maserati, Zonda Pagani, Porsche, Ferrari, whatever... Just choose one and be happy... ;)

Lynn,
But the Mediterranean Sea was pretty rough that afternoon… No chance to dive into the water… ;). I’m still waiting to see what will actually happen in the Arab countries in the next months…

Gattina,
Oh dear, this was already famous before Bardot, I believe… Bardot made famous a place called Buzios in Brazil, a spot nobody knew before she went there… ;)
Lucky girl, always travelling to some interesting places… ;)

Lucie,
Oui, juste avant la catastrophe à Draguignan; on est parti le dimanche le soir et la tempête a frappé le mardi après-midi… Affreux!! C’est vrai que le climat n’est pas sympa… Incendies, inondations…

Pat,
I think the bathtub was the decor for an artist’s performance in the middle of one of the main avenues in Menton… The cars are incredible... ;)

Stuart,
Oman would be interesting if and when I would have time (and money...) to cruise the entire heritage left by the Portuguese in the world... ;))

Jilly,
You know how fast decided and fast travelled this trip was... ;)) No chance to get in touch. Surely next time... ;)

Rune,
Nice spot indeed, especially Nice... That was a nice «trouvaille»... ;)

Trotter said...

Part Four and final, for the time being...

Ingrid,
Indeed!!

Noel,
Thanks for your visit and first time comment at Blogtrotter Two! Look forward to reading you often here...

G@tto,
And what a yacht it was... ;)

Magic,
Thanks!!

Seema,
The Mediterranean Sea is the mother (or the father) of many important civilizations...

Regina,
Fabulous when home looks so wonderful as the Mediterranean... ;)

Yvonne,
I can imagine you driving that Pagani Zonda, not to mention the Maserattis, Ferraris, Porsches, etc... ;))

Constance,
Glad to bring the sun to you, but today it’s raining here also... It’s too grey for a decent day... ;))

Lady,
Let’s wait and so how it develops in Egypt!! It would be a huge achievement if only they have a decent secular democracy...
No wonder your Father in law loved the Côte... ;)

Ola,
Lucky girl!!

Ms.N,
Great to read you back here!! It wasn’t that far if you were in Italy, somewhere near Genoa...

Daniel,
De mode ou de monde? ;)

Emery Roth said...

I guess I'll have to bring my own snow when I visit?

Trotter said...

Ted,
You'll have to bring the, if you need it... But don't worry with the wind... There is plenty of it over there... ;)

RNSANE said...

I have always loved this part of the world. I think Villefranche is so charming and I love this port on our Med cruises. We always take the train to Monte Carlo - though I've stayed several days at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel, years ago. I was a huge fan of Grace Kelly - still have my scrap book of her - and I always visit her grave at the cathedral. I was just there for my 65th and
64th birthdays.

The pictures are wonderful but, then, yours always are.

Trotter said...

Carmen,
Your record is fabulous!! In Monte Carlo for the 64th and for the 65th... Fabulous!!