Android in a Medieval Village

Wander through the medieval village of Gorbio and amazingly you come across this sign which, if you have an iPhone and the right App you simply take a photo of the 2D Tag (bar code) and you will then get a commentary relating to where you are in the village. I don't have an iPhone so can't try it but I imagine you get photos too or perhaps a video. These signs are throughout the village at all the main points of interest.

Isn't technology amazing! It's extraordinary to walk on ancient cobbles in narrow streets and come upon these signs. Old and new. Ancient and modern.

Infographie and the Teacher

We are continuing our visit to the exhibition of students work from the Ecole Municipale des Arts Plastiques.

Meet Christelle Esperto who teaches infographie - computer graphics or art made on the computer. You can see some examples of her students' work on the walls. Notice Johnny Depp in the smaller photo?

I wouldn't have a clue how this work is done but I understand that no original photograph is involved.

In the smaller photo you can see the Mayor of Menton in the foreground. The lady with him is the Principal of the school which takes students as young as 6 and with no top age limit.

Painting the Town...

Menton's glorious facade of the Old Town as painted in separate panels by students of the Ecole Municipale des Arts Plastiques. It was displayed at the Palais de l'Europe along with pottery, painting, photography etc.

In the smaller photo, visitors to the exhibition are pointing out individual houses in the finished work - and it was a big!

This would have worked fine for yesterday's 'bright colours' theme, wouldn't it?

Lady in Pink

Pink dress, crutches (one purple and one green) gold shoes, bright lipstick and eye shadow. I've seen this lady around Menton and despite the obvious difficulty she has in walking she doesn't let it get her down. The bright colours she wears suit her obviously sunny personality.

It's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community and today's theme is BRIGHT COLOURS. Click on the link to see colour from around the world.

Sun, Shade and Silhouettes in Gorbio

Gorbio village. They knew what they were doing in medieval times when they built houses with such thick walls. The sun slams down yet the village stays shady and cool.

Mandragore

A great place for a glass of wine before dinner is the Mandragore in Place aux Herbes. Relax and watch the world pass by in this lovely square shaded with plane trees. The owner is a well-known Menton artist, Yves Bosio, who recently had a major retrospective at the Palais de l'Europe called '50 Years of Creation.' Click on the link for more info.

La Mer - Rounding the Lighthouse

We've left the port of Garavan. We are rounding the lighthouse which takes us out into open sea from where we see the Old Town on Menton with the mountains behind - and on this particular day - cloud cover.

Next we sail past Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Monaco and on to Cap d'Ail, Eze, Beaulieu and our destination for a day on the water: a tiny bay off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat but that was on Monte Carlo Daily Photo.

La Mer - Leaving Port

A mass of boats with the Old Town in the background and then... we start to leave the port.

Tomorrow: Rounding the Lighthouse.

La mer

It's incredibly hot and humid in Menton at the moment, so let's get out on a boat, cool down, and see what the town looks like from the sea.

First tho, we've arrived in the port of Garavan which is just before the Italian frontier.

The Three Bulldogs

This guy works at a dress stall opposite the market.

Left to right: Lady, Churchill and Petula. Woof-woof.

Hot Conversation

Sitting on this ancient stone bench under the plane trees in Place aux Herbes should keep these gentlemen cool.

Do you suppose they are complaining about the heat or talking about something deep and meaningful?

Beausejour - Yvan and Naïla

The Beausejour restaurant in the medieval village of Gorbio has been in the same family for four generations.

Yvan's wife Naïla uses her artistic flair to create a beautiful ambiance. Note the courgette plants growing outside and below, a ladybird appears on a leaf! And I love the flower pot declaring their love.

Beausejour - Menu in the Mirror

Not only is Yvan's wife, Naïla, the chef at the fabulous Beausejour restaurant in Gorbio but it is she who is responsible for the beautiful decor, inside and out. At the moment pots of courgettes (zucchini) are growing outside the restaurant and here is a simply placed mirror that reflects the vegetation.

The writing on the mirror proposes La Farandole, a mix of Gorbio specialities. Click on the link to take a look.

The Parvis of Prince Honoré III

This is the parvis of the Basilica. Parvis means 'square in front of the church. '

In 1757 Honoré III of Monaco used white and black pebbles to create the mosaic which represents weaponry and the Grimaldi's coat of arms. The curved 'H' signifies Honoré III. Menton, of course, was ruled by the Princes of Monaco until the French revolution.

After centuries of feet, the tops of some of the pebbles are worn totally flat. The photo below was taken very near the entrance to the church.

On the other hand...a few years ago we had massive flooding in Menton and the rampes (the steps leading up to the Parvis) and also perhaps the parvis itself, had to be restored. The flooding had lifted many of the pebbles. So perhaps the reason the tops of some pebbles are perfectly flat isn't the effect of centuries of wear but of fairly recent renovation and brand new cut stones. I prefer to think it was caused by feet over the centuries!

Going to Seed

Agapanthus are everywhere in Menton at the moment. In the photo below you see them in the beautiful gardens of the Serre de la Madone. The close-ups - and going to seed - are in my garden in Gorbio.

This is a South African plant that is more than happy in the south of France. It's a member of the lily family, hence the common name of African Lily or Lily of the Nile.

Smoke

Two young girls having a night out on Bastille Day at L'Olimpo, an Italian restaurant on the pedestrian street.

Why do young girls smoke?

The Imaginary Friend

The Place aux Herbes is the perfect place to 'people watch.' Sit on the centuries old stone benches and enjoy the shade of the plane trees. It's incredibly hot and humid in Menton at the moment.

This little girl fascinated me. When she wasn't with her father, she ran about the square, hiding behind one of the trees (see below) and sometimes seemed lost in her own thoughts but of course she was playing with and talking to her 'imaginary friend.'

When you were a child, did you have an imaginary friend?

The Sundial Artist

The back wall of the ancient Château in the village of Gorbio has a newly restored sundial - or scratch dial to be technically correct (thanks Alex). With so much digital technology it's nice to tell the time by the sun - at one time the only way to know.

In the lower photos you can see the artist working on it. See how the Château seems to grow out of the rocks that support it.


Thanks to Barbara Pfieffer for the photo on the left, which shows the original sundial - or what was left of it.

Fête Saint Pierre - the Blessing at Sea

The boats are full - Saint Peter himself, the priest, the mayor - all ready to sail out into the bay for the blessing of those who died at sea.

This is our last day at the Festival of Saint Peter. Thanks so much to everyone who came along for the ride.

Fête Saint Pierre - the Embonpoint

This gentleman has grown a large moustache and an even larger embonpoint but looks like he needs help fixing his life jacket...

Fête Saint Pierre - the Gendarme's Daughter

This adorable little girl - and the bump on her head - is safe in her father's arms and about to board the boat.

So far as I can ascertain his hat and the number of stripes signifies that he is a commandant of the police gendarmerie which is the military police in France. If I've got this all wrong, perhaps someone will correct me. You don't often see this traditional gendarme's hat in Menton - at least I've not seen it except on a ceremonial occasion such as this festival.

Fête Saint Pierre - Embarkation

The procession arrives at the port. Three boats are ready. Into the first goes Saint Peter, the priest, the mayor and other dignitaries. Soon the boats will go out into the bay for the blessing of those who lost their lives at sea.

You can see a closer view of the little dog on Riviera Dogs today.