Each year Gorbio holds a Flamenco Festival - this is the bigger Fete Day of the year in the village with hundreds of visitors arriving to hear the music and see the dancing. And the dancers are not 'tourist flamenco' dancers but the real gitane dancing.
Here we see Isabel Cortes giving flamenco classes in the village hall. Tomorrow - more of Mme Cortes, who is celebrated in the world of flamenco.
This sculpture stands in the gardens of the Palais Carnoles, Menton's Museum of Fine Art. It's called Couple and was sculpted in 1987 by Robert Juvin, a sculptor who fought with the resistance in the war and was later awarded the Croix de Guerre.
If you are British you've probably seen the new Renault Mégane TV advert which asks 'Can a car change a town?' and compares Menton with the Lancastrian village of Gisburn (population 500). The advert is based on a cleverly-designed spoof of market research: according to Renault, statistics show that towns with more Méganes, such as Menton are happier, have higher rates of fertility, and longer life expectancies.
The teaser ad shows a swimming pool in Menton contrasted with a puddle in Gisburn; a glamorous French couple sipping wine with a frumpy couple drinking tea from a thermos flask; and designer shoes with an old pair of slippers.
Meet Elvire, the Menton artist who creates these beautiful icons. The photo below shows Elvire's interpretation of Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Book of Hours).
And note the smaller photo which shows a little more of the beautiful Chapelle Saint Jacques which housed Elvire's work.
There's a tiny and very pretty little chapel in Garavan - right next to the Napoleon hotel - and often it's used for art exhibitions.
The artist is Elvire Mercatini who lives in Menton and creates these beautiful icons. We'll meet her tomorrow. The work is incredibly detailed and she applies 40 coats of paint to create the effect she wants.
Do come back tomorrow and meet her and take a closer look at the chapel.
One of the many good things about living in a medieval village is that the children can play in total safety.
Here they are in the village square, playing with Boutchette, the Bassett Hound that belongs to Le Beau Sejour. Click on the link to see Boutchette a year ago when she was a puppy - adorable - she still is.
Menton is famous for its gardens of which the Clos du Peyronnet is one of my favourites. Here's a pretty corner with Rosa Gigantea tumbling over a wall. The garden has been in the same family since 1912. For an interview with the owner, William Waterfield - please click on the link.
This was taken in April last year with my old camera, the Lumix FZ18.
Place du Cap.
'Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.' ~ Charles Dickens
Meet Vaïmater - a three year old daughter of the village and so proud of her baby duckling.
Washing hanging on a line in Gorbio village. With the warmth of the sun, it won't take long to dry. What is it about medieval villages and washing that is so fascinating? I'm forever photographing washing hanging below windows or on lines in gardens.
The smaller photo shows how far away the washing is.
Another chance to see yesterday's lady with the fan. Today we are inside the villa of the Serre de la Madone.
The smaller photo is taken as a few people gathered early prior to the exhibition opening. Later, the place was packed out.
A special treat: the medieval village of Gorbio was honoured by a visit from Barbie the other day. To see - click on Barbie of the Day.
Before living here I used to think of a fan as something used in a theatre production or perhaps bought in a fairground. In Menton it's quite usual to see women fanning themselves on a warm evening.
This lady is listening to an artist welcoming us to the vernissage of his exhibition at the Serre de la Madone.
I wouldn't mind her cheekbones!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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. 
A mass of boats with the Old Town in the background and then... we start to leave the port.
Tomorrow: Rounding the Lighthouse.
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.
This guy works at a dress stall opposite the market.
Left to right: Lady, Churchill and Petula. Woof-woof.
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?
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.
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.
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!
