Marseille
Trains are great! Travelled along the coast from Marseille absorbing great views of Côte d'Azure all the way to Nice. A new adventure...... exciting!
Train window views along the coastline- Marseille to Nice
Wasting no time at all, went for a stroll out of the apartment.....seriously in the thick of it all and only a block from the Mediterranean Sea!
At the front door of the apartment. Playground of Mediterranean food, boutiques, flash hotels and casino's
Taking a stroll up the famous Promenade des Anglais landed us in one of those tourist trains that kids like to go on because they look like a train and they are not. Luna Park comes to mind! It was so much fun and took us up to Parc du Château through Vieux Nice, the old quarter, gorgeous!
nglah! Complete tourist with headset and all! The view definitely gave the lay of the land.
Vieux Nice
An evening with mojito's...oh yeah!
Then it was Bastille day....the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day. In France, it is formally called La Fête nationale and commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.
Now.....There is a bit of history for you!
Relevant?
Off to the country to see Matisse's final work, The Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence. When I arrived outside the chapel I seriously shed a tear and completely welled up! Not because it was closed and I had to come back in an hour, or the really long bus ride up the mountains standing, cause it was so packed, hanging on for dear life .....
My grandchild's namesake perhaps!
Matisse Joy
Finally... In..... and then.... NO PHOTOGRAPHE! wierd cause everywhere in France there is no problems taking a snap! The French have totally got it! I took handbag snaps anyway with Lani's you beaut point and shoot... Too sneaky... Looking all innocent style!
There was a massive display of all the preliminary work Matisse had done leading up to the final work... Completely amazing! Large charcoal drawings of the stations of the cross and the intricate models he made exploring different chapel concepts. He designed all the priests' vestments and apparently the pope wanted them. The nuns made copies for the Vatican. Yo!
The chapel is stunning with the light bouncing around in the shiny tiles, white walls and marble floors.
On the way back to Nice I stopped in at Saint Paul de Vence... Wow!!
My bus window photo..... Not..... This ones straight from god.
A medieval cobblestoned village perched on top of a mountain that looks out over Nice and the Mediterranean Sea. It was once a peaceful place until artists and actors started hanging out there...... And now tourists!!
It's one of THOSE popular sites to visit.
I think I took one million photos of streets ....
Neuf nuff
There are a lot of galleries, art and Marc Chagall lithographs. Pretty coooool!
Annie Liebovitz portrayal of Clint Eastwood. Love it!
Back to the promenade ....
Promenade Des Anglais
Totally feeling like a tourist this week!
But wait there WILL be more..... X