A Sign in Dolceacqua

What's so incongruous about this sign is that it's at a window high up on the left-hand side of this
medieval square in Dolceacqua, just across the Italian border and a little way out of Ventimiglia. Somehow the style of the sign doesn't go with the ancient stones but hey, it gets noticed - so long as you look up.

Being the first of the month, it's Theme Day (Funny Signs) on City Daily Photo so to see how this subject is covered by other bloggers in many cities around the world please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day - Statues: Venus at Serre de la Madone

First of the month and it's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. Subject: statues. Menton has many beautiful statues and here is a favourite of mine: Venus who stands in one of the beautiful pools at the garden of Serre de la Madone.

In 1907, Major Lawrence Johnston, an American born in Paris, started to create an outstanding garden at Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire, England - incidentally, the first garden to be designated a National Trust garden. In 1924, he bought a large piece of land on the Route de Gorbio in Menton with the intention of creating a garden for sub-tropical plants. The result - Serre de la Madone with its fountains, pools, classical statuary, green garden rooms, a Moorish patio, orangeries for tender exotic plants and so on. Menton is famous for its beautiful gardens and this has to be one of the most beautiful.

Major Johnston travelled the world over a thirty-year period seeking plants he could acclimatise in his seven hectares of terraces at Serre de la Madone. He employed twelve gardeners and planted his prizes amongst the ancient olives. He died in 1958 at Serre de la Madone. After many years of neglect, the gardens have now been restored by the Conservatoire du Littoral who bought the garden in 1999 with the help of the Conseil Generale des Alpes-Martimes and other official organisations.

To see statues featured by other CDP bloggers from around the world please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Lady in Red

She wears red and on either side of her, she has admirers wearing red. I wish she had known...

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. To see how around 100 bloggers from around the world have interpreted the theme of 'Red' please Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

And to see The Virgin Mother please click on the link.

'La France Triomphante' for Eric Tenin and Paris Daily Photo!

Today is a big day for the City Daily Photo community as it's the 5th anniversary of Eric Tenin's Paris Daily Photo. It was Eric who started it all and today, we are paying tribute to Eric by posting photographs representing the 'Tenin Perspective' - POV from the ground up or slightly skewed. (Thankyou Kim for the great idea of making a tribute in this way.)

Eric is an impossible act to follow but I hope you like this photo of 'La France Triomphante' in the medieval village of Roquebrune. She is bound up as she was ready to be sent away for restoration - just in case you think the villagers are into bondage! The sculptor is the Hungarian artist, Anna Chromy. Since taking the photo the work has been restored at the Ateliers de Pietra Santa in Lucca, Italy and she is now back in her normal position at the Place Deux Frères in the village.

Happy 5th birthday to Paris Daily Photo and many thanks as always to Eric for everything, for the brilliant CDP idea, for sticking with it, for the friendship and inspiration you give to us all. To see the tributes of other CDP bloggers, please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

And do visit Paris Daily Photo - you'll see Eric's brand spanking new fabulous look to his blog.

Theme Day: Passageway in the Serre de la Madone

The Serre de la Madone is one of Menton's most famous gardens. Created by Lawrence Johnston, an American who owned the famous Hidcote Garden in England, he needed a warmer climate for the sub-tropical plants he collected. His story is fascinating and so is the garden and we will be covering it on Menton Daily Photo soon.

This photo shows a passageway fairly near the entrance to the gardens on the Route de Gorbio.

To see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme Day - Wood: Henri's Walking Stick

Once again it's Theme Day in the CDP community and today's theme is 'wood.'

Meet Henri, who couldn't walk without his wooden walking stick. Henri is the last remaining member of the oldest family in Gorbio, the medieval village just above Menton. Henri can trace his family back hundreds and hundreds of years.

Note: Lest you should think that Henri is in need of a square meal and a bed for the night, rest assured - he is one of the biggest landowners in the village.

To see how City Daily Photo Bloggers around the world have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: Best Photo of 2009

Today is Theme Day when we get to choose our best photo of the previous year.

When I took this photo in the Old Town of Menton, I was focusing on the bike when suddenly this child walked into the picture. I like the dark into light effect.

But the photos I love to take most are close-ups of people - this adorable child on the left was playing peek a boo with me during the Fête Créole last summer.

To see the Best Photos of 2009 from around the world - what a treat today will be! - click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: Changes

Theme Day this month is 'Changes' and this photograph, taken at Le Balico in Menton reminded me that Martini has changed the shape of its bottles. Remember the old Martini bottle? - you see it on the left. And below the new one. I love the old one, same as I love the old Martini poster in the photo. But everything changes unless we believe, 'Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.'

Henri-Louis Bergson, the French Philosopher who in 1927 won the Nobel prize for Literature wrote:

'To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.'

'Exister, c'est changer ; changer, c'est mûrir ; mûrir, c'est se créer sans cesse.'

To see how other CDP bloggers have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Note: Since posting this, sadly Le Balico has been sold and is under new management with different decor.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Theme Day: Waiting ...for the Page to Load

The medieval village of Gorbio. Ancient stones support modern technology. A young girl sits on her step, waiting for the page to load.

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme day - 'Doorways' - Rubble in Rue Longue

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

It's Theme Day again with the theme being 'doorways.' We are in Rue Longue in Menton. This building is being renovated and so the rubble is put into bags to await collection. No room in this narrow medieval street for a skip.

