INTRODUCING THE FRENCH RIVIERA ...

When we told our friends one Christmas that we were heading off to spend a month on the French Riviera, their reaction was: "Did you win the lottery, or are you just hallucinating?!" What they didn't know is that in Winter this beautiful region is actually a great travel bargain.

It's not just for movie stars and millionaires with yachts and money to burn: it's also an affordable cultural smorgasbord with rental apartments offering all the conveniences and comforts of home for those who are neither rich nor ... (more)

The French Riviera is ...
about 120 miles of Mediterranean coastline stretching westward from...

It is Mediterranean sunrises ...
enough to make you want to get up early!

... toys for big boys ...
in this case, "small boats" at the marina in Cannes.

... Victorian palaces ...
Shown is Villa Eleonore, the palace built by Lord Brougham, who...

... luxury ...
the kind dreams are made of.

... famous grand hotels ...
The Carlton in Cannes is one of the most recognizable of them all.

... comfortable apartments ...
at affordable prices, just right for tourists like you and me. This is...

... charming old towns ...
with narrow winding streets, as here in Old Monaco.

... perched villages ...
so called because of their location on the flank or close to the top of high...

... Roman vestiges ...
which have endured for two thousand years or more.

...venerable old churches ...
such as this 10th century cathedral in Frejus, whose round 5th century...

...uncrowded beaches ...
like this one at Antibes in February. Could those hardy souls be Canadians or...

... fancy carrousels ...
Every town seems to have at least one. Some are very elegant.

... farmers' markets ...
Fresh local produce is always available.

... fresh flowers year 'round ...
This is an outdoor flower market in February.

... unexpected gems ...
such as Monaco, completely surrounded by France. This minuscule but...

... variety in the weather ...
As they say: "If you don't like the weather, wait a few...

... celebrities ...
and movie stars. Here, in front of the Festival Palace in Cannes,...

... festivals galore ...
such as the enormous Citrus Festival, held for three weeks in February...

... especially Mardi Gras.
One of the world's most colourful and important Mardi Gras...

article published 06/24/2007

Comments

Add a comment

Great! Some day I may be lucky and visit this beautiful spot. Thanks for sending this . Have a great week-end. E
— erowan, July 14, 2007

It would appear that Nancy and I should be changing our Europe vacation in 2008 to the Riviera and Provence. Great job - well annotated. Thanks Fred
— JR Digger MacDougall, June 28, 2007

For Lorraine Brecht: Yes, I will be doing separate articles on some of the Riviera locations, and when I do the one on Cannes I'll show the "digs".
— Fred Perry, June 25, 2007

Very nice ;o)
Do you have any photos of the digs you rented?
— Lorraine Brecht, June 25, 2007

Est ce que je peux travail avec Angie et toi? Je pense que c'est tres jolie!

Mon
— monica foell, June 24, 2007

beautiful, beautiful pictures! I was meant to be in the Mediterranean! Let's go to Provence one day, Dad.
— angie, June 24, 2007

Bookmark with del.icio.us | Digg this article