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| Pastel colours of Nice |
Les Menuires 3 valley ski resort
After landing at Geneva airport I caught the train to Moutiers-Salin-Brides-les-Bai, a four hour journey via Chambery-Challes-les-Eaux and Albertville. (46 Swiss francs) Chambery provided a good place for a coffee stop and a leg stretch round the town. At Moutiers I was met by our kindly chef plus minibus to shuttle me the last leg to the chalet. Being night time I missed the views. I stayed in Roberty 2000 in the French Alps first of all. This is part of the village of Les Menuires, 1850m above sea level, so hidden in the folds of the Alps but within striking distance of Annecy and a three hour transfer from Geneva airport. Here the slopes are connected to 600km of slopes in Les Trois vallees, part of the largest skiable area in the world. Here you can have a profitable summer mountain experience of enjoying some great summit views and also lots of activities for all the family, using some of the infrastructure that has been built for the winter season.
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| Above the clouds |
The chalet in Roberty lies high above the village, a good twenty minutes walk uphill, and commands fine views to salivate over when you are having your breakfast. Nearby is a supermarket style shop to get your basic provisions, but if you want more choice you will have to descend to the village centre almost at the bottom of the steep valley. Here you find a sizeable Carrefours supermarket, but also most of the shops, facilities, restaurants and bars you would need for a week as it is all geared up for winter and summer seasons.
A week's pass for €44 gets you free use of the cable cars and chairlifts in the area. As well as this you get various freebies or discounts. e.g. free swimming and use of the gym at the local sports centre and a free session of archery, whilst you get discounts on things like the luge ride, which is like a downhill toboggan ride on rails with lots of curves and the ability to brake and speed up of your own accord. Great fun on the bends when you can fail to brake if of a risky nature! Use of the cable cars sounds good, but of course they are not all open as it is summer, and those that are open are open on particular days, so you have to plan ahead.
On the first full day I went marmot spotting. These are incredibly shy creatures that are cuddly enough to look as if they have just jumped out of a Disney cartoon. They live in the rock outcrops at the bottom of the valley for instance and gambol around and peep out at you if you are very quiet and still. But there's only so much marmot spotting you can do in a day and after a while I left and teamed up with some of the others going for a walk along the valley.
My first day proved to be a 'miserable failure as a mountaineer' day, as I took the cable car, Bruyeres 1, halfway up the mountain to the first station, but could go no further as the car to the top was closed because it was too windy. So I decided to go for a walk, but then when I espied the summit, Mont de la Chambre, I thought I could reach it as it was visible and not too far away! Possible mistake! I reached the top after following the curves of the track up the mountain, sometimes passed by work vehicles speeding up to or down from the top. I appeared to be the only tourist on a remote summit apart from a few workmen. The sensible tourists were down in the valley having a beer or doing archery!
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| Cold but swimmable! |
I took my photos on an admittedly blustery summit, and gave myself one and three quarter hours to descend. The mistake I made was to not return on the main track but to follow short cuts on steeper slopes. This meant the continual digging of my big toes into the ends of my trainers which caused serious bruising and a sore night! Also the mist descended as I progressed, until the cable car and chairlift lines became somewhat too indistinct and finally disappeared from view. I tried to follow one signpost but it led onto open ground, first crossing a stream and then downhill over unknown mist covered terrain. A recipe for disaster! Who knew what unknown ledges and rock faces were hiding in the gloom? I decided to retrace my steps to the track, a laborious climb back uphill just when I was feeling slightly despondent. By now I was resigned to the fact I might not make dinner. Shock horror, I arrived on the holiday one day late and now I might miss the first evening meal! The track went downhill, that was the main thing. Once I reached the bottom I could get a taxi home if necessary. Once on the the track I firmly stayed en route until I spotted the signs to my chalet. It was a sobering experience as mist covered mountains are a little unnerving and even when I neared the chalet, Roberty village was there one minute and gone the next as the mist thickened or swirled from one spot to another. I still had to phone to locate the exact spot of our chalet, and a kind soul came out to meet me on a fog bound road. It was with great relief that I arrived just in time for canapés!
