Pétanque & Pastis

January on the French Riviera

2009-01-21T23:48:00+01:00

It's great to be back on the Côte d'Azur. I like this time of year because there is normally lots of sunshine and not much tourist traffic. With the holidays behind us, everyone is back to their normal, everyday January routine: building sandcastles, selling & buying truffles, attending Hawaiian luaus, etc.

Hard at Work in Cannes

Truffle Fair at Bastide Saint-Antoine in Grasse

Hawaiian Luau in Antibes

Autumn Séjour in San Francisco

2008-12-30T22:32:00+01:00

We just returned from another eventful stateside séjour. This time we got to move into our new South of Market home that we bought during the last two weeks of our spring séjour. After sitting in storage for the past three years, all of our belongings are happy to have some breathing space in a place of their own once again. Even more remarkable on this séjour was the arrival of my mother, who just moved back to her old stomping grounds in the Bay Area, from sunny Palm Springs. So, we're happy to be surrounded by our stuff again, and especially happy to have our lovely families close at hand – at least while we are in San Francisco. Of course, it would be even better if they would all move to France with us. We'll have to work on that one.

Corniglia to Manarola to Riomaggiore to Portovenere

2008-09-26T23:10:00+02:00

We covered a lot of territory on our last full day in Cinque Terre. We started the morning by taking the train to Corniglia, where we disembarked, wandered over to the footpath, and then headed over to our next destination - the village of Manarola, an easy hike which took only about a half an hour.

Manarola

From Manarola we took the 15-minute stroll along the picturesque Via dell’Amore which led us to Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five villages, and to the end of our Cinque Terre Village Hike, but not the end of our village exploration...

Via dell’Amore

Riomaggiore

The first time we came to Cinque Terre was in March of 2004, which was a pretty good time to come, with less people crossing our paths on the hiking trails. However, at that time of year there was no ferry service to the other villages, only train service. Apparently, the ferries don’t start operating until after Easter. So, this time we took advantage of the ferry service from Riomaggiore to the beautiful portside village of Portovenere, which was, along with Cinque Terre, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997. It was a dramatic entrance from the sea, with the gothic-Genovese Church of San Pietro sitting atop the rocky promontory in the early-Roman Piazza Spallanzani.

Portovenere

Portovenere Harbor

And the drama continued as we turned the corner into the harbor to be dazzled by all the colorful buildings huddled together with the Church of San Lorenzo peeking out, all crowned by the 16^th-century Doria Castle. Of course, our first order of business just off the boat was to find a place for lunch, and, once again, we found a great place along the harbor where we feasted on yet another assortment of delicious frutti di mare before heading out to explore our beautiful surroundings.

Portovenere – Piazza Spallanzani

Il Castello Doria

Grotta dell’Arpaia a.k.a. Byron’s Grotto

The 30-minute ferry ride got us back to our home base of Vernazza by 6:00pm, which gave us plenty of time before dinner to relax and get packed for our return trip to Antibes tomorrow. Dave’s brother, Mike, has a flight to catch on Sunday which will get him back home to California, where he can rest up from his very busy and active vacation.

Vernazza

Vernazza to Monterosso to Vernazza

2008-09-25T23:25:00+02:00

It was on Day 2 of our Cinque Terre adventure that we completed the longest of the hikes between the 5 villages. We started from Vernazza at around 10:00 in the morning, and headed toward Monterosso al Mare, encountering a burly grape vendor along the way. Of course, we couldn’t resist purchasing a cluster of sweet and juicy grapes for about 1€, which kept us energized for the remainder of the hike. We arrived into Monterosso after about an hour and a half, and stopped for something refreshing to drink. Afterwards, we meandered through the farmer’s market, ogling all the beautiful, colorful produce. Our plan had been to take the train back to Vernazza, but after partaking in a copious, ambrosial array of delectable seafood delights for lunch, all washed down with a cool, crisp, fruity Cinque Terre wine, we were re-energized and decided to hike back to our home base in Vernazza.

Grape Vendor on the Trail to Monterosso al Mare

Hiking Trail between Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare

Italian Produce in Monterosso al Mare

Beach in Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare Tunnel

Hiking in Cinque Terre

2008-09-24T23:40:00+02:00

We returned home to Antibes from our Burgundy barge trip on Monday, we washed clothes and repacked on Tuesday, and then we headed back to the train station on Wednesday en route to our next adventure - Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. The Cinque Terre, or “Five Lands”, are made up of the charming fishing villages of (from north to south) Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, & Riomaggiore, all clinging to the rocky cliffs above the resplendent Ligurian Sea, and all linked together by hiking trails and by a local train, and, this time of year, most are also linked by ferries.

