As you can see it's windy in Menton at the moment - probably the edges of a Mistral from the Bouches-du-Rhône. I snapped this from my car yesterday when I got stuck in traffic driving along the seafront.
The wind is blowing this lady's hair - the sea is dancing.
The night before we had rain - the first since May - unfortunately it came with hailstones - not the best idea when the ground is so parched - still I'm not complaining.
As served at le Beausejour in Gorbio - voila! - la Farandole. You see a small barbajuan on the lower left of the plate (yes, the plate isn't a true square). Barbajuan is a speciality of this area, especially Menton, Roquebrune and Monaco. Click on the link to read more but basically it's a tart or small pie, filled with leeks, Swiss chard, spinach and ricotta cheese. Then you have beignets of courgette flowers and also of aubergines - sometimes there is a large shrimp or two, deep fried in the lightest batter. Because I don't eat meat, there is none on this plate but the Benauts' plates included slices of proscuitto. There's also salad, fruit and a wonderfully piquant dipping sauce.
All of which went down very well with a good bottle of Bandol rosé.
The Benauts have just left for Sestri Levante on the Ligurian coast of Italy. The dogs and I miss them already.
Monsieur et Madame Benaut from Adelaide Daily Photo continue to eat, drink and sleep their way through England, France and Italy, bringing pleasure and laughter to everyone they meet. Here they are at Le Beausejour restaurant in Gorbio village, near to Menton.
Le Beausejour has a first course speciality they call La Farandole, but at lunchtime, just that one course is enough - and that's what we had yesterday. La Farandole is, in fact, a traditional folk dance of the south of France.
La Farandole, served at Le Beausejour is made up of traditional local specialities, so do come back tomorrow to see what goodies we ate.
Many of the stalls outside Menton market sell home grown produce. I always buy my salad from one particular lady who sells her home-grown fruit and vegetables. Here you see her mixed salad leaves. They are always so fresh and last for several days in the refrigerator. Buying in this way, you get a wonderful mix of flavours without having to buy six different varieties of lettuce or roquette (arugula in America) and throwing half of it away.
The main buzz of activity at night takes place around the Sablettes area of Menton but way down the beach towards Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the bars and restaurants have trouble attracting the crowds - so they bring on Les Girls. They parade around, dancing, more than happy to pose for photographs and guess what, the place is busy and buzzing. I wonder why?
If you are driving home along the Promenade du Soleil after a night out in Menton, suddenly the traffic slows and you get a free cabaret and naturally you arrive chez vous later than you intended.
(I look these photographs before I was so patiently taught to change White Balance settings, so apologies for the bright yellow light. )
It won't be long before the sun sets over Solenzara Beach. That's Cap Martin in the distance - and beyond that you'd find Monaco. But let's stay here...
Meet Willy, the Berger Pyrénées (Pyrenean Shepherd Dog) who rides around Menton on a scooter with his owner, Cornelia - a charming German lady who gives French conversation classes in Menton. In this photograph, they were in Gorbio for the Blessing of the Animals.
This small sheepdog of the mountains of the Pyrénées is considered the oldest of the French herding dogs. They were used in concert with the large white sheep guardian dogs, the Great Pyrénées (Pyrenean Mountain Dog) of the region. The little dog herded the sheep. The big dog watched over them. The natural abilities of this shaggy shepherd are legend - flocks being entrusted to the two different dogs without a human handler. They were officially recognized by the French Kennel Club in 1921.
The breed is also called a Labrit in France. You see many in the south of France.
A corner in Menton's Old Town brightened by a Russelia in a pot. Russelia Equisetiformis - also known as the Coral Plant - grows easily in the south of France although I don't have much luck in my garden. It originates from tropical America and Mexico and has a beautiful cascading form and colour that is so pleasing. I've also seen it in white and cream and bought both but neither survived.