We had various walks. One was up the mountain trail on the other side of the valley to a lovely lake, the Lac du Lou, where you can swim and sunbathe. There is also a cafe with a great view where I bought a cheap lunch and joined the others who had forged ahead. If you want you can ascend further up into the mountains, or just resign yourself to the fact that you will have to spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the view of the lake. Another day I took the cable cars right to the top of the summit I had walked on the first day. Bumped into the holiday leader on the way up. We got some great photos under a burnished blue sky, especially of that little bump in the distance named Mt Blanc, looking like some giant wedding cake that's been mauled by a giant, frosty white against a clear blue sky. The photo opportunity could not have been better.
The first two days in the French Alps the weather was on the inclement side, but after that the celestial gas burners fired up and we were in for a really hot spell which continued more or less until the end of the holiday in Nice. One day I just took the cable car, Roc 1, up from the village and you find yourself in a gently rolling part of the mountains where you can take a hike to two lakes, one only half an hour away (it gives you the timings on the signposts). At the lake you can find yourself your own rock perch and enjoy a picnic whilst admiring the scenery. People are scarce, the odd few walkers and fellow picknickers.
Another day I joined two fellow guests and we walked down the valley a few miles to the village of Saint Martin de Belleville. As you head down the valley the scenery becomes more lush and welcoming as compared with the rather bare and scarred slopes around St Martin. It seems a shame that the summer Alps can be damaged so much by the winter ski season. However, further down the valley it is much more as you would expect the Alps to be, undisturbed woodland, rolling meadows and quiet alpine settlement with overflowing flower boxes at the windows. We were headed to the market in the centre of the village at our destination, but sadly it was off much to the chagrin of the supermarket vendor who seemed to be railing against the whole system. We found an excellent café/restaurant for a coffee and ate our sandwiches in the town square. Then we met up with the friendly South African family that were staying at the chalet and I got a lift back with them to St Martin, via a quick stop to look at where the company has got a new chalet for the winter season. They invited me to join them at the outdoor centre and try the zip wire across the valley but I declined in favour of doing a bit of sunbathing by the river!
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| Mont Blanc |
The last day I had been advised to take a trek to the summit on the other side of the valley, past the lake that a group of us had visited a day or two previously. But I needed some sun tan lotion and some euro, so anywhere I went would have to be via the town centre. When I got to the town centre the lure of the archery drew me in, and I got put on the longest range on my own, fairing pretty well in hitting the target more often than not. Then I noticed they'd opened up a cable car (Masse 1) that Friday up the other side of the valley so went for it. At the top I could go further, reach for the sky. The car took you a long way up but there was still a way to go. Footsies were still sore so had to be looked after so I climbed to a ridge enough to give me some decent all rounder shots. With excellent visibility Mt Blanc was revealing its sharp, jagged, white nakedness in all its its glory. You climb up a great grey gash scoured out of the mountain, no doubt another ski run, passing a flock of loose haired brown alpine cattle with big bells. With that lovely clean sound you could find them in the mist! Then when you tip onto the ridge after passing a lake you get some stupendous all round views into new territory. Forget that lonely conical summit up there, there's enough to see, my big toes have suffered enough. I walk the ridge to the next ski station, which I guess is as busy as Victoria station in the winter but barely a soul now. I climb onto the grassy crag beside it for some more 360 degree camera shots, and get attacked at the top by a swarm of big flies or mossies sweeping into my face. I must have disturbed the fly king of the mountain. It's the plagues of Egypt in the French Alps! I can bear it for seconds then make my descent. I stand in a little hut strategically placed by the ski station and admire the view, right down to our village and the chalet nestling in the mountain side. Then it's down to that pretty lake I passed on the way up to find a rock to eat my lunch. A scattering of people sit sunbathing round the lake, and the odd fisherman caresses the banks. You approach the edge of the water and a thousand tiny fish shoot from the side like mini submarines leaving the mother craft. I make my descent to the cable car well before the last ride down. I don't want to face another long descent with my tender big toes, even in this summer heat.