Vernazza from the Trail to Corniglia

We didn’t waste any time hitting the trails. After we got settled into our hotel in the beautiful village of Vernazza, we headed to the train station to buy our Carta Cinque Terre. The card gives you access to all the maintained hiking trails and to the local train which stops in all the towns between Levanto and La Spezia. The funds you pay for the card go to finance the restoration and conservation of the Cinque Terre National Park, which in 1997 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Corniglia from the Direction of Vernazza

It took us less than 90 minutes, hiking past olive groves and terraced vineyards along the high, rocky, narrow trail from Vernazza, to reach Corniglia to the south. Because it sits so high, 100 meters above the sea, Corniglia is the only one of the five villages without direct access to the sea, and, therefore, has no ferry service. We found a café with a lovely vine-covered terrace facing the sea, where we took a break and partook in some tasty antipasti of olives, cippolini, & bruschetta, all washed down with some cold, crisp white Cinque Terre wine, while we watched the sun begin its slow descent into the Ligurian Sea. We still had plenty of sunlight as we headed down from this perched village via a staircase of over 370 steps toward the train station where we hopped onto the train back to our home base of Vernazza. By hiking southward from Vernazza to Corniglia, we avoided climbing these 370 steps that you encounter hiking northward from Manarola to Corniglia.

A Corniglia Sunset over the Ligurian Sea

Barging in Burgundy – The Seille

2008-09-22T23:21:00+02:00

The Seille is a canalized river that flows down from the Jura mountains and meets up with the river Saône at La Truchère, not too far from Tournus. And, it is on this river-cum-canal that we completed the last leg of our week-long barge trip in Burgundy.

The Seille was more picturesque than the Saône, and not nearly as busy. Even though we were authorized to pull up anywhere along the banks, it was not easy to do so because the banks were not cut straight, and they were marshy. So, after one messy stop along the muddy bank for lunch and a walk through a field of sunflowers, we opted to stay at the paid moorings for the remainder of the trip.

The locks along the Seille were different from both the River and the Canal because they were operated manually - by us ! There were either cranks that you used to open and shut the sluice gates, or there were large steering wheel type things that you turned to open and shut them – one side at a time. The top photo shows the crank being used to open the gates, and the photo below it shows the gate being opened with the steering wheel.

We spent one night in Cuisery, which, because of its tradition of bookbinding and book selling, is known as one of four “Book Villages” of France. A walk through the medieval section of the village will bring you into contact with a bounteous supply of new and used books for any and all interests, including very rare books. Cuisery – Village du Livre also plays host to a Marché du Livre (Book Market) the first Sunday of each month, from 8:00am to 7:00pm.

We also spent the night in Louhans, which I found to be the most picturesque village along the Seille. It is in the heart of the Bresse country, and it claims to be the home of 157 Arcades (covered walkways). This is where we bought a Bresse Chicken to prepare for dinner that night. The butcher was so proud of his famous chicken with an AOC designation that he wanted us to take a picture of him posing with our soon-to-be dinner.

The last night of our barge trip was spent in the very tiny village of Loisy, where, the next morning, we bid adieu to L’Abbaye, our pénichette and home-away-from-home for the past week. Then we waited under the willow tree along the banks of the Seille for a taxi to arrive to take us back to the train station in Tournus to retrace our tracks back home to Antibes by train via the beautiful city of Lyon, where we had time for a leisurely stroll and a lovely alfresco lunch.

Barging in Burgundy – The River Saône

2008-09-19T23:52:00+02:00

After two nights on the Canal du Centre, the second full day of our trip got us onto the Saône River, which was beautiful, but in a different way from the canal. It was wide, it had more activity, and it was somewhat intimidating – we had to pay more attention to what we were doing. One of the nice things about the canals in France is that you can pull up anywhere along the banks to moor your barge, but this is not the case on the rivers in France. They can only be moored at designated ports, which means that you have to be a bit more serious about getting to where you need to be, when you need to be there.

Some of the locks were a bit intimidating also, sometimes requiring the wearing of life jackets. In hindsight, we couldn’t see the need for the lifejackets – some of the locks may have been very deep, but the water was released so slowly, that it was hard to understand the lifejacket requirement.

One of our favorite stops on this trip was the city of Chalon sur Saône, where we wandered among the half-timbered houses, perused the exhibits of the inventor of photography at the Musée Nicéphore Niépce, and had a great dinner at Le Bistro (31, rue de Strasbourg, tél: 03.85.93.22.01).

Another stopover along the River Saône was in the small town of Tournus with steep, narrow streets, and town houses built in the early 16^th century.