Summer is coming to an end although you'd not know it if you walk along the Promenade du Soleil in Menton. Yes, it's just a little cooler but that is welcome. Many take advantage of the beach and sea but as the children have gone back to school, it's less crowded. September in Menton is a fabulous time.
Here's a shot taken just before 18.00h last Sunday. We're on a boat coming back from a day on the water in Italy - a repeat performance of 'The Boat Trip' that we shared in July. I'm shooting against the sun - Menton and the port of Garavan await us as we follow this sail boat into the harbour.
These three great guys saw me taking photographs and said, 'Take our photograph,' and promptly posed for me. I took the one above and then told them that they were standing in too much shadow - and so we moved into a more open area and I took another - the smaller photograph on the left.
However, despite shadows, I prefer the first one. It seems to me these guys - obviously great buddies - are more relaxed - they look at the camera in a more natural and direct manner. In the second one - well, it seems more posed to me, less natural. What do you think?
The throw - the concentration. Not all of these players are in the competition. The two on the left were playing outside the area - perhaps waiting for their turn, perhaps just playing a private game - I don't know.
I love the man in the top left hand corner - he went right up on his toes as he threw, and then almost fell forward as the boule left his hand.
Today is City Daily Photo's Theme Day and the theme is Sister Cities. According to one official list, Menton has three sister cities: Montreux, Switzerland, Noordwijk, Netherlands and Sochi, Russia. According to another it's Laguna Beach in California. Fortuitously, I'd had contact with a photographer connected with the Police Department of Laguna Beach as they wanted to bring a gift to the Police Department in Menton. So far that hasn't materialised so a re-think was necessary for today's Theme.
I'm posting a place I loved when I was there in June this year - a Ghost Town. It's calledGrafton, just outside Zion National Park in Utah, USA. Massive mountains, arid landscape, burning dry heat - so different from the Mediterranean and yet so stunningly beautiful. As is Menton.
Recognise the building in the photo below? If you've seen the 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, you might. In the B & W photo you see Butch and Etta (played by Katharine Ross) riding around this schoolhouse - which, as is obvious, has now been restored. (perhaps slightly over-restored).
To see a great short video (2.26 minutes) plus commentary, of Grafton, please click below:
Everyone who plays boules seems to have their own particular way of throwing. And it's fascinating to watch.
In the smaller photograph (click to enlarge) you see the boules field, laid out in lines for the competition. Today they are playing doublettes - or doubles.
There are three types of competition in boules:
three players per team (two boules per player), called triples
two players per team (three boules per player), called doubles
one player per team (three boules per player), called singles
The game is played from one end to the other - and then the next game is played the opposite way. You can see a length of wood in the foreground of the photo - in fact there are more games going on this side of that length of timber too - so it was a pretty full field of players.
Yesterday - three boules. Today, two - note the precise way the hand is balancing the ball - not holding it tight. You can sense the reverence here.
In the smaller photograph, a lady (more men play than women but yes, women certainly play too) holds her boule in a cloth, which she'll use to ensure the boule is free from dust and grit.
Boules are heavy, by the way - solid metal and weighing around 800 grams (or just under) - that's about 1.76 lbs.
You can read more on the game of pétanque by clicking on the link.
Here you see the Golden Apple. But first - on the left - meet the Committee of the Association for Festivals and Animations in Gorbio - responsible for organising the Fête Patronale de Saint Barthélemy. You can see the two chickens held aloft which are the offering to the curé - and note the man in the pale blue suit - he's holding the Pomme d'or.
The tradition of the Golden Apple goes back to Medieval times when the nobles made an offering to the church. The crucifix, which you saw entering the church the other day, and the sword represent the two social orders.
I didn't photograph the ceremony itself or follow the procession through the little streets of the village. There is much we have missed - next year, I promise.
Tomorrow - on to other joys of the Village Fête - how about a game of boules?
The service is about to begin. The small village church of Gorbio - Eglise Saint Barthélemy - is packed to overflowing for the ceremony of the Golden Apple.