Our time in the French Alps is now over. It's a jolly jaunt by car from St Martin to Geneva airport by car through some truly wonderful scenery, massive mountains overlooking steep valleys, and the town and region of Annecy looks to be worth a holiday on its own. Here is a beautiful big lake dedicated to all things watersports and surrounded by mountain ranges, also bordered by a lovely old town. The presence of lots of people sunbathing and boating indicates a plum place to be. What's not to like?
Well I seemed to have landed on my feet yet again this time with Airbnb. I only booked on the day before and have ended up with superb accommodation for £63 for two nights. It is in the village of Colle sur Loup up in the foothills of the coastal mountains, just inland from Cagnes sur Mere.The village itself is a great little base for a holiday in itself. This area is a green wavy carpet covered in settlements stretching from Cagnes sur Mere on the coast up to the sweet little town of Vence which boasts a circular medieval centre. Vence is definitely worth a visit. The bus takes you to the bus station just by the roundabout Place Marechal Juin, and from there you take the Avenue de la Resistance straight into the town centre, right up against the old town. The local bus sweeps you back and forth over the area and takes you into Nice. Be aware though of your flight arrival time at the airport. If you land like me around nine in the evening you will miss the last bus which meant a 55 euro taxi ride, a bit of a shock.
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| Nice Beach eastern end |
My accommodation is in an old French house with a large patio at the back furnished with garden chairs and tables. Beyond, the garden drops down on a split level overlooking a very pleasant rural scene. Basically I have ended up with the bit on the side of the house, you know the bit where they used to store wood or maybe keep a couple of animals. Now it has been transformed into a long narrow, trendy, chic studio with a very comfortable bed and ultra modern shower and wash basin. There are lots of little touches of class around the room, your little pictures and modern art over the bed, and everything is spotlessly clean. Possibly the best place I have stayed in and competitive with a decent hotel. The lady of the house gave me a further three nights for 90 euro, although I had to split the stay for one night as she had a couple booked. So I stayed in another Airbnb in Saint Laurent, Nice for that one night. Another good choice, I ended up with a very nice Italian host in a spotless apartment in a block of flats.
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| Place Massena |
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| Place Massena |
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| Nice |
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| Nice |
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| Nice colours! |
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| Place Garibaldi |
Antibes - my host in Colle sur Loup suggests Antibes as the best place to go and for €5.20 return you can get the train down the coast from Cagnes sur Mere. As has happened before I get stuck behind customers in the ticket queue who wanted to reorganise the national railway system. First it was what looked like father and son debating their journey with the lady behind the counter. When they had finished one lady in front surely could not take long. But I was wrong, wrong, wrong! She produced a plastic sleeve folder from which she pulled several sheets of paper. These were the passed through the counter and arrayed in a pretty pattern across the ticket issuers desk. We were here for the long haul as I saw my train enter the station, then leave. Meanwhile the queue was lengthening behind me and a cloud of long-sufferingness has descended on everyone, no sign of French lawlessness here. It was like she was arranging for a school full of teenagers to go on some trip. Eventually we got there, and I caught the next train just 20m later.
The train station at Cagnes sur Mere is a way inland from the beach, but soon the train hits the coast and hugs it all the way to Antibes. Antibes sits on the eastern neck of a little peninsula that sticks out like an animal's head to the south and ending at the Cap D'Antibes. The railway snakes across the neck before disappearing west. Antibes itself oozes class, with its ancient harbour walls providing a lovely winding elevated walkway to observe the old town, the beaches and yacht marina. Here to the north of the old town lie the largish Port Vauban and the vieux port packed with the Mediterranean medley of fashionable sea craft.
Not one for lying on the beach all day, I escaped the heat of the midday sun by visiting the Picasso Museum, cost €6, housed in an imposing building right on the seafront where Picasso himself was given a workshop in his time here. I'm not a great one for art, but you get a good feel for Picasso's work, and one or two other artists. There were sketches of fauns, satyrs and nymphs, there were the usual nudes, there were lots of plates and some pots made by Picasso with his distinctive designs of everyday objects imprinted on them, as he had got into pottery and sculpture as well. Not just a painter. Also there were photos of him and his lady taken by an American war photographer who took a famous series of black and white portraits of Picasso and his lifestyle. If you like Picasso you would be in heaven, myself I found it difficult to appreciate the level of abstractness squeezed out of reality that he portrayed, but I do appreciate his use of colour, especially the vivid brightness of his pottery work.