Fortunately, we had no problem finding a spot to moor our barge in the designated area in Tournus before heading out to explore the village.

Tournus is home to one of the oldest monasteries in France, the Abbaye Saint-Philibert - a roman monument with a façade dating from the 10^th and 11^th centuries.

Barging in Burgundy – The Canal du Centre

2008-09-17T23:40:00+02:00

The wine country of southern Burgundy was the venue for our week-long, one-way barge trip this time around. Unlike our 2006 barge trip through the Canal du Midi, we booked this one far enough ahead (approx. 10 months) so that we got the exact barge we wanted – the Pénichette 1020FB – with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and we could pilot it from either inside the cabin or from up above on the outside top deck, or what they call a Flying Bridge. Once again, we went with Locaboat because we love the way their barges look – very traditional - and it doesn't hurt that they have the best prices. Our pénichette, named L’Abbaye, was brand new - we were the first ones to take it out for a real cruise.

The two ends of our trip were St-Léger-sur-Dheune and Loisy, but when you do a one-way trip you don’t know at which end you will start your journey until just a couple days ahead. We lucked out with our starting point at St-Léger-sur-Dheune because we passed through the wineries right away, and were able to stock up for the trip ahead.

Our first full day of barging was spent in the Canal du Centre, traveling past the villages of Santenay, Chagny, Rully, etc. One of our first stops was in the wine village of Santenay, where we made the mistake of snacking on some violette bonbons before our first wine tasting at Mestre Père et Fils. We were not too impressed with how the wines tasted at the winery. It wasn’t until much later, when we opened the bottles with a meal of escargot and coq au vin, that we realized how wonderful they were, and that the candy had ruined our palettes for tasting.

The trip in the Canal du Centre, which links the river Saône with the river Loire, was serene and picturesque with bicycle paths running all along its banks. La Voie Verte is part of a government initiative which turned old railroad tracks and canal towpaths into more than 100 kilometers of paved bike trails, meandering through the peaceful countryside of Burgundy with its grand châteaux and coveted vineyards.

The locks on the Canal du Centre were operated by lockkeepers. The locks were colorful and so were the lockkeepers, who wanted us to let them know when we expected to pass through, so that they could be there to operate the locks when we arrived. They either drove by to ask us when we would arrive, or they would ask us at one lock when we expected to arrive at the next lock. Also, when we navigated through our last lock of the evening, they would ask us when we planned to get started in the morning. We didn’t always follow through with what he had told them. After all, we were on vacation, and we saw no reason to follow a tight schedule, so when we saw an interesting place to pull over and go for a bicycle ride, or to go wine tasting, or to take a lunch break, or if we felt like taking our time in the mornings, we did not hesitate to do so – and it seemed to be okay.

Paradigm in Antibes

2008-09-13T22:32:00+02:00

It was just nine days ago that Rick & Joslyn disembarked in Calvi from their week-long cruise around Corsica aboard the sumptuous Paradigm, with tales of gastronomic meals, costume parties, water sports, and thoughfully planned itineraries. When we picked them up from the Port of Nice, they mentioned that Paradigm was on her way to Barcelona with another group of lucky guests of Ted & Arline, the owners of the luxury yacht. We were also told that Paradigm would be heading to Antibes afterward, and we assumed that it would be moored in Port Vauban here in Antibes, which is the largest pleasure craft port in Europe. With the arrival of Dave’s brother, Mike, yesterday, and our imminent departure to Burgundy, we didn’t expect to be around to see it while it was here in Antibes. But, lo and behold ! A quick glance out the window, and then a double-take, and then a closer inspection with the binoculars, brought Paradigm clearly into view – right in front of our apartment. It’s too bad that we didn’t know how to get a hold of Ted & Arline to invite them over for a glass of champagne, or maybe a Pastis.

Calvi – True Birthplace of Christopher Columbus ?

2008-09-02T23:50:00+02:00

We took in more spectacular scenery along the winding coast as we made our way further north to the spectacular seaside resort of Calvi, our final destination on this Corsican vacation. Calvi is a Riviera-style resort with a lively promenade full of colorful cafés & restaurants, a lovely yacht harbor, a 2-mile stretch of white sandy beach with shallow transparent water that slowly eases out toward the impressive 15^th-century Genovese citadel sitting in all its glory high on its rocky promontory.

While Ajaccio boasts of being the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte, Calvi boasts of its own native son, Christopher Columbus, who was, by their account, born in a house right in the interior of the citadel in the year 1436. They have a lovely square named after him, Place Christophe Colomb, and they hold a festival in his honor each October. There seems to be no doubt that Christopher Columbus was Genovese, and Corsica was ruled by the Genovese for six centuries, so who knows… However, I think they should have to “duke it out” with Genova, Italy for this particular distinction.

