Postcards from Provence and beyond

We had always planned our last day of our trip to the Côte d’Azur, around stopping in Aix, on the way home, to watch the rugby. We know our priorities! Having secured the 2 paintings in the auction earlier in the week, we also had to ensure we were at the auctioneer’s, just outside Aix, in time to collect them before the auction house closed for the weekend.

With over 2hrs to drive back to Aix, we decided to drive to Antibes, and walk around the Cap D’Antibes before heading on. It’s a lovely walk, or at least we imagined it would be a lovely walk, if we could do it on a nice day.

We had first done it at the end of January (my birthday treat), when the heavens opened, and the waves crashed over the rocks, flooding the path and soaking us to the skin. It had been a truly foul day, but had still been a rather wonderful walk, so we were fascinated to see what it would be like on a calm day, without the rain obscuring our view. You can read about that trip here

After a second breakfast in Antibes, we set out along the road that follows the coast, to the start of the path at the end of the Plage de la Garoupe. We realised that we had quite a long walk ahead and were keenly aware of the need to be back at the car by 2pm, at the latest, but without the rain, we set off with a spring in our step, determined to make it in time.

It was clear that spring had arrived since we last walked the path. Red hot pokers were in flower, and the air was scented with the perfume of flowers mingling with the salty tang of the sea. Even on a cloudy day, it was delightful.

Like the path around Cap Ferrat that we had walked the previous day Walking the coast path around Cap Ferrat , this path is laid across the jagged rocks of the coastline.

It winds its way along the shore, following the contours of the coast, with steps built into the stone, dropping into, then climbing out of gullies that in January were being pounded by heavy waves that crashed across the path.

It was hard to imagine what it had been like, as this time the sea was far below us and we almost couldn’t believe how high it had been before. In places, it felt as if we were walking through a moonscape, with bleached rocks to either side of the path, and at times, not another person in sight.

Areas that had been white with froth, were now turquoise pools, so clear that we could see the rocks below the waterline. It was like walking in a totally different place.

It was a lovely walk along the edge of the sea, and we chatted to people we passed, who were all out enjoying the warm day, although we were the only ones wearing shorts! We had to reassure a group of young american tourists that they were in France and not Italy, and that they weren’t on their way to Monaco either.

It wasn’t a gentle walk, as we could almost hear the clock ticking in our heads, but it was still a very lovely way to pass the morning, and we were continually amazed at how different it was, with a calm sea. Especially as we reached a point close to the Eilenroc Gardens, where we had climbed along the rocks at the back of the beach, to stay out of the waves; this time, the path was clear and the sea even further away than we imagined possible.

It was a beautiful walk, and on a bright blue day it must be absolutely stunning, as even under the clouds, it has an ‘out of the way’ peace. One day, we’ll have that perfect day, and we’ll slow down and enjoy the walk, taking coffee and lunch with us too.

As we left the coast path, we yomped our way back into Antibes, as the sun emerged from the clouds, making the old town glow. But we really didn’t have time to stop and admire the view, as we had walked over 14km at a fast pace, and were up against the clock to get back to Aix in time to collect our paintings.

We bought a sandwich on the way through town, and ate it as we marched past the yachts in the marina, arriving back at the car at 1402, which turned out to be perfect timing. In fact, we couldn’t have timed it better, although after the fast walk we were more than happy to have a couple of hours to sit down in the car.

Everything worked like clockwork, and we were excited and a little nervous, as we pulled into the auction house at the time we had arranged. Excited, as we were looking forward to collecting the paintings, but equally nervous, as we hadn’t viewed them beforehand, just bidding based on the photos published online. But, we know the artist’s work, and our had been to collect another of his pieces, so we were pretty sure that we would be happy with what we had bought.

It turned out even better than we had hoped, as both paintings were stunning and even better than we had imagined, so we carefully loaded them into the car, and headed on to the rugby.

Not all days can be absolutely perfect and the rugby proved to be the slightly grey cloud on an otherwise pretty perfect day.

Not only did Provence lose, but Andy and I were picked out on the half-time ‘Kisscam’, which left us dying with embarrassment, after being picked out in the crowd. The embarrassment was then compounded, when a lovely neighbour in our tiny hamlet messaged me to say how delighted they had been to see ‘le kiss sur grand écran’.

I’m honestly not sure I’ll be able to step out in public again!

But it has been a delightful few days away. The end of February is a fantastic time to visit the Côte D’Azur, with spring having started to establish itself.

The weather is generally mild, with some gloriously sunny days,

The walks are superb, and there is the colour and fun of the festivals too.

It’s taken over 30 years, but I now appreciate having a wedding anniversary at the end of the month, which gives us the excuse to take a break on the coast. In fact, we’re already planning our trip for next year!

Lots more adventures though, before that.