Next to the museum is the cathedral, again hugging the waterfront sea walls, very attractive from the outside and not too overdone in its decor inside. The old town is a splendid concoction of narrow streets, a tree filled square, and pastel coloured dwellings all typically Mediterranean. No wonder Picasso loved it here.
I have been to Antibes before when I camped at Cagnes sur Mere I guess about 14 years ago, and all I remember is wandering around the Cap d'Antibes amongst the opulent villas of the rich and famous in the midday heat. I don't even remember visiting the beach. This time I walked from Antibes to its neighbour Juan-les Pins which is a mile or so walk across a neck of land to westerly facing beaches on the other side. These are supposed to be the best beaches on the island but be warned, it is a great spot with sand rather than shingle but a lot of the beachfront has been taken over by umbrella filled 'pay only' stretches. However you can find very nice stretches of public beach if you are prepared to walk a little, only thing is there's not much space at all so you have to diplomatically find a little empty patch. Having settled down for the afternoon I became aware of a group of Africans with a music box playing an incessant beat which I knew would assault my senses for the rest of the afternoon so I moved out of earshot once I had overcome the inertia of my first patch of beach territory.
Nice to have some sand at Antibes after pebbly beaches in Nice and Cagnes sur Mere which are really hard on the feet. Pack those jellies! Give yourself a good half an hour to get from Juan-les Pins back to Antibes rail station on foot, unless you have a ticket to Juan-les Pins station itself.
On the last day I decided to strike east down the coast towards Italy so after getting to Nice by bus I caught another bus from the port to Menton again for the ridiculously cheap price of €1.50 for a journey of one and a quarter hours, going through Villefranche sur Mere, Beaulieu sur Mere, Eze sur Mere and Monaco-Monte Carlo. The journey reminds me of the Amalfi Coast, the same steep hillsides running down from high craggy mountain summits straight into the sea, with almost continual settlement straggled out along the coast. This is well established tourist territory, renowned internationally for its glamorous resorts.
Menton is the stop just before you tip over into Italy. It speaks of the grandeur, pomp and opulence of yesteryear when only the rich and famous would have migrated here for their vacations, but now everybody does it. The hotels, civic buildings and apartment blocks burst out in splendour, colourful shutters and metalwork, and all the shades of pastel you can think of. The Jardin Bioves, a decorative green space, swathes straight as an arrow down to the seafront between avenues from near the rail station. There is a fine beach stretching around the bay to the west of the town, and another beach tucked into the port area below the old town., although at the moment there is lots of construction work around the port, the vieux port.
One problem I faced was getting caught short and no public toilets on the sea front. What is it with France at the moment? The toilet at the rail station was out of use, another toilet near the sea front was also taped off, and there was nothing on the beach. Hot footing it from the beach to find somewhere I walked with relief into McDonald's, knowing they are that great servant of mankind. Horror of horrors, the toilet had a key pad, the number for which you could only get if you bought something. By now I was seriously desperate and as if powered by a nuclear device, propelled myself back to the seafront and into a cafe. Ordering a coffee, I tried as calmly as possible to request the loo. Thank god they had one!
After enjoying the rest of my coffee on the seafront, I meandered back to the station through the old town, taking shots of architecture the caught the eye, including a massive hotel with an Arabic name, visions of Middle Eastern money? I caught the train back along the coast (€7.50) to suit my timings. This time it was dusk so it was more difficult to appreciate the surrounding beauty. My arrival at Cagnes sur Mere dovetailed nicely with the evening bus to Colle sur Loup. However I was too late for the delicious pizza at the restaurant I had visited previously. Shame as the pizza was excellent. This is the only problem staying in a little village. There's not so many restaurants some of which may close quite early. I can recommend the L'auberge Provençal where I had a couple of nice meals, especially a fish dish on the last night.
I got home from Nice via Copenhagen as it was much cheaper than flying direct, about £122. Saved quite a bit of money and also had time to nip into Copenhagen on the metro to have a look round the city centre and take some great photos on a blue sky day!