After a short drive north to L’Île Rousse for lunch at one of the beach restaurants, we returned to Calvi and spent the afternoon swimming and admiring the amazing scenery all around us. We got our exercise by strolling along the Quai Landry under the palm trees, and by meandering through the steep, narrow, cobbled streets of the citadel. We had a great dinner at a restaurant called EAT, which sat just at the foot of the citadel. The fusion of Asian and French cuisines was excellent on this warm night under the stars on the quiet terrace. EAT (Epicurien Avant Tout), 15, rue Clémenceau, 20260 Calvi, tél: 04.95.38.21.87.

The Bay of L’île Rousse

The picturesque bay of L’Île Rousse is surrounded by red granite rocks which serve as a base for a lighthouse built in 1857 and another Genovese watchtower.

Once again, time is short, and all we were able to do is have lunch and a short stroll along the seaside promenade here in L’Île Rousse, but I wouldn’t mind spending a little more time here and maybe participating in some water sports the next time around.

The 15^th-Century Citadel in Calvi

The Shallow Sea Stretching out toward the Citadel

Massive Bastion Protecting the Citadel

The 15^th-Century Genovese Citadel in Calvi, Corsica

Stopover in Porto, Corsica

2008-09-02T13:44:00+02:00

A dip in the sea was our first order of business when we arrived into the picturesque village of Porto yesterday afternoon. We felt safe from ne’er-do-wells, thanks to the protection of the 1549 quadrangular Genovese watchtower overlooking the sheltered Golfe de Porto.

Porto’s Marina is situated in a small estuary populated with sports and fishing boats, and can be reached by a small colorful footbridge. Apparently, the Marina provides the departure point for nautical excursions into the Golfe de Porto and to the Réserve Naturelle de Scandola, but, unfortunately, we won’t be around long to take advantage of it. I guess that will be a good excuse for a return trip to the area.

The Marina in Porto

The Footbridge to the Marina in Porto

Corsica - Les Calanques de Piana

2008-09-01T21:13:00+02:00

Our first stop this morning was a hike around the Tour de la Perata, the Genovese watchtower sitting atop the black granite headland known as the Pointe de la Perata. This tower was built in 1608, around which time over 60 such towers, both square and round, were built around the perimeter of the island of Corsica by the Genovese to keep a watch out for invading pirates and other bad guys. They are mostly all still standing in one form or another, some in much better shape than others, and some in nothing more than ruins. Apparently, there are some nice hikes starting from this point, but we just toured around the tower and took in the views of the sea and the beautiful Îles Sanguinaires before continuing on our way.

Our drive along the northwest part of the island today took us through the beautiful, colorful granite rock formations of the Calanques de Piana. The interesting formations and all the nooks and crannies, known as tafoni, are the result of the effects of water and sweeping winds over all these years.

Some of our stops today included a swim and a picnic on the beach, a photo op for a large flock of goats crossing the street, short visits to the villages of Cargèse and Piana, and several breaks for taking in the beautiful views all along the way.

Les îles Sanguinaires

Genovese Tower Beyond the Beach

Goat Crossing

The Road through Les Calanques de Piana

Unusual Rock Formation in Les Calanques de Piana

Vista Point in Les Calanques de Piana

Heading to the West Coast of Corsica

2008-08-31T22:57:00+02:00

After a relaxing beach day yesterday at the nearby Plage Palombaggia, and hanging out in lively Porto-Vecchio for one more day and night, we headed out this morning with a goal of seeing the west coast of Corsica, just north of the historical city of Ajaccio, which we spent some time visiting on our last trip to the island.

Our first stop was in familiar territory in beautiful Bonifacio, where we stopped for an alfresco lunch at a restaurant called Vista Da Rocca, overlooking the bright white cliffs and the recognizable Grain de Sable against the azure Mediterranean Sea.

Invitation for a Swim in Bonifacio

After lunch we took an impromptu dip into the irresistible crystalline water before heading back to our car by way of the colorful harbor, where, much to our surprise, we spotted Paradigm !

Paradigm in Bonifacio

Beach on the route des îles Sanguinaires

We made it to our hotel on the route des îles Sanguinaires in plenty of time to explore the beach, take a short swim, and to watch the sunset over the rocky red islands, the largest of which (the Grande Sanguinaire) is home to an 1840 lighthouse and the ruins of a Genovese tower.

Les Îles Sanguinaires