To see how at least 100 City Daily Photo bloggers from around the world have interpreted today's Theme, do click on the link to be delighted and intrigued. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: Contrast at the Procession Votive

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved

It's Theme Day once again and the subject is 'Contrast.' Here we have the contrast of a medieval man and his modern daughter and of course, the contrasts in the photo itself - taken at the Procession Votive in Roquebrune Village. Papa played a scribe.

To read the history of the Procession Votive which dates back to 1467, please click on the link.

Don't miss other CDP bloggers take on this Theme - well over 100. You'll love the incredible talent and imagination that speaks of the CDP community. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: 'Big' - the 2000 year old Olive Tree

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

This 2000 year old olive tree is BIG. You'll find it in the medieval village of Roquebrune. The small photo shows the massive size of the root system - perhaps you remember this photo of the four bloggers who visited Menton last May. Who are they? Click on link for details.

Once again it's Theme Day and to find out how other CDP bloggers around the world are interpreting the 'big' theme, please click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Theme Day: Night

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

It's the first of the month and as always it's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. Today's theme is Night and I give you a winter shot of the Café Alba at the Place du Cap in Menton.

And in the smaller photo, how about a Lady of the Night...or is she?

To see how other bloggers in our world-wide City Daily Photo community have interpreted this theme - and I promise you there will be endless delights - please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme Day: Feet

“My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet”

- Edith Wharton (American Novelist and short-story writer, 1862-1937)

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted the theme of 'Feet' do click here to view thumbnails for all participants. You will find many great images to delight you.

Theme Day: Shadows...on Promenade le Corbusier

There is a magical walk from the point of Cap Martin to Monaco that used to be called le Sentier des Douaniers, but was later renamed Promenade le Corbusier in honour of the famous architect who lived in the cabanon he built along by the sea. He later drowned whilst swimming off the rocks. We will be featuring this most beautiful of walks (see small photo) and visiting Corbusier's cabanon on Menton Daily Photo later in the year.

Here is one of my dogs, Beau, enjoying the walk. He's a Bruno de Jura, one of six hunting breeds in Switzerland and ancestor of the Bloodhound - look at those long ears!

Today is Theme Day on CDP and the theme is Shadows. To see how over a hundred fellow-bloggers from around the world have interpreted this theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants. You will be surprised and delighted and entranced.

Theme Day: Yellow

The first of the month and so once again it's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community.

With the theme being 'yellow' the most obvious choice for Menton would be a lemon, after all, Menton is the citrus capital of France. So I give you a small photo of lemons but the main photo I couldn't resist - mimosa tumbling over the entrance to an old villa in a backstreet of Menton. Both photos were taken within a few metres and a few minutes of each other at the end of February.

Yellow is such a happy colour - the colour of sunshine. I hope it's shining for you today.

"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. "

Pablo Picasso 1881 - 1973

Over a hundred photographers will be posting their interpretation of today's Theme - you'll find so many different and imaginative responses to the word 'yellow.' Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme Day: Glass...in Gorbio

Today is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community with today's subject being 'glass.' We are inside the restored medieval Château in the hill village of Gorbio, near to Menton. Here we see a 13th century gemeled window through a pane of glass as we look out over village roofs. This beautiful Château is now used as an exhibition space.

Over a hundred people will be posting their interpretation of today's theme - you'll find many wonderful photographs taken with imagination and flair. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Theme Day: Paths & Passages

The Old Town of Menton, every perched village near to Menton - all are crammed with little pathways, covered walkways, passages - here is a covered passageway in the medieval hill village of Roquebrune. I posted a closer shot of this a while back. The sign on the right shows where the writer and diplomat, Romain Gary, lived. (Please click on the link to see that photograph and read more.)

By the way, in case you wonder why there is a bottle of water on the street. It's to stop dogs peeing against doorways - the idea being that the reflection puts them off. You see plastic water bottles in every hill village.

Today, being the 1st of the month, it's Theme Day on City Daily Photo (Paths & Passages) and as always there will be a myriad of wonders to see on blogs throughout the world. Please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Tomorrow: - we walk the old Donkey Track to Gorbio village.

Theme Day - Best Photo of 2008

Today, being the first of the month, it's Theme Day for the City Daily Photo family and today's Theme is 'Best Photo of 2008.'

The beautiful steeples of the Old Town of Menton are something I love to photograph (see smaller photo) but it's 'people' pics that seem to tell a story. The main photograph shows the beautiful Medieval village of Gorbio and a little girl, Lisa, who knows it well - no fear as she runs into what seems like a dark hole. This is one of the 'Village Wedding' series posted in June. Yesterday, I found so many shots I didn't use, so from tomorrow perhaps we'll revisit the wedding for a few days.

Today's post is dedicated to a fellow CDP blogger (he knows who he is) who, by email, has endlessly and patiently helped me with photographic advice and encouragement over the last year or so - without you, bla bla.

Happy New Year to everyone and thank you to all the friends I've met through blogging - let's hope that 2009 brings a more peaceful world.

To view other City Daily Photo bloggers' favourite Photo of the Year - and you'll see some fabulous photographs, I know - Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

For an update on the continuing story of Mistral and Mia, the Hell Hole dogs - which is getting better by the minute - please click on the link.

Theme Day: Circles/Spheres - Globes Gone!

Once again it's Theme Day. Today's Theme is Circles/Spheres and here you see a couple having a picnic by the sea in Menton - the street lamp with it's large globes in view.

A few hours after taking this photograph, the globes were GONE - taken down, as you in the smaller photograph leaving space for Christmas decorations which we'll see another time.

Bloggers from 187 different cities around the world are taking part in today's Theme and will, I know, interpret this theme in a myriad of fascinating ways. